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Ken Heising (aka Ken_tech) [ View ] [ Email ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ] Fairfax, Virginia

When I sound my horn (Fiamm electric) while holding the billet part of my steering wheel, I get a nice stimulating shock! This started yesterday. I replaced the horn 3 weeks ago. I looked at the horn, the 2 leads are still attached, of course, as it works. Is insulation in the steering wheel worn or missing? Do I open the steering wheel horn button to investigate? By applying a sharp knife edge at the red arrow area to pop the cover? thanks, Ken

Comments

Posted by ronhotrod  -  04/19/2008 09:12 PM you do not have the black wire inside tthe column grounded correctly and it is trying to ground thru the colimn. Yes you carefully pry the horn button where you have indicated to remove it. Then connect the black wire to the horn button. it should 'screw' via a plastic connector into the steering wheel. If all is 'as designed' that connector then goes thru the column to the turn signal connector plug. It then routes to the horn relay. No current should in the black wire at the column. It is a ground only wire. When you apply the horn it grounds the relay and triggers the switch to send 12 volts to the horn itself. Hope this helps ronhotrod [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Mount washington, Kentucky Charter Member since July 2001   Posted by 37tin  -  04/20/2008 12:44 AM Ken,,when you figure it out let me know!! my stupid horn just honks,,no stimullis!<<<<<<<< 37tin [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] langley, Canada   Posted by DavyJ  -  04/20/2008 10:56 AM Fiberglass car, ground the steering column, i've seen this on a glass Cobra, the column was insulated at the brackets and the horn ground went through the driver's hands. Still driving the wife's car, cause I am slow. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Niagara Falls, Canada Charter Member since February 2005   Posted by Ken_tech  -  04/20/2008 12:12 PM Popped the cover this am and no ground wire for the easy solution of course. So, how do I ground the column? I have attached some pix. Pix are in reverse order. Doh! I'm curious. What is the gray wire exiting the column that is not connected? One other bit on info. About the same time as this problem arose, I was shifting into Park, and the shifter felt like it was jamming against something (ground wire?). After a few Park-to-Drive and back shifts, it cleared up and went back to normal. At the time, I thought the difficulty in shifting was pretty odd. thanks, Ken Ken_tech [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Fairfax, Virginia   Posted by ronhotrod  -  04/20/2008 01:58 PM Ken, list the color of the wires coming from the steering column for us. maybe someone mixed up the wires. The yellow wire attached to the horn button should be connected to a black wire in the column harness. that wire (black one) goes to the horn relay. and yes EVERYTHING on a 'glass car must be separately grounded to function properly. The only other item to check is that the column connection under the steering wheel isn't bent. doesn't happen often, but does happen. ronhotrod [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Mount washington, Kentucky Charter Member since July 2001   Posted by hotrodgene  -  04/20/2008 02:22 PM Ken I had same problem few months ago and someone on this site it on the head by telling me to check ground wire to button.I tighten the screw on back side of button for ground and problem was gone.If that is not your paoblem then reground your column. Thanks,Gene [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Saint Petersburg, Florida   Posted by Ken_tech  -  04/20/2008 02:32 PM Ron, Gene, I think this problem arose 2 days ago when I mangled something shifting from drive to park. This was not a problem when I got the car last November. Something recent. Not sure where the ground wire is -- but it must be there somewhere. Here are the wiring colors as I see them: white, green, yellow, lavender, medium gray, blue, light blue, and black. And there is the light gray wire (exiting at the top of the column) not connected. Ken_tech [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Fairfax, Virginia   Posted by DavyJ  -  04/20/2008 08:32 PM Ken, sounds like you should pull the wheel, and inspect the wires as they go past the shifter. That small self tapping screw under the horn button sure looks like it was made for a ground wire. The column can be grounded by attaching a wire from the upper support to your ground stud under the dash. Still driving the wife's car, cause I am slow. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Niagara Falls, Canada Charter Member since February 2005   Posted by Ken_tech  -  04/20/2008 09:25 PM Pulling the wheel requires a wheel puller, doesn't it? I don't have one. Will an ordinary wheel puller suffice? One from Advance Auto Parts or other local parts store? Ken_tech [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Fairfax, Virginia   Posted by dixie  -  04/20/2008 09:31 PM YOU CAN PULL IT WITHOUT A PULLER. jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006   Posted by ronhotrod  -  04/20/2008 09:32 PM Ok the white wire goes to the brake light switch, the green is the right rear stop/turn light, the yellow is the left rear stop/turn, the lavender (purple) goes to the turn signal flasher, the brown is the 4 way emergency flasher, the dark blue is the right front turn, and the light blue is the left front turn light, and the black goes to the horn relay. Yes you can buy OR borrow a puller at Advance Auto. After you pull the wheel make sure all wires are free of tears/cuts and that the insulation is in tact. After you remove the turn signal lever you can see three screws that hold the turn signak switch to the column. remove them and slowly pull the whole switch toward you. If there is a snag/tear you will find it here. You can tape over a bare spot and reinstall but you need to find out what caused it to tangle in the first place and correct problem to prevent it from ocurring again. Before you do all that make sure that the wires weren't torn outside of the column where the wires go through the floor ronhotrod [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Mount washington, Kentucky Charter Member since July 2001   Posted by dixie  -  04/20/2008 09:51 PM YOU CAN PULL IT WITHOUT A PULLER.BACK THE NUT OFF TILL EVEN ARE SLIGHTLY ABOVE SHAFT HAVE SOME ONE TAP ON IT WHILE U PULL UP ON IT MAY HAVE TO ROCK IT BACK AN FORTH A LITTLE.WORKS FOR ME. DIXIE---SHADETREE MAN-- jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006   Posted by Ken_tech  -  04/20/2008 09:44 PM OK, thanks guys. I will look at it in the morning. I will try to remove the wheel w/o a puller and see what happens. If it doesn't go my way, you may hear the cursing all the way to your house! We have another day of rain here in northern VA. We will take it. Ken_tech [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Fairfax, Virginia   Posted by Ken_tech  -  04/22/2008 09:10 PM Well after working on it today, the problem went away, and I'm happy about that. I borrowed a wheel puller (couldn't get the wheel off w/o one) from my friend Lanny. Removed the wheel and everything looked normal. No ground wire in sight. So, I closed it up. I told Lanny how my car was shocking me, I said it was giving me 12 volts. He said it must be a lot more than 12 volts, more like ignition voltage. Looked at my linkage in the engine compartment, and 3 spark wires are sitting right on top of it when the car is in park. I moved them some, I moved the plastic looms around a bit, but they sit pretty much in the same spot. Anyway, the car doesn't shock me any more, not on or off, park or drive. Went out for a 15 min spin, which was very nice as we have had 3 days of rain, almost 4 inches! Thanks for all the help guys. Ken_tech [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Fairfax, Virginia   Posted by ol bear  -  04/22/2008 09:22 PM 2 KNEES AGAINST THE WHEEL PUSHING UP AND A LIL TAP ON THE NUT WITH A PLASTIC HAMMER AND ITLL POP RIGHT OFF,,,,,,, OL BEAR OL BEAR [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] crown point, Indiana   Posted by jimmothershead  -  04/23/2008 10:16 AM Ken........Open ground? No pig tail ? No horn relay? will check it Sunday at "Spring Fling" Jim Jim [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Huntingtown, Maryland

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