Think my horn is toast. What horn(s) were used on these trucks?

[derotoreut]

I think my horn is shot on my '69 C20. It sounded horrible then stopped working. I removed the horn and bench tested it with my battery charger and it beeped once and that was it. Does nothing. I don't have my steering wheel installed, but when I complete the circuit by touching the horn wire to the column I can hear the relay clicking. So I plugged a 12V test light into the horn wire in the engine compartment and it gets power when I touch the horn wire to the column. Does this make sense that it would be the horn?

What horn or horns were installed on these trucks? Were they a single horn or double horn set up? I only had one horn and one wire. The horn appeared to be an aftermarket horn. Where can I get a replacement horn set up if this is indeed the problem?

Not sure if this is the right location for posting this thread.

[Longhorn Man]

personally, I'd go to a junk yard. For 5 or 10 bucks you can get 2 horns, a high and a low, off the same car and have a great sounding horn on your truck. A single tone always sounded chintzy to me, but a bi tone, or even tri tone sounds classy.
Or, you could run to napa and get a horn or two and splice the wire to make there universal (read, fits nothing) set up in place... but those don't last long... couple years and they crap out (I blame china) and you get to do it all again.

[derotoreut]

Was the two-horn system standard? What would I look for in a junk yard to get this out of? Seems like it would be better. How is it wired? I have aftermarket wiring harness with only one wire. Would I need another wire or just tap another wire off the one?

[Stocker]

My truck came with two horns, but you say yours has just one wire. No worries, easy enough to extend a wire to a second horn. I agree with Andy, go to a boneyard. I'd look for any late-model full-size GM truck or car -- they should have good powerful hi/low horns.

The green wire sends 12vdc from the horn relay (under the dash) to the horns, which are mechanically grounded to the core support. So it's important to make sure the core support is properly grounded.

[petey-pablo]

Originally Posted by derotoreut

Was the two-horn system standard? What would I look for in a junk yard to get this out of? Seems like it would be better. How is it wired? I have aftermarket wiring harness with only one wire. Would I need another wire or just tap another wire off the one?

The wire Harness only has one green wire that goes to the green horn wire there is another green wire its like a jumper wire then you plug that end to the other horn. something like that sorry if I make it sound confusing. I would take a picture for you but im at work. Let me know if you would like a picture and I can take one later tomorry and post it for you. You might be missing the Jumper wire it is also green.

[heeroyue2002]

i have an old ahooga(sp?) horn and the stock horns.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by petey-pablo

The wire Harness only has one green wire that goes to the green horn wire there is another green wire its like a jumper wire then you plug that end to the other horn. something like that sorry if I make it sound confusing. I would take a picture for you but im at work. Let me know if you would like a picture and I can take one later tomorry and post it for you. You might be missing the Jumper wire it is also green.

Here's a pic from a recent thread, showing one horn & the wiring going from it to the other horn.

[derotoreut]

The single horn that came on the truck was a cheap aftermarket one. You're right Longhorn Man... China. I think I'll take you up on the boneyard idea and look for a high/low horn set up. How would I wire that though? Stocker's pict shows the green wire going into the first horn and then out to the second horn. Doesn't the horn have to have a ground wire to chassis? Is it ok to run the green wire in/out of the first horn and then run only one ground wire on the second horn to the chassis? Or do you tap off of the green wire and run one to each horn and then run chassis grounds on each?

[Stocker]

Tap off of the green wire and run one to each horn. That's it. The pic shows a piggyback connector, not in & out.

The horns are grounded by their mounting bolts (which is why the core support must have a good ground).

[derotoreut]

Oh OK. My single horn was wired with green wire in to a terminal; and the second terminal was wired as ground to core support. Are you saying there isn't a ground wire off the second terminals on the two-horn set up? Only grounded through horn mounting bolts?

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by derotoreut

Are you saying there isn't a ground wire off the second terminals on the two-horn set up? Only grounded through horn mounting bolts?

Yes, that is correct.

[derotoreut]

Got it! Thanks Stocker.

[cdowns]

try spraying wd40 into the horn to clean up 40 years of dust and crap off the vibrating diaphram to allow for better louder clearer operation // as stated clean the mounting surface real good to allow for good ground and do not overlook making sure you've got a good ground connection between the core support and the frame rail

[derotoreut]

I could do this on the one I have except its a cheap aftermarket piece of junk. When I pick up a hi/low one from the boneyard I'll keep this in mind.

[derotoreut]

Would you believe I checked a couple of junk yards and no one has older GM hi/low horns. The ones they do have don't work. Thought for sure I would be able to find some. So if anyone has any insight on where I could get a working two horn set up for my '69 C20 let me know.

[oldgold70c10]

Originally Posted by derotoreut

Oh OK. My single horn was wired with green wire in to a terminal; and the second terminal was wired as ground to core support. Are you saying there isn't a ground wire off the second terminals on the two-horn set up? Only grounded through horn mounting bolts?

On the original GM horns, the ground is through the mounting bolt. On your aftermarket horn, the ground is through the second wire to the core support.

With dual horns, they usually used a piggy back connector so that two wires could be connected to the same terminal. that way you'd be able to power the other horn.

[Legolas894]

My '98 suburban has a hi and lo horn. The lo tone went and I got one from the 88-98 truck parts forum. You can pick those horns up almost anywhere but they do have a two-prong connector on them.

It's funny about your '69. On my '67, I had the same thing- a single horn that suddenly sounded like a sick goose. Then it stopped altogether. I took the horn off and sanded off the spot where it attached to the rad support and it was a lot better but I still didn't think a one-note horn matched the truck so I picked up some horns from a garage sale and put them on. The two-note is loud and clear and sounds like a truck now.