[Agathon]

Ok weird problem I'm having with this Airhorn.

I connected everything according to the instructions but the Airhorn is not working. Now the wiring is correct, I even had a friend that had installed his airhorn a while back check it and he confirmed that.

I even triple checked with the drawing below that I found on the internet and it's exactly the same as the one on the instructions that comes with the the airhorn.

The relay actually makes a clicking sound when I press the horn button but the horn itself does not sound. I even bought a new relay to make that wasn't malfunctioning.

So we came to the conclusion that the airhorn (that I ordered from Amazon) was not working. We went to an automotive store and got the exact same airhorn (just different brand) and hooked it up, and even with the new airhorn it's not working... The relay still makes a clicking sound everytime you push the horn button but the airhorn just does not work. I checked the connections 20 times and also if the + and - wires were connected properly etc etc. It is also grounded to a bolt on the bike.

This is driving me nuts, anybody have a clue???

 

[eaglefrq]

Couple of things to ask...
Which bolt is it grounded to? When I mounted mine, I didn't get a good ground and had the same problem. Remove the ground and just touch it to another part of the bike to check that.

The other thing I can think of is to check the inline fuse. I don't think that's the problem, but it can't hurt.

 

[eaglefrq]

Couple of things to ask...
Which bolt is it grounded to? When I mounted mine, I didn't get a good ground and had the same problem. Remove the ground and just touch it to another part of the bike to check that.

The other thing I can think of is to check the inline fuse. I don't think that's the problem, but it can't hurt.

**EDIT: Wow, some how I managed to duplicate my above post. Don't know how I managed that, but ignore this post.

 

[Newt]

Work with one thing at a time.
Start with the horn itself, no relay, no horn switch: battery to horn.
Then try it through the relay - no bike switch.
Then try it through the bike switch.
Then try it through the fuse block, i.e., mounted in the bike.

 

[jbswear]

Newt has you covered.

Sounds like you have a problem from the relay/battery to the horn. The relay "clicking" sound you hear is the horn circuit closing, which should be providing power to the horn.

I bet your ground from your horn to the bike is bad.

 

[flexo]

Plug your horn into your friends bike and see if it works

 

[Sheer Pandemonium]

Work with one thing at a time.
Start with the horn itself, no relay, no horn switch: battery to horn.
Then try it through the relay - no bike switch.
Then try it through the bike switch.
Then try it through the fuse block, i.e., mounted in the bike.

what he said

 

[SierraVista650]

Make sure it's the correct type of relay. I fought for hours one time only to finally realize the relay I had opened the circuit, not completed it. (I guess for if you wanted to make a parking light flash, but not when you're trying to power up an accessory.)


...but Newt is right, send power direct to horn and see if it works.

Do you have/know how to use a 12v test light?

 

[Thermass]

Buy a voltmeter and learn how to use it.

Throwing parts at anything sucks.

 

[Verbal Kint]

Buy a voltmeter and learn how to use it.

Throwing parts at anything sucks.

:iamwithstupid:

My money is on the bad ground.

 

[Gerard7aa]

Mine is not working either but thats because the thing has been weathered and only tries to get busy. Looks like you have two of em, will you be selling the spare?

 

[Thermass]

:iamwithstupid:

My money is on the bad ground.

and that is probably the case, but lets run this scenario again.

Air horn is not working. so instead of assuming its the actual airhorn, running out and spending money on a new one. Our adventurer does a little research and finds out that we can know for sure what is wrong by using a multimeter. so he spends the same money that he would have spent on the new horn on a multimeter and finds that there is an open between the chassis and the horn. so while you are busy placing your bet on the bad ground our adventurer knows for sure what is wrong and knows what to do about it.

So what have we learned?
A) the 20 buck and 30 minute investment in the story above is a hell of a lot better than standing around scratching your head for hours.
B) Instead of having a useless second airhorn lying around you have a tool that can be used over and over again to solve countless problems.

Granted it will take a little bit of brainpower and studying to grasp how to use a multimeter effectively. So if you don't think you can handle it, by all means keep making assumptions, and please keep throwing parts at it, it's good for the auto parts companies.

 

[tk1971]

Meters are not expensive.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899

$2.99 and I can afford to get a new one every time I rip the cables apart. I have one in each of my cars, one in the house and one in the garage.

Meters should be required before undertaking any electrical project. Test all wiring for continuity and test all ground and hot wiring before connecting stuff to it. That way, mistakes are discovered and corrected before burning out a device, popping a fuse, or causing damage to the electrical system on the bike.

tk