My HORN - has left the building...
06-14-2001, 01:42 AM
#1
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At first, the horn would just get stuck once in a while, and I'd have to hit it a couple times to stop it. As it worsened over time, I'd be attempting to send a friendly 'toot', next thing I know everyone is glaring at me because they think I am 'Standing' on the horn. Sheepishly, I put my hands up and point at the steering wheel, while the horn did it's own thing.
Just yesterday though, I was trying to catch a little after work snooze, but this annoying wail in the distance is just, well...annoying. I live 3 floors from street level in a building. Anyway, next thing I know there's a knock on the door. My neighbor accross the hall lets me know it's MY annoying horn! That's funny, think to myself. I haven't been near the car in 2 hours, and I didn't even use the horn that day. Now it's just going off by itself. No amount of bee-atch slapping my horn made a difference - so I just pulled the fuse.
So I ask you - do you think you know what the fix is for this dilemma? The horn obviously works. And yet, it doesn't malfunction and get "stuck" only when I use it, it goes off without me being anywhere near it!
All "horny comments" will be taken out back and beaten about the head with used Civic parts.
Just yesterday though, I was trying to catch a little after work snooze, but this annoying wail in the distance is just, well...annoying. I live 3 floors from street level in a building. Anyway, next thing I know there's a knock on the door. My neighbor accross the hall lets me know it's MY annoying horn! That's funny, think to myself. I haven't been near the car in 2 hours, and I didn't even use the horn that day. Now it's just going off by itself. No amount of bee-atch slapping my horn made a difference - so I just pulled the fuse.
So I ask you - do you think you know what the fix is for this dilemma? The horn obviously works. And yet, it doesn't malfunction and get "stuck" only when I use it, it goes off without me being anywhere near it!
All "horny comments" will be taken out back and beaten about the head with used Civic parts.
06-14-2001, 06:50 AM
#2
Hmmm... I would suggest to pull the buttons out of the steering wheel and clean the connections.. it's obviously an electrical problem, and since it slowly worsened over time, I would be pretty sure it's inside the button(s) on the wheel.
the fun part about that is I've never pulled mine, and don't know whether they're removable without doing anything with the airbag or not.
I may go work on my parts car today, and I'll check on it if you'd like. the airbag is already blown, so I've got no worries of tearing into the steering wheel.
the fun part about that is I've never pulled mine, and don't know whether they're removable without doing anything with the airbag or not.
I may go work on my parts car today, and I'll check on it if you'd like. the airbag is already blown, so I've got no worries of tearing into the steering wheel.
06-14-2001, 12:45 PM
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Re: hadman!
Originally posted by roadiusmaximus
I have to give you full respect for the horn and civic beating warning. I was laughing about it for a good 2 minutes!
I have to give you full respect for the horn and civic beating warning. I was laughing about it for a good 2 minutes!
Hadman
06-14-2001, 05:41 PM
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Originally posted by flyry110
go buy a dixie horn and wire it up ghettolike into your dash! that'll impress the ladies!
go buy a dixie horn and wire it up ghettolike into your dash!
that'll impress the ladies!
06-14-2001, 08:22 PM
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Diagnosis - Plastic
Well, I pulled the horn cover off the steering wheel to snoop around. Careful, of course, not to yank it too hard, as the Cruise Control is part of the pad.
When I flipped it over, it seems the plastic housing has shiffted inside and is not sitting square. This is causing the plastic to rub against metal when the horn is depressed, and over time it has shaved some of the plastic down.
As it is rubbing against a metal part. This is causing it to rise up on its own and trigger the horn. Unless you can see it yourself, it's pretty hard to explain, I'll just have to figure out a way to get it square again, and keep the housing from shifting. Then I will have to 'build up' the worn down plastic where it was rubbing.
So, it turns out not to be electrical after all. Just structural. I guess things like this are to be expected on a 10 year old car.
Another $75 labor saved...assuming I can fix it without having to replace anything.
Regards,
Hadman
When I flipped it over, it seems the plastic housing has shiffted inside and is not sitting square. This is causing the plastic to rub against metal when the horn is depressed, and over time it has shaved some of the plastic down.
As it is rubbing against a metal part. This is causing it to rise up on its own and trigger the horn. Unless you can see it yourself, it's pretty hard to explain, I'll just have to figure out a way to get it square again, and keep the housing from shifting. Then I will have to 'build up' the worn down plastic where it was rubbing.
So, it turns out not to be electrical after all. Just structural. I guess things like this are to be expected on a 10 year old car.
Another $75 labor saved...assuming I can fix it without having to replace anything.
Regards,
Hadman
04-29-2002, 03:52 PM
#9
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Re: Diagnosis - Plastic
Originally posted by hadman
Well, I pulled the horn cover off the steering wheel to snoop around. Careful, of course, not to yank it too hard, as the Cruise Control is part of the pad.
Well, I pulled the horn cover off the steering wheel to snoop around. Careful, of course, not to yank it too hard, as the Cruise Control is part of the pad.
Thanks
04-29-2002, 05:22 PM
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Re: Re: Diagnosis - Plastic
Originally posted by ezra
Can you or anyone else who has done this give more details about how to pull the horn cover off? Is it simply a matter of pulling? How is it attached, clips?
Thanks
Can you or anyone else who has done this give more details about how to pull the horn cover off? Is it simply a matter of pulling? How is it attached, clips?
Thanks
04-30-2002, 08:48 PM
#11
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Conclusions
Ok, so I was sitting in traffic behind one of the university buses today and I started thinking about hadman's post. Before I knew I had almost pulled off my steering wheel cover while I was driving. I decided to wait until I got home.
It was as hadman said, I just had to firmly grab the cover from the edges and give it a nice tug. It is held on by 4 metal clips that lock into the wheel. After loosening the cover, I had to unclip 2 wires, one going to the cruise control buttons and one going to the metal frame under the pad which is part of the horn switches.
I then proceeded to unscrew the previously mentioned metal frame from the cover to get to the switches below.
The switches basically work by you pushing on the pad, which pushes on a plastic slab with 4 raised bumps in each of its 4 corners. These bumps are what then pushes on the raised metal contacts of the horn switch.
As far as I can tell, the circuit works by passing a current through the plug, when one of the switches is pushed down it completes the circuit that connects to the horn. An interesting thing to note is that if you plug the metal frame in and try to test the contacts while the frame is not in contact with the metal on the steering wheel, the switches will not work. I have not tested any of my theories on the circuit but I assume the metal on the wheel is part of the circuit and is necessary to make the connection to the horn.
(If anyone can confirm this I would definately be interested).
In the end, I couldn't really find anything wrong with the plastic piece or with the switches. I think something may have simply been out of place because after putting it all back into the car it seems to work fine now and I didn't do anything. (At first I suspected one of the plastic bumps had worn down or that the contact switches were bent out of shape ...). One good idea is to pull out the fuse for the horn when you are working with it so you don't annoy all the neighbors while you fiddle
(I think its on the left side, the second 10A fuse after a bunch of 20A's, the back of the fuse cover located above the hood release should say). There is a plastic fuse removal tool in the same compartment in the middle of the left side which is very useful for removing the fuses. (A little bit of a pain to get out itself if you have fat fingers like me
The whole exercise took less than an hour.
It was as hadman said, I just had to firmly grab the cover from the edges and give it a nice tug. It is held on by 4 metal clips that lock into the wheel. After loosening the cover, I had to unclip 2 wires, one going to the cruise control buttons and one going to the metal frame under the pad which is part of the horn switches.
I then proceeded to unscrew the previously mentioned metal frame from the cover to get to the switches below.
The switches basically work by you pushing on the pad, which pushes on a plastic slab with 4 raised bumps in each of its 4 corners. These bumps are what then pushes on the raised metal contacts of the horn switch.
Code:
Plastic Piece Metal Frame
__________ /O __ ______ ___ O\
/o o\ | |:| |:| |
\ / | |@|=======|@|]===plug
|o______o| | |:|_______|:| |
\O --- --- O/
o -raised bump
O -screw whole
: -raised metal contact switch
@ -bolt
= -wire
(If anyone can confirm this I would definately be interested).
In the end, I couldn't really find anything wrong with the plastic piece or with the switches. I think something may have simply been out of place because after putting it all back into the car it seems to work fine now and I didn't do anything. (At first I suspected one of the plastic bumps had worn down or that the contact switches were bent out of shape ...). One good idea is to pull out the fuse for the horn when you are working with it so you don't annoy all the neighbors while you fiddle
(I think its on the left side, the second 10A fuse after a bunch of 20A's, the back of the fuse cover located above the hood release should say). There is a plastic fuse removal tool in the same compartment in the middle of the left side which is very useful for removing the fuses. (A little bit of a pain to get out itself if you have fat fingers like me The whole exercise took less than an hour.
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