88 4cyl - dead horn - but i can hear a click!

5690 Views 10 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Mike Gerber, Oct 23, 2010

cvandiv

Discussion Starter · Sep 17, 2010

my horn died on me quite some time ago and i never really bothered to check it out however, the other day i went to 'honk' it (for stress relief!) and noticed an audible 'click' when i pressed on the steering wheel. further inquiry has me fairly confident the click is coming from somewhere behind the dash on the passenger side. any thoughts of what it might be? just asking to see if there's an obvious solution before i rip my car apart looking for a little click :lol: thanks!

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Mike Gerber

· #2 · Sep 17, 2010

That click is probably the horn relay. I'm not exactly sure where it is located on your generation. Check the fuse/relay box under the hood to see if there is a relay there for the horn. If you find it, have someone honk the horn for you while you stay under the hood and see if it's that relay ticking. If it is ticking, then the problem is most likely the horn itself or the wiring to it. You can back-probe the horn's electrical connection with a 12 volt test light or a digital volt/ohmeter, while someone honks it. Jut check for 12 volts. If you get 12 volts there, the horn itself is defective. Try a salvage yard for a replacement.

Mike

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Darwin686

· #3 · Sep 21, 2010

Bad horn

Hay man your horn is blown generally the horn relay click means its working. I'd replace the horn.

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hairball

· #4 · Oct 21, 2010

I agree with Darwin686. I'd replace the horn. If you hear the relay clicking, everything is working properly. Do what I did... install a pair of factory horns from a late model Ford. LOL! Yep, I have horns from a Crown Victoria on my 90 DX. They are made by Fiamm (the famous horn maker) and are super loud! Believe me, people WILL hear you when you want to "relieve stress"!! The only issue is they are much bigger that factory Toyota horns so they don't just bolt in. I've used Ford horns on my last few cars AND even my motorcycle! They are LOUD! I go to a junkyard and grab the whole thing, including the bracket and plugs. Just look for any 90's Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicle and you'll find your horns! I've had to zip-tie mine behind my grill but it works. Hey, nobody sees it anyway, but they sure hear you! These are the horns I'm talking about (this pic of of my 07 Honda 919, which made heads turned when I honked). I had to make a bracket, but dual Ford horns sure beat a single flat "ribbon" horn...

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magautoparts

· #5 · Oct 21, 2010

In my 15 years of experience of hearing about this problem it is usually the horn contact pin behind the pad. The part number is 84312-20011 and will cost less then $6 on our site. It's technical name is horn contact plate. Hope this helps.

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TOYOPARTSMAN

· #6 · Oct 21, 2010

I agree with Megautoparts when I'd try the horn pin first. This is a metal pin that over time wears out. In the old day we use to have a box of like a hundred because just about every car/truck would need one. If you take off your steering wheel, you'll see a worn out stub in comparison to the new oen.

FYI, it is $4.54 from me.

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TOYOPARTSMAN

· #7 · Oct 21, 2010

it is a simple way to check, just remove the steering wheel, the horn pin will be sticking out and should be completely worn down.

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Zembonez

· #8 · Oct 21, 2010

I'm betting on a dead horn. If the relay clicks when you depress the horn pad, it sounds like that part is functioning OK.

Horn upgrade FTW!

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hairball

· #9 · Oct 21, 2010

This is what I keep thinking. If the pin or something in the button was worn or broken, seems to me it wouldn't produce a click in the horn relay. Sure, I know about horn buttons and the pin, but it just doesn't seem logical that it would still trigger the horn relay. I've never owned a car yet that would click the relay if the horn mechanism in the wheel was worn out. Ironically, when I had my steering wheel off yesterday, just to not accidentally sound my horn and disturb my neighbor when I was putting the cover back on, I unplugged my horn from under the hood. Sure enough, when I was pushing the cap back on, I kept hearing the relay clicking under the passenger side of the dash.

My money is on the horn itself.