HORN NOT WORKING

[jrobinson]

g'day folks. the horn was not working. I dis-connected the wires and removed the horn. cleaned it and replaced it. it worked with power straight from a battery to it but not by using the bikes electrical system. checked the wires on the bike. key switched on but motor not running I only get about 6 volts on the multi-meter when connected to the wires going to the horn and horn button pressed on. so I thought this should have been 12 volts.
any suggestions as to what to do now?
thanks
jim

[Pat Conlon]

The wires to the horn often get scuffed against the steering neck. Unwrap the wires and check them out.

[hillsy]

I had the same issue with my 93 - ended up being corroded contacts in the LHS switchblock (IE: the horn button). Cleaned them up with a bit of sandpaper and the horn worked again.

[moparman70]

ditto to the last post --- I suspect the horn button as well

[FJmonkey]

If you are getting the original horn to work again, are you thinking it might be useful? The horn circuit is worth reviving, the horn not so much. At least put a louder horn in.  In SoCal traffic the OEM horn might as well be a bicycle bell. I have the Hella Dual tone and know that drivers hear it. The Wolo Bad Boy has even more sound.  Just some thoughts as you sort out the issue.

[red]

If you are getting the original horn to work again, are you thinking it might be useful? The horn circuit is worth reviving, the horn not so much. At least put a louder horn in.  In SoCal traffic the OEM horn might as well be a bicycle bell. I have the Hella Dual tone and know that drivers hear it. The Wolo Bad Boy has even more sound.  Just some thoughts as you sort out the issue.

jrobinson ,

I agree.  Once you get the horn working, it would be a good idea to upgrade the horn.  Consider what others have used as upgrade horns, certainly, but almost any car horn is better than the stock horn.  At the same time, to make the stock horn switch and wiring last far longer, and to power a stronger horn, you should consider adding a horn relay.  Relays are far cheaper than handlebar switches.  Run the horn button wiring to the coil of the relay, and run full battery power to the relay contact, then out of the relay to the horn.  The difference will be amazing.      

[Motofun]

When I put pods on my intakes it opened up lots of space under the seat for the dual tone horns.  This way I get a thrill as well as the bozo's when I activate the horn!   

[jrobinson]

g'day folks, yer! i'll try the switch first. do they have a relay for the horn, if so are they prone to playing up and if they do have a relay where the hell is it?
thanks all jim.

[FJmonkey]

The relay comment was to add one. The FJ wiring harness(s) are not designed to prevent voltage drop. So many systems that perform poorly with less than 12VDC can be improved with adding a relay to allow full voltage. The headlamp is a popular rely mod. But now for the same cost and effort you could upgrade to LED. Back to your horn. If you are keeping the stock horn then a relay will be a waste of money.  Spend it on a RPM spin-on oil filter adapter. Or fork brace, or ....

[jrobinson]

OK! seems like the problem is in the wire system. let me know if I'm wrong. the horn works fine when i hook power direct to it from the battery. i just pulled the horn switch apart, pushed some spikes into the wires and checked them on the multimeter. there is continuity when the switch is pushed on and no continuity when the switch is off, so it must be working. now if the switch is working and the horn is working but only when direct power is connected from the battery then anything in-between could be at fault. so apart from broken wires, what else could it be?
the wires from the horn to the main loom seem to be good. the wires from the switch to the loom seem to be good, so i guess the problem is in the wires in the loom. if that is the case then i might have to rewire the horn circuit.
any advise welcomed.
thanks
Jim

[ZOA NOM]

Check the continuity between the switch and the ends of the wire that connects to the horn. That should confirm the broken wire. It will likely be found at a point where it is fed through a frame tab that may have pinched it. Might be easier to abandon it and run a new pair. (this is frowned upon by the concours folks). You are hot on the trail...

[FJ_Hooligan]

With the key on, one of the wires at the horn should have 12 volts (pink wire?).  See if you have voltage there.

The other wire is a ground path through the switch.  Press the horn button and see if the return leg ohms to ground.

This will tell you which leg to chase.

[jrobinson]

yep! found it. did the test as advised and solved the problem. thanks everyone. many thanks infact. jim