New rebuilt steering column = NO HORN

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

I just had my mechanic install the freshly-rebuilt tilt steering column that I bought into my 68 Chevy Stepside. Wow, does that thing ever make a difference! No more of having to deal with tight manual steering. But for some reason the horn does not work now. This thing came with a new turn signal switch assembly inside of it which I assumed was wired into the horn. Can anyone advise?

[68c10airstream]

A couple things come to mind. With a column change did it include the intermediate shaft down to the rag joint? If so the used/new rag joint has a ground wire that bridges across both sides of the rag joint to supply the needed ground to the steering shaft.

If it's easy to lift off the horn button, if it has three phillips screws that hold on the horn retention ring remove it and with the key turned on take a screwdriver and bridge across the spring loaded button and the nut that holds on the steering wheel. If the horn works you have an issue with the horn retention ring or poor contacts in that area.

If you can work with a test light or volt meter get with me and i can tell a few tests to do if the above suggestions don't work!

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

Originally Posted by 68c10airstream

A couple things come to mind. With a column change did it include the intermediate shaft down to the rag joint? If so the used/new rag joint has a ground wire that bridges across both sides of the rag joint to supply the needed ground to the steering shaft.

If it's easy to lift off the horn button, if it has three phillips screws that hold on the horn retention ring remove it and with the key turned on take a screwdriver and bridge across the spring loaded button and the nut that holds on the steering wheel. If the horn works you have an issue with the horn retention ring or poor contacts in that area.

If you can work with a test light or volt meter get with me and i can tell a few tests to do if the above suggestions don't work!

I will check that tomorrow, since I am working LATE today. What I believe that you are calling the intermediate shaft was indeed replaced with a newly painted one. I never knew that there was any ground wire attached to it. HMMM...?

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

***UPDATE***
I did not get off work as late as I thought so I went outside and checked out the horn. I pushed the button multiple times listening for a click under the dash but did not hear anything. So I pulled off the button and fooled around with it some. It was not until I attempted to put the horn button back in place that it started honking. However it sounded very weak, and after several tests honks it stopped completely. I was not able to get it to work again. Now I AM stumped. I did not even see a fuse under the dash for the horn. Ideas?

[68c10airstream]

Find the horn and disconnect the wire and then run a single wire from the battery "+" positive terminal over to the horn terminal. Hold the wire onto the battery steady so you don't make/break the final connection and create a spark next to the battery and have an explosion (it happened to a co-worker once). Now make/break the connection at the horn terminal many times to check for consistency and loudness. Hold the wire insulation, not the bare wires because the horn is kinda like a coil, you make the connection and when you release the connection the voice coil windings can zap you sometimes. I know this is overkill but a little tech info will make you think twice about what you do.

Another good idea is to remove the horn and shine up the mounting leg of the horn, the bolt, and the core support area that it bolts to. The horns were usually good quality. Shine up the horn terminal also.


The ground that i was talking about is being carried from the steering gear box around the rag joint and up the intermediate shaft. Remember that the rag joint has a rubber center piece that isolates the noise and ground between the gearbox and intermediate shaft. Gm installed a small wire with an eyelet on both ends to bridge across from one side to the other side of the rag joint.

[68is4me]

Did it work before it was restored? If the steering wheel was newly painted I would bet the contacts on the steering wheel needs to be polished. It took me a long time to fiqure that out on mine after I painted the wheel.

Find a fairly long piece of wire and find a good ground on the vehicle and touch the copper part on turn signal(circled in red) If horn works it is in the contact.

[HIGHWAY BY THE SEA]

It did work perfectly before the repair, but this truck has sat un-driven for a year and a half since the harmonic balancer fell off. One year of that time was spent sitting at the mechanic shop. I will check the wires and connectors, as well as the steering wheel. The steering wheel was NOT painted though.