Horn

I have no horn at this time.

I can't find the end of the wire coming from the horn switch at the bottom of the steering column, so I pulled the rubber cap off, took the nut off, and brass cup off. I tried to pull the the horn switch out, but it won't come. It's like a wire with no slack is holding it. I can stretch the wire, but that's it. Maybe the wire is caught on the tube? If so, I can't find where it comes out.

 

That wire is soldered to a brass sleeve that is around the steering shaft. There should be a plastic contact plate underneath the column tube that covers a square hole with that contact sleeve just inside.

 

This is the replacement kit I have:
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/complete-horn-button-kit-927416k.html

The soldered wire you are referring to is different than the wire in this kit?
So do I have to pull the steering wheel to get to the sleeve and soldered wire to pull this switch out of the hole?

 

Same wire just needs cut down for your application. The kit in the link is a somewhat generic kit that fits the early CJ's with Ross steering where the wire goes all the way through the column and out the end of the steering box. Not the case with your Intermediate.


Sent from my iPhone

 

Did you remove the square plastic contact plate from the bottom of the column tube?

 

I didn't. So that's how I gain access?

 

I did this and all I see is the bronze sleeve. If I replace the switch, do I need to pull the steering wheel to slide the sleeve out too to reconnect the wire? I was not totally aware that the wire that connects to the outside of the plastic piece was the horn ground wire. Since it came with my NOS Spartan turn signal, I figured it to be a turn signal switch ground.

 

The bronze sleeve makes ground connection with a little brass flat spring on the backside of the plastic piece. On mine a rivet connects the wire to the brass spring. The wire then runs down the tube and into the harness. When the horn button is pressed it grounds the wire and completes the circuit, causing the horn to honk.

Funny story, I replaced one of the screws holding the plastic piece in place with a slightly longer screw. Unbeknownst to me, the screw was just long enough to make contact with the bronze sleeve, but only in one high point of the sleeve. Every time I would turn the wheel it would honk the horn as the screw contacted the sleeve on that high point. Took me FOREVER to figure that out.

 

I pulled my whole column out and disassembled it. The sleeve seemed to be pressed on the shaft so I just cleaned it and ran the horn wire down the center and out the exit hole right by the sleeve and soldered it to the sleeve.

 

Thanks guys. That clears some things up. First, I'm going to run a new ground wire. I know I've got a good hot wire, but the ground wire looks to be different under the hood than it is under the dash. The splice which may be in the tape at the firewall may not be good.

 

My diagram shows horn wire circuit A-27 as 18 gauge wire and it's black with yellow tracer...That is the grounding wire that goes to the horn button.