Car Horn

Tiny
09EMDOG
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 BUICK SKYLARK
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 88,000 MILES
Hello I have a 1995 Buick Skylark custom, 4 cylinder. About a month ago my car horn would only blow the high tone. Also when I would park my car at work and it was very hot outside. When I would come back to the car and start it up the air bag light would go on and stay on for a few mins and a few times when I pushed the horn it the horn would stay on for a while. Im thinking it is the button sticking because now it wont shut off. I have replaced the relay.
Sunday, August 14th, 2011 AT 2:51 AM

20 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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A sticking horn button shorting out air bag coil shorted out horn or a pinched or chaffed wire somewhere. Do you have a multimeter?
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Sunday, August 14th, 2011 AT 3:42 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Yes I have a multimeter
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 2:07 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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I dont think its grounding out because I kinda tested it I took out the ceter button on the steering wheel and unplugged the ground wire. Shut the horn off, I thought it might be shorting out somewhere so I tested it today. So if it is shorting its somewhere in that center button right? Im leaning on more to the sticking horn button but would that make the horn go back to normal because when I tested the ground wire it did go from low to high once.
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 2:11 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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So if you plug the horn button back in you unplugged does the horn come back on and stay on without pressing the horn button?If so then looks like a bad horn button.
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 2:46 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Yes it stays on. Ok but is the horn bad? Because it doesnt sound like a horn I have ever heard of lol it sounds like its just playing the high tone or low tone.
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 5:35 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Also do I have to replace the whole thing? Airbag and horn or can I just replace the horn button? Is there a way of fixing the stuck button?
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 5:38 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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I posted a wire diagram so you can see how it goes pretty basic if the horn only goes off with the switch plugged in then its the switch if it was shorted to ground somewhere else unpluging the horn switch would have no effect on the not going off. You have two horns so one of them isn't working. Unplug the working one then plug the horn button back in and make sure there is a ground to the black wire and a power to the dark green wire to the horn that doesnt work. If thats what you got you need check terminal tightness if thats good you need to replace that horn. As far as the horn button I haven't had much luck repairing those. Is the horn button part of the air bag on that car?
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+1
Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 5:09 PM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Yes it is
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 6:17 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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That sucks then looks like its a air bag replacement.
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Monday, August 15th, 2011 AT 6:22 PM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Ok I just replaced the car horn/airbag. It didnt change nothing could this be the horns. When I plug the fuse in or plug ground wire in on airbag/horn assembly it blows the left a horn. Is there a way to test the horns without buying horns. Or could there be a short? Now I know you said something about a short in the collar is that a easy fix? Do I have to replace the collar?
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 2:56 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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If you look at the wire diagram the horn switch sends a ground thru the slip ring which is the horn relay trigger then the relay sends power to both horns. Thats why I said if you plug the horn switch in and the horn goes off and you unplug the horn switch and the horn turns off. That it would be the horn switch sending the ground to the horn relay to trigger it. If that wire was shorted to ground some where else the horn would stay on even with the horn switch unplugged. Also since only one horn works sounds like the other horn has gone bad or the power or ground wire to it has a problem. See if the black wires to the horns have a constant ground then with the working horn going off see if the none working horn has power to the green wire. Your going to have see if the black wire to the horn relay is grounding out somewhere or the relay itself sticking the contacts in it. You might try swaping the horn relay out.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:15 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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Already swaped the relay
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:23 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Alright so now the horn is going off with the horn switch unplugged?
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:31 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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It doesnt go off unless I plug in the black wire it goes off.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:39 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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So the black wire that goes to the horn switch?It again looks like a horn switch when you look at the wire diagram the switch gets the ground thru the steering wheel. So is the air bag mounted when the horn switch is plugged in and the horn is going off?
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:47 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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No it wasnt but I unpluged the fuse and then mounted it turned the car on and plugged in the relay it was on either way
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:55 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Then you could have that black wire getting grounded between the air bag and the steering wheel. That black wire is getting grounded somewhere that triggers the horn relay.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 3:59 AM
Tiny
09EMDOG
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The black wire from the air bag gets plugged into a screw hole type hole.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 4:27 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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That wire that goes thru the screw hole supplies ground to the horn switch. Then when you press the horn button it connects to that ground wire thru the slip ring down to the trigger side of the horn relay. So somewhere between the horn button and that slip ring it grounding.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 4:53 AM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
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Lets do this take out the air bag fuse then unplug the yellow connector at the base of the steering column thats your slip ring/air bag coil then see if the wire that comes off your horn switch is sending out a ground without pressing the horn button. If you do then unplug the black wire in the screw hole and see if the ground goes away.
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Thursday, August 25th, 2011 AT 5:01 AM

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