steeing wheel/horn problems **please help mot soon**

im nearing the end of rebuilding my cabrio gti but the problem i have at the minute is that the brass ring on the back of my steering wheel is touching the metal bit for the switch gear causin the horn to earth out and permantly sound  

oooh forgot to add its a standard four button wheel   :dontknow:

think ide simply find another wheel and replace the brass ring complete as they do unscrew.You dont need to replace the whole wheel. :wink:

im being abit thick here but wot would replacing the brass ring do????  :dontknow:  ops:

Hi,

the brass ring at the back of the wheel should be touching the little strip of metal coming from the switch on the steering column, this is the live from the horn.

Sounds more like you it is the switch in the wheel in the on position all the time. I'm not sure which wheel you have, but in mine i just pulled out the centre horn cover where the switch is and bent the contacts so that it only made the circuit when the horn was pressed.

I presume when you take the centre of the wheel off the horn stops sounding.

Cheers

Ash

Just solved this problem on my Caddy. You need to make sure you have the spacer on the end of the column. I used a spring/locking washer from an early Mk2. This holds the centre of the wheel away from the top of the column switches. Without this the steering wheel 'earths out' on the top of the column switches causing the horn to sound all the time.
Hope this is your problem as it's an easy fix !
Cheers,
Mark

thats the problem i have

ill get down to the scrappys for a look for one

cheers

My horn is sounding briefly as I turn corners, do you think this would be a similar problem? :scratch:  

Cheers

Ian

yep

deffo

 

Andunp - any watercooled VW that's pre '89 should be OK for the bits (I think). You need to tap the washer that's holding the spring 'upwards' and off the column. When doing this put the steering wheel nut and washer back on first or the spring will launch the washer and you'll struggle to find it (like I did !). Get the metal cap that the spring sits on (runs against the column bearing) while you're there. Incidentally, not all models use this spring. It's been a while since I had the wheel off my Gti, but I think this just used a plastic spacer 'sleeve'. Anything that keeps the wheel away from the column switches should do methinks.

Ian - sounds weird that. You could take the wheel off and have a look if you've got the spacer / spring there I suppose. If you look between steering wheel and top of column switches, there should be a clear gap. On mine it's now about 4mm or so. All you should be able to see is the contact strip coming off the column switches at the bottom and touching the wheel. If you can see anything else then that could be the problem (eg, screw heads sticking up, etc)

Good luck with it !

Mark

Thanks :y: , I'll have a look at that

Ian

Ian, after putting mine back together, I've found that if I REALLY push very hard on the wheel, the horn tries to sound. On reflection I think I knocked the retaining ring for the spacer spring slightly too far down the column. Could be your problem ?  Try putting the ignition on and pushing down hard on the wheel to see if it sounds (!)  If it does, you might have to tap the washer up the column a little
Cheers,
Mark

Mine works better sometimes when I turn the wheel slightly but this can be hazardous in traffic!! I can't work out why its intermitant.

You want to try my mechanic. Loose steering wheel, no horn, blowing exhaust, no fogs and battery not secured & it passed!! I think Stevie Wonder's been taken on there…