I feel pretty dumb asking this question as i'm studying to be an EE, but I'm having trouble installing new horn(s) in my 97 SE. As anyone who owns one knows they're pretty weak, and living in the city it just wasn't getting the job done. I bought a low and high tone 132dB horns from autozone, they were just a one pin connection and grounded through the arm that holds them in place. Without being screwed in (and grounded) they didnt work, as would make sense, and once i bolted them in they did. The stock ones were located in different places, one on the passenger side fender and one right behind the grille. I put both new ones right behind the grille, as there was another connector there for something, and it worked when I tested it. I got a few good blasts (it sounded great) out of it before it stopped working altogether. Now all i get is a click when i hit the horn. Any help would be great.

 

I hope you're only starting your studying. Did you check the relays and fuses? Why did you decide to use a connector if you didn't know what it was for? You should've installed them in the places the stock were in. If I remember correctly one was used for the alarm and the other was for the actuall stering wheel horn. If you connected them to the same circuit/relay you could've blown something. As a EE student you should've checked al the possibilities first before asking.

 

I'm not sure if you mean one horn was used for the steering wheel or one connector, either way I know for sure both horns sounded in both cases, and I would assume (maybe a bad idea) that both connectors that the horns were on would have been on the same fuse and relay. As for not checking the fuses and such, its dark out now, dont want to be on the streets of Boston at night working on my car.

 

are these air horns? or regular ones...since you get a click...the issue is likely with the horn..becuase the click means the relay is working...I would see if you could swap out the horns or put back the stockers to see if they work. Process of elimination..! (I'm an EE also)

 

they are just regular horns, no compressor or any of that junk; although they do have a duct... actually, they are the horns that come stock in the I35 and possibly the new maximas, seeing as it says "Nissan" on the ones in the Infiniti. all they have is the 12V hookup, and chassis ground. I'm going to try numerous things in the morning, just trying to get some feedback on what to look for first, if its a common problem.

 

i have a very simmilar problem. i got sick of the wussy sounding horns in my car so i took off both the stock ones and threw on the low-end horn from some old caddy that was sitting at a junkyard. it cost me nothing and sounded like a foghorn so i was happy. well i installed it in front of the grill facing up so water got into it and stayed when it rained. it actually worked with the water only it souded like crap and when i went to see what was up i noticed that it sprayed water out of the top. well i relocated it to the postion in the engine bay (on the left fender) and it hasnt worked since. neither connector will get it to sound but when i put the leads right on the battery it sounds great. i've checked all the fuses and i'm pretty sure the relay works ( how do you check for sure? ) so i have no idea whats going on

me please!

 

I would try putting the horns in the stock positions first, then I would get out the multimeter and start checking connections, first confirm that the relay is clicking over. then check to see that the horn connection is getting 12 volts when the relay clicks over. (if you need something done right, you gotta go to the MechE)

 

I got up this morning and went nuts trying to find the fuse for "horn", pulled a few random electrical ones that may have been it, then realized there was another fuse box in the engine compartment. To all those other beginners out there, make note of that. The horn fuse was blown. I swapped it out with another, and disconnected the horn that wasn't in the stock position and it worked fine, then added the second horn back in the stock position, gave it a blast and the same problem, blew the fuse after a few seconds. Apparently these new horns draw a bit more current. I threw a 20A fuse in the box instead of a 10A and gave it a try, works fine. Then moved the second horn back up to the front to that unknown connector, still works fine. So that second plug is for a horn, I'm assuming its just one of those things they dont change between models, ie the Infinitis all have both horns in that position. Is it going to cause a problem having a 20A fuse in that circuit instead of a 10A?

Thanks for the help!

 

I would check to see what kind of current it is actually drawing, if it was just a little bit over 10 amps that would be alright. and then confirm that it is because of the horn so check the resistance of the horn itself and an EE's favorite equation V=IR

 

You cannot run high powered horns through the stock switches without using a relay. You need to put some type of aftermarket relay connected to the stock horn switch and draw the power for the horns directly from the battery or else they will blow the stock fuse.