2001 Pontiac Bonneville Repair Question
Mileage: 385,000 miles.
Do i need a new horn?
Answer
get one at a parts sotore. replace the relay as well.
Roy
most likey the horn is the problem. if you want to check it quickley loop a test light in place of the horn and see if it takes out the fuse
Horns draw very high current but there's a movable contact that breaks the circuit causing it to vibrate, so the average current isn't so high. When one of the horns gets full of water or debris, it can't turn off so effectively so the average current goes up leading to a blown fuse. That can overheat the contact in the relay. That's why replacement of the relay was recommended. The failure to vibrate properly is why it sounded sick.
There's usually two horns; a high note and a low note. Either one will cause the fuse to blow when it's shorted. You might have to sacrifice a fuse but the only way to identify which horn is shorted is to unplug one of them, install a new fuse, then see if that one horn works and the fuse doesn't blow. Most horns either sound really sick or they're nice and strong.
Horns on this car model are a fairly low failure item so you might consider a used one from a salvage yard. At the dealership I used to work at, they had factory replacements for around $30.00 each, but they pushed universal replacements for nine bucks. They worked just fine but it took a little longer to install one of the supplied mounting brackets.
Thanks to all who replied and the info to help me understand how a horn works and what my options are. notapromike