bhelser Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I bought a 93 Imreza Wagon back in January.....great car! It has never had a horn since I have owned. I figured OK no big deal mu st just be a bad fuse. I finally get around to changing the fuse today and.......nothing:slobber: any other ideas of what could be going on? everything else in the car works great. also please keep in mind changing a fuse and checking the oil is about as car saavy as I get:D any thoughts or input would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richierich Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Horn Relay. $8 from the dealership. It is under the driver side dash close to the firewall. The relay is red in color so it should be easy to find if you have the new one in your hand. You of course jump electricity to the horns and made sure they weren't bad first? I bought a 93 Imreza Wagon back in January.....great car! It has never had a horn since I have owned. I figured OK no big deal mu st just be a bad fuse. I finally get around to changing the fuse today and.......nothing:slobber: any other ideas of what could be going on? everything else in the car works great. also please keep in mind changing a fuse and checking the oil is about as car saavy as I get:D any thoughts or input would be great. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 The first thing to check is the connection at the horns themselves. Are they corroded? On a car this age, it wouldn't be a surprise. If so, simply spray the connectors with some electrical contact cleaner and clean them with a tooth brush. If that doesn't do it, then the horn fuse is next, then the horn relay. Try replacing them in turn. (Sometimes you'll see another relay (red) that is exactly the same as the horn relay in the fuse/circuit breaker box. Try switching it for the horn relay. That'll tell you if the relay is bad before you go and buy one.) Lastly is the horn switch contacts on the steering wheel (Be careful here if you have airbags on the car!), and then the wiring itself. I've even found that all of the above were in perfect working order, and that the horns were so corroded internally that they needed to be replaced. One way to tell is to wire in temporarily another known good horn from say your other car (a friend's?) to see if it will work. That'll tell you for sure. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 How about heading RichieRich's advice and hotwire the horns directly from the battery and see if those tooters even work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhelser Posted June 27, 2006 Author Share Posted June 27, 2006 Thanks for the replies. All those terms are way over my head unfortunately. I'll do lots of research and then try everything that has been suggested, and I guess we'll go from there. Thanks again and if anyone can 'dumb' it down for me that would be great Thanks:headbang: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 There is some elementary knowledge of electrical current involved here and if you don't already understand it, now is the time. I am no expert so it would be appreciated if another board member can correct me if I'm wrong so that we don't change bhelser into "sparky". The horn operates on the electric current supplied to it from your 12 volt battery through a few switches and relays. The electic current needs a complete circuit from the battery to the horn and back from the horn to the battery in order for the electric circuit to be complete and functional. For background purposes only and not as credit towards a doctorate degree in electrophysics, be advised that the current flows from the negative (ground)(-) to positive (+). http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/murphy/HoleFlow/default.html OK, enuf learnin', let's get fixin'. First you need to determine whether in fact your horns are operative or have been rusted solid. You can supply current directly to the horn using a simple jumper cable. There should be a wire running to the horn. Disconnect this wire. Check to make sure the terminal on the horn is clear of rust etc. and check the inside of the wire connection also. I am a little fuzzy here but I believe the ground (negative) at the horn is achieved by the bolt attaching the horn to the car which makes its way back to the battery via the grounded wire attached to the negative (black) terminal on the battery. To be certain, you could establish a ground from the negative (black) terminal on the battery to the body of the horn by using a wire with alligator clips from the battery(-) and running to some bare metal (scrape the paint off) of the horn. Now you can connect a long wire with an alligator clip from the terminal on the horn and touch the other end to the positive (red) terminal on the battery, the horn should work. If it doesn't or only makes a faint chirping sound, the horn is rusted or crudded up on the inside. Report back and we'll try and figure out how to get you good and horny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pillowsplat Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 The horn is grounded to the frame of the car. Find the bolt that mounts the horn. Undo it scrape all the rust off the mount, bolt, frame. Put a little grease, vaseline, oil on the shiny parts screw it back together. Clean the contacts. Beep? No ....Then address relays hornbuttons and wires. Go to radio shack and get yourself a cheapy VOM meter it will come in handy and you will learn something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 So, I want to know, is it an Impreza wagon or a Legacy wagon. Your post states Impreza, but your personal data states Legacy. This is too early of a car for air bags or i would know exactly what is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 ok here are a few possbilities. Press the horn button what happens If you hear a click then the problem is probably the horns themselves. If you dont hear a click its the relay, switsh or if it has an airbag the clockwork spring in the steeringwheel can be the issue. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 ok here are a few possbilities.Press the horn button what happens If you hear a click then the problem is probably the horns themselves. If you dont hear a click its the relay, switsh or if it has an airbag the clockwork spring in the steeringwheel can be the issue. nipper Nipper, I don't think there were air bags until 94. If if has air bags and if there ever deployed, you will have to change the turn signal and wiper unit on the steering column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 The Nipster may be correct: Replacing Subarus aging Loyale, the subcompact Impreza came in 4-door sedan and station wagon form, with standard front drive or optional permanently engaged all-wheel drive. Sales began in spring of 1993. Both body styles came in L or step-up LS trim, and seated five. A driver-side airbag was standard; antilock braking standard on the LS. Another site mentions that dual airbags came on the scene in 1994. Nipper, I don't think there were air bags until 94. If if has air bags and if there ever deployed, you will have to change the turn signal and wiper unit on the steering column. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 HEY i said IF as in possibly sheesh nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Good warning though. We don't want this fellow smooching with an airbag whilst trying to fix his horn. HEY i said IF as in possibly sheesh nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Good warning though. We don't want this fellow smooching with an airbag whilst trying to fix his horn. looks it works ...meeeeeepPOOF hehehe this is true. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Since it appears to have come with an air bag standard in 93, you my want to check with previous owners (if possible) to see if the bag every deployed. If it did, and they replaced only the airbag, then you will need to replace the turn signal and wiper switch assy on the steering column. That is most likely the problem. Have someone do a "Car Fax" check on the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhelser Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 It is an impreza my info needs updating, I joined this site many moths ago at about 1am and I must haev typed in the worng make (thank i never noticed that). I won't get to try and fix this for a week or two but I really appreciate everyones help. As far as the previous owner knows the airbags have never been deployed, and the carfax report didn't show anything. I read all these posts late last night, and got pretty excited of the possibility of having a horn again, so I went to bed in a good mood only to wake up covered in sweat and freaked out! I dreamt that I was fixing the horn go ing through all of the steps suggested and then I still had my hand under the steering column I pushed the horn button and WOW the horn makes soud. Next sparks shoot out I start getting electricutedand make my way back into the seat and what do you know POW airbag to the face, and that is when I wake up! So thank you al for your help and causing me nightmares! Again thanks for all your help/suggestions and I will hopefully get into this project (again being 'car dumb' this is a project for me) I won't be elecricuted or pummelled, but I should make some progress in the next few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jutboy Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 12~14v doesn't hurt so bad...I've been shocked through my home outlet a couple of times and that wasn't even sooo bad. well maybe it was a bit. Anyway, don't be scared to try new stuff just take your time and don't expect to get it right away. Did you understand our explantion? Lastly, check out my post @ http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60665 It shows you the electical diagrams but most importanly check all of your fuses in the engine compartment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhelser Posted June 29, 2006 Author Share Posted June 29, 2006 I think that I understand all the instructions but I will know more as I get into it. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.