Horn Don't Beep! Fuse is good, any other suggestions?

[sandeejs]

So, I noticed my horn wasn't working. Looked in my manual, saw what fuse might be the problem. Bought assorted new fuses. Pulled the fuse. It looked okay, but I replaced it any way. (Truth be told I dropped it under the Spyder.).

Horn still don't beep beep.

Looked at the connections. They pretty much looked like they did when I put in the Wolo.

Tomorrow I find my electric pliers and tape. Will redo the connections. Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks!!!!

~Sandee~

 

[Peter Aawen]

If you've got a WoLo horn installed, do you know if it is triggered by the horn button but powered thru a relay?? :dontknow:

If it is powered thru a relay, check that the relay hasn't failed - if your hearing's not too bad yet, you can sometimes hear them as they click on activation; but unless you've got too much nerve damage in your fingers, you'll pretty much always feel them clicking as the horn button is pressed while you're touching the back/cover of the relay; and if you can't feel it click, there's generally no need to test further, just get a new relay cos that one's stuffed!! :banghead:

If it's NOT powered thru a relay and the Spyder's horn fuse is good, it might be that you've fried the horn button!! :shocked: Or maybe there's another fuse, possibly internal to the WoLo, maybe in-line, but somewhere in the WoLo circuit there could be another fuse that's blown?? :dontknow:

In either case, if it's not the obvious things, it's probably time to break out the multi-meter!

Good Luck! :cheers:

 

[sandeejs]

I was afraid the answer would involve a multimeter....

 

[Peter Aawen]

I was afraid the answer would involve a multimeter....

They really aren't that scary, or expensive! And even if you can only use their basic functions, they can help a LOT in diagnosing things like this! hyea:

Go On! Do It!! You know you really want to!! :yes:

 

[2dogs]

Your horn and battery are not too far from one another. Disconnect your horn lead and jump it directly to the battery. If your ears hurt after that you know it's not the horn that's the problem. Then jump it to the hot lead at the fuse. If that works then go to the horn button and jump it from there. Doing that would help you isolate the problem. But, I would say a multimeter would be the better way to go, you'll use for other things later. Good luck and let us know the results of where the problem was.

 

[BertRemington]

sandee--one of the many nice things about this forum is they don't charge by word count. Nor for posting pictures. Use more of both.

Wolo => internet search => horn. Got it. Like Peter said which one?

The horn circuit, by Federal law, is always-on. That is, like the brake light, it must operate whether ignition is on or off. For the Spyder horn circuit, one wire is always-on +12V and the other is the ground via the LHS horn button.

If your Wolo has two wires, and the instructions said they weren't polarity sensitive, then your new horn should work. If it doesn't unplug the Wolo and plug in the original horn. Does the original horn work?

If your Wolo has more than two wires, then post a photo of the instructions. Also describe the wires you connected to including wire color.

PS we won't need a multimeter.

 

[BertRemington]

Search is your friend https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums...nal-on-an-F3&p=1680875&viewfull=1#post1680875

 

[BertRemington]

Okay found instructions for the Wolo Bad Boy 419 and 519

https://wolo-mfg.com/media/wysiwyg/pdfs/replacement_horns/419_english_3-23.pdf

You can use the horn as direct replacement for the original if your heated grips are off and your foglights are LEDs (which they should be). Otherwise, the relay circuit with separate 20amp power is needed.

Gotta go cats are running loose outside and I gotta chaperone them.

 

[Mikey]

Other words if you haven't burnt up your switch or horn, be ready to put a relay in the system to protect the system!

 

[trikermutha]

If you don’t like multimeter, try a test light; they're cheap and easy to use in this case.

 

[BajaRon]

Good advice to jump power directly to the horn. Easiest way to troubleshoot. But you should also jump the ground wire to be sure. Horns rarely go bad. Most likely the switch or wiring. Putting an new horn on isn't going to solve your problem if the switch is bad.

 

[2dogs]

Wire your horn directly to your brake light. That should be fun. :roflblack:

 

[sandeejs]

I'm biting the bullet and getting a multimeter.
Fyi - I've had the Wolo in for a couple of years now.
It's probably the switch, but testing the circuit should show that, yes?
Thanks for all help!

 

[BertRemington]

A multimeter probably isn't needed but it's always good to have one and know how to use it.

One problem using a multimeter in these circumstances (horn working for several years and then not working) is probing with a multimeter sometimes fixes the connection problem ... except you don't know which connection.

WRT to your installation, does it include a relay and a fuse as shown in the installation instructions I linked to above?

If it does, which circuit did you use: Figure C, D or E?

Looked in my manual, saw what fuse might be the problem.

What manual and which fuse is this, Spyder fuse or 20amp relay circuit fuse?

Let's assume all fuses are good. When you push the horn button, does the relay click?

If Yes, the problem is in the horn power circuit (battery => 20amp fuse => relay 30 => relay 87 => horn + => horn - ).

If No, the problem is in the Figure C/D/E-dependent horn signal circuit (Spyder horn button, relay 85, relay 86, maybe Spyder horn 12V).

Fuses and relays should be okay in MI's environment even with salted roads. Not sure about the Wolo horn itself, compressors can be fussy (eg the Spyder's ACS). Vibration can loosen connections and severe corrosion can degrade them -- a visual inspection is usually sufficient to verify their status.

Lastly where did you make your battery and ground connections?

 

[sandeejs]

I did not use a relay because the instructions said it was a direct replacement.

The manual I consulted is the owner manual.

There is no sound when I hit the horn button. Just the emptiness in my head...

 

[2dogs]

Are you sure your horn is good? I may have missed it but have you put 12v directly to the horn with it grounded?

 

[Mikey]

I would take a battery and some wire and hit it directly to the horn, I bet you got a bad ground problem!! Then chase it back from there, with a meter, or test light.

 

[BertRemington]

Mikey and BajaRon are correct: most likely the horn button is damaged or the horn compressor failed.

(1) Quick fuse validation: are your foglights or ACS functional (engine must be running)?

(2) Quick horn button validation: plug in your original Spyder horn; when you push the horn button (ignition can be off) does the horn sound?

If the result of (1) is No, the fuse has failed.

If the result of (1) is Yes and the result of (2) is No, the horn button has failed.

If the result of (1) is Yes and the result of (2) is Yes, the Wolo compressor has failed.

 

[sandeejs]

So.....
I gave up and took the byke to the shop. They found a crimped up wire and fixed it. My horn now sounds like a asthmatic goose. I'm shopping for a new one now. Thank you folks for all your help.