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Restore horn

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So next up on the list is restoring the horn. The previous owner rewired it to a separate button for some reason.


So it's just ground and voltage cable from the horn connected to the button.

So how do I go about restoring the horn so I can use the button on the steering wheel?

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Don't press that button….. your passenger might get shot out of the roof.        007 style.  :lol:

1988 Mk1 Golf GTi Cabriolet 1.8cc DX, K-jet. Daily drive. 317,000 miles and counting
1978 Mk1 Scirocco GLS 1.6cc FR, Webber carb. Weekend toy.

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Restore horn

Depends on what’s been chopped off.
The twin horn on earlier cars pre 1990 tend to suffer current drop across the twin horn set up. The old wires goes higher resistance.

On the steering column there’s a horn tab and a ring on the underside of the Steering wheel.
This allows continuity of the wiring from the horn pad.
The current path goes down through the column and is linked via a brief wire that bridges the column and steering rack.
Bear in mind that these horns are negative switch and permanent live.



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"Making Cabbies More Beautiful One Roof at a Time" 

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Verify that you have 12v on the black/yellow wire going to the horn.  Yes then proceed testing the horn, no and you have to find the fuse or the break in the wire preventing 12V full time.

Verify that you horn works by taking a wire and touching the brown wire at the connector to the frame.

Verify that you have a Ground wire from the left hand steering rack bracket to the side of the Steering gear box….

Ground from the mount goes to one of the horn buttons from the center of the steerin g shaft to the horn relay that switches the ground to honk the horn.



What do Divorces, Great Coffee, and Car Electrics all have in common?

They all start with GOOD Grounds.

Where are my DIY Links?

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Restore horn

Ok had some time today and while looking into the horn all of a sudden the button on the steering wheel started working.

But it seems I have dual horns so just the louder horn is rewired to the red button.

Should there be two spade connectors coming up the steering column?

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Restore horn

So about a year later I fixed the horn. Found the cable someone before me cut. Added a spade and connected to the horn. Also replaced the horn button. Beep beep.

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Be aware if the GTI/GLS twin horn setup, the circuit draws a lot of current and relays are used to try and over come this. The horns are notorious for not working or working intermittently, usually packing up when in for MOT…..

I've got round this problem in the past by just running one horn. Eventually fixed by replacing both horns.

This might be why an alternative switch and circuit  was wired in ?

1983 Mars Red 1.8 Golf GTI
1987 Alpine White 1.8 Clipper Cabriolet

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished.

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What horn do you recommend? Mine is either missing or very well hidden.

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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I swapped my Beep-Beep horn for the Dual 150db high-low tones….

On my 81 Diesel bunny, I decided to take the Beep-Beep and install a dual air horn….. Made folks know I was around.


What do Divorces, Great Coffee, and Car Electrics all have in common?

They all start with GOOD Grounds.

Where are my DIY Links?

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If twin horns both should be on a bracket under front passenger side chassis leg/bumper bracket. Most the VW/MK1 suppliers list suitable devices.

As said they are very prone to not working and are a relatively complicted setup compared to the rest of the world (a switch to horn to earth) VW earth the switch on steering wheel thats then earthed to steering column\rack exposed to the elements under the car and then to the horn via a relay (which has its own +ve and -ve supply) +ve live is fed direct to the horn, not sure if this is ign live or all the time?. This confuses most spanner monkeys who then come up with ever more ingenious methods of othercoming the problem eventually ending up with a new switch-horn-earth circuit……

1983 Mars Red 1.8 Golf GTI
1987 Alpine White 1.8 Clipper Cabriolet

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished.

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Well in a bizarre coincidence, I just finished putting the fuse box in, started the engine and was greeted by the horn. So I guess there is one in there somewhere. Not sure why it goes on with the starter though.

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.

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It will earthing at the wheel or steering column so it thinks you are pressing the steering wheel horn push (remember its arse-over-tit, it's switched earth not switched postive to the horn like most other cars of the period) Have alook for loose connectors or bare wires

1983 Mars Red 1.8 Golf GTI
1987 Alpine White 1.8 Clipper Cabriolet

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished.

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Ah. The button isn't connected at the moment. It's a bit of a mess behind there so I'll take a look.

Cheers.

Whip
/wip/
Noun - Car

When the steering wheel was first put into use in automobiles, it was called the whip. The term has now been generalised to classify any automobile.
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