QuestionQUESTION: I have a 65 Chevy van and there is no location for a fuse within the box. I just replaced the steering wheel with a new mounting kit and thought this would do the trick. The horn worked a year ago before a mechanic broke the mechanism within the old steering wheel. I am hoping it's just the fuse, but I cannot find it. Can you help me?
ANSWER: Hello Christine,
First off, if you can't find the fuse for the horn, then get a stronger front bumper; ramming actually gets the message across much more efficiently, and it's funner.
But in reality, there may not be a fuse box slot for the horn; rather, the original horn may not have been equipped with a fuse, probably because the voltage needed was so low. If you are using the orriginal horn, then you may not need a fuse. If, however, you want a fuse, or you are installing a horn that requires more voltage, then you can purchase (cheap) an in-line fuse case. It is installed by clipping the positive wire to the horn from the battery, stripping both ends of the wire, then inserting and securing them inside the small fuse case.
Hope this helps you!
-Ray A. Hawk
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Your first recommendation was my first thought, also. But I had my bumpers chromed at the same time dingbats began texting at stoplights.
I don't think it is my job to inform these people the light is green, but I almost did bump a BMW in front of me out of frustration one fine morning. This was when I knew I needed a horn. And the horn is not new. It's the old horn. The mounting kit and steering wheel are new. What could be preventing my horn from working?
AnswerYou're right, you shouldn't have to play the role of Captain Obvious. So aside from blowing money on a shiny chrome handgun to match your shiny chrome bumber, you could blow your shiny chrome train horn that you mounted on your hood with some shiny chrome bolts, informing the jerk's shiny chrome ass in the shiny chrome BMW that the shiny chrome traffic light is green.
On a more controlled note, the horn may have stopped working because the horn itself has stopped working. You can test it in two ways:
1. After finding the horn, locate the two wires leading to it; they will be red and black, or whiteand black. Black is always negative, and red or white is always positive. Take the two ends of a volt meter set to measure continuity, and see if there is any flow through the horn. If there isn't, it's fried.
2. Give your spouse a small hammer, and have them tap the horn while you hit the horn button. Most of the time, the great power from above will make the horn work in this instance.
If there is no continuity through the horn, or your spouse doesn't have an ice-pack on their head where it hit the bumper when they jerked, then the horn needs to be replaced. If the horn works, then check the wiring all the way through for corrosion, cracks, burns, or is just missing.
Hope this helps you!
-Ray A. Hawk
