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Horn help

1K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  AZgl1800 
#1 ·
Howdy folks! I have electrical gremlins in my 1500 wings aftermarket horns. When I start the bike in the morning they work fine. Several miles down the road they quit working. In the afternoon after sitting in the parking lot, nothing. I've sprayed half a can of contact cleaner over several days n no difference. I replaced the relay that came with the horns and same symptoms. I ordered a new switch housing Saturday but honestly I'm not sure if that's going to fix the problem.
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
 
#2 ·
A simple Test Light from the Auto Supply stores should help you find the problem.

It is extremely difficult to diagnose electrical problems via the internet as we can't see what you are doing, but ...


  • I would start at the battery/fuse for the horn circuit and test each point where something changes...
  • ie, a horn button? does the light burn when you push it?
  • a relay? does the light burn when the relay clicks?
  • the horns themselves? does the light burn when the button is pushed, but they don't honk?


if the light burns at point 'A' and it don't at point 'B', then something is wrong in between those two points.


the hard part is all of the plastic that gets in the way of tracing those wires.
 
#3 ·
I understand what you're saying and I will try n get some help over to do that. But it's the symptoms that's driving me crazy. As weird as it sounds it's almost like its temperature related or vibration related. Like a contact that is opening up after it gets hot. I'd rather have something just flat out break than this kinda problem. ?
 
#4 ·
do you still have the stock horns? Easy to replace the after market ones with stock and see if you still have the problem? I do doubt that it is the actually horn it self because you have 2 horns and if neither one works the problem is somewhere before the power gets to the horns, but it never hurts to try the easy stuff first.
 
#9 ·
If they are air horns, perhaps there's a problem with the air supply rather than the power. The problem is; you're asking questions about an aftermarket product, and we don't know the brand, model, or how the system works.

Have you tried the product's web site? Sometimes those will have a useful Q&A page.
 
#10 ·
I had a friend come over with his trusty test light last night. Checked the new relay that I put in and its not getting a signal from the switch. so, when the new switch housing gets here this weekend its going on. But as the lil kid says, Im skeptible. This morning when I started it up it worked flawlessly, then two miles down the road nothing, same as every morning, I'm betting a contact is opening up as it gets hot when the bike starts warming up.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it....
 
#11 · (Edited)
Do yourself a favor and open up the control unit that has the horn button in it and properly clean it.


If all you are doing is trying to spray contact cleaner into the cracks and crevasses and hoping to "clean" the contacts then you are crazily mistaken. ;) Once you take it a part you will understand.


Do it right and take it apart. So many people try to do it this way and then try a ton of other stuff when the real fix takes 15 - 20 minutes and two screws to get the unit off.


Tim

(No harm was meant with the crazy statement)
 
#12 ·
Can we change the word "crazy" to 'mistaken'?

I personally don't think the problem is in the switch. It seems unlikely it would be so consistently inconsistent.

If there is some sort of air line, or compressor involved, that would seem a more likely culprit. Again, we'd need to know the make and model so we might figure out how the system functions.
.
 
#14 ·
I am still thinking it's the horn button switch.


Once that old grease in there starts to get hard, funny things start to happen.


It could be that when there is no vibration, the switch is at proper "rest". After running it for a while, the vibration puts the old grease where it should not be and then things don't work. Let it set a bit and it works fine.


It could also be a bad connection at the connector at the end of the wire harness going up to that push button switch.


Like he said, there is no power getting to the relay to operate it when the horn button is pressed. This negates the motor/compressor being an issue.


Make sure that you clean and lube (with silicone grease) the new to you switches that come on the unit that your ordered in before you install it.


Tim
 
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#15 ·
When you open up the left switch cluster to access the horn switch, do the following:

Press the horn button.

If the horns don't blow,

Jump across the "light green" and "white/green" wires attached to the horn switch.

If the horns blow, you have a faulty horn switch.

Clean the horn switch, if the problem persists, do more circuit testing.
 
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