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Horn doesnt work and ive done all i know to do...

4x4JeePmaNthINg

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Colorado
horns dont work

relay clicks every time the button is pushed:
- tried swappin all the relays down there and no go for sound, but they all click.

test light shows fuse is good.
Voltometer says i have power to the wires for each horn.

I jumped the horns to the battery and one works one doesnt.

what am i missing here guys im now lost on what else to do?
 
Use your middle finger?

So when you press the horn button, you get 12v between the two wires at the horns? But neither one sounds?
 
All the horns need is power and ground. Bad ground ? It is possible that they are rusted inside and you need some new horns.
 
jeep is a 99.

I tested each horn jumping it to the battery. i clamped the ground to the bracket of the horn similar to it being attached to the body. Then i jumped power to the clip on the horn.

as i said one worked, one didnt, but i cant see why the heck its not working when installed.

also why would i be getting 12v to the wire without the horn button being pushed?
 
Doesn't make any sense to me. Horn is just about the most basic circuit on the jeep. The horns are chassis grounded. The power comes from the horn relay. The power into the relay comes from fuse 21 behind the right kick panel. The control side of the relay gets power from the same fuse. The relay is turned on by a ground path through the horn button.

There is no reason that power should exist at the dark green/red wire at the horns. If there was truly 12v positive there all the time, the horn would sound immediately when you plug it in.

Please don't be offended, but are you certain you know how a dvom works?
 
That's very weird to say the least.

My next step would be to pull the relay out and check the dark green/red wire for power again.

If you have power with the relay removed, then you have a short to power somewhere along that wire.

If the power goes away, then it was coming from the relay. Then I would check the power and ground that control the relay to see what they show?
 
Horn button shorted, damaged, not installed properly, clock spring wiring in the steering wheel???

Sounds to me like a break in the ground path between the horn guts and the frame to the battery ground post on both!!!!

Hot wire in the harness and to the horns damaged or stuck relay putting power to the horn wire.

jeep is a 99.

I tested each horn jumping it to the battery. i clamped the ground to the bracket of the horn similar to it being attached to the body. Then i jumped power to the clip on the horn.

as i said one worked, one didnt, but i cant see why the heck its not working when installed.

also why would i be getting 12v to the wire without the horn button being pushed?
 
Ok new relay today, key off no power to horns with or without the button pushed. Relay does click. Where does this all exit the fuse panel?
Is it the same green wire red stripe?
How would ground separate if it grounded to the frame, and would the relay click if the clockspring ground was messed up?
 
The basics is the horn button grounds the relay actuator coil. the relay actuator coil has constant power. The relay closes and provides power to the horns, the relay has constant power through fuse 21 at the junction block. The horns ground through the frame.

I have had the horn mount corrode and cause resistance=no ground.

One real oddball I had, horn wouldn't work. I bought a new one, went to install it and discovered my horn was full of water. Dumped out the water and it was good to go.

You really have to probe both sides of any fuse for power or continuity, just because they look good doesn't mean they are good, hairline cracks are hard to see.
 
I hit both sides of the fuse with a test light, is this not efficient?

Is it safe to say that if the horn button has the relay clicking then my problem is down stream from there to where the horns mount?
 
Is it safe to say that if the horn button has the relay clicking then my problem is down stream from there to where the horns mount?
Yes, I would agree.

You should just need to check power coming out of the relay on the green/red wire, and check continuity of that wire.
 
I hit both sides of the fuse with a test light, is this not efficient?

Is it safe to say that if the horn button has the relay clicking then my problem is down stream from there to where the horns mount?

I tend to troubleshoot from easy to hard. Pull the relay and have a close look at the socket with a good flashlight.

If you have no power to one horn check the ground and then the wire. If you have no power to both horns it is likely the wire or more specifically a connector or a splice.
 
i found the green wire with red stripe running into the cab fuse panel and unplugged that whole deal.

alligator clips on passenger side horn wire, and the fuse panel side of the wire probed, continuity showed 009. i can try this on the driver side tomorrow.

i tried jumping an alligator clip from that fuse panel prong-horn- ground but had no power. i had another plug with a screw through it undone as well, which one is supplying power?
 
No resistance on the driver side horn wire. I checked the clockspring and the ground is secure. I thought I was testing the horn wire out from the relay panel but i cant get it to show voltage. One wire up does, but thats no help.

The relay is new an still clicks so what am I looking for now?
 
If the relay is clicking it is getting the command from the button, so you can rule that out. Verify power to the relay. If that's good but t you have no power at the horns, you have a bad relay or broken wire.
 
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