Help with installing button horn
Moderator: volvite
Help with installing button horn
I believe the clockspring in the steering wheel is bad so I need to wire up a button horn to pass inspection. I bought the Wolo HWK-1 horn wiring kit(I wish I knew how to insert pics in this post to show it) and it has a pre-wired relay plug which I guess is supposed to plug onto a horn relay. Where is this relay located on a 2008 Pathfinder? I am of course not talking about the fuse box relay, but a relay somewhere near the horn itself. I'm also wondering if the female prongs on the pre-wired plug are universal and will even properly plug onto the horn relay? What I am really hoping is to know if there is a way I can wire up things so I don't need to fool with the relay? Can I simply pull the fuse box relay and wire things into there?[/url]
If you want to keep it super-simple, you could just run a hot wire to a fuse holder with a 15-amp fuse (keep the fuse as close to the battery or power source as possible) and run the other wire from the fuse holder to your aftermarket horn switch. Then, run a wire from the other side of your horn switch directly to the horn. The horn will have 2-wires, black and gray. The black wire grounds the horn and the gray supplies power to it. Cut the gray wire and connect your new wire to it.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
-doing this will remove the horn from the vehicle's security system.
-if one wire is broken in the clockspring, chances are others are soon to follow, including possibly the wires to the air bag module on the steering wheel.
My recommendation is to fix it the right way and replace the clockspring, if it's bad. BUT, your car and your call!
A couple of things to keep in mind:
-doing this will remove the horn from the vehicle's security system.
-if one wire is broken in the clockspring, chances are others are soon to follow, including possibly the wires to the air bag module on the steering wheel.
My recommendation is to fix it the right way and replace the clockspring, if it's bad. BUT, your car and your call!
I just might do it that way, but what is the method of hooking it up so the horn still works with the alarm?
There are two airhorns facing each other... one has a snap-on harness attached that has a green wire and a black wire, and the other horn has two black wires(if one is actually gray then it is very difficult to tell, they both look black to me) that link it to the primary horn. Could the green wire be the same as the grey on you mentioned?
I would love to fix the clockspring but how difficult is it given the airbag? Is there a good walkthrough for doing it? I imagine a shop would charge minimum $400 for doing it.
There are two airhorns facing each other... one has a snap-on harness attached that has a green wire and a black wire, and the other horn has two black wires(if one is actually gray then it is very difficult to tell, they both look black to me) that link it to the primary horn. Could the green wire be the same as the grey on you mentioned?
I would love to fix the clockspring but how difficult is it given the airbag? Is there a good walkthrough for doing it? I imagine a shop would charge minimum $400 for doing it.
Yeah, it's "green" and not "gray." The wiring diagram only shows one horn, for some reason. You would have to split your new wire and run a wire to each horn. The other wire at the horn goes to chassis ground.
If you wanted to wire in the security system, you'd have to wire it differently than I mentioned. You would have to wire it with a relay and then find the green/white wire from the security system and splice it into the wire between the relay and the horn switch. Your wire from your fuse (power source) would go to a 3-pin relay, which powers both the solenoid side and switch side of the relay. The switch side of the relay would go to the horns. The solenoid side would go to your horn button and the other side of your horn button would be wired to ground.
Replacing the spiral cable isn't so bad if you're careful. You'll need a T50X tamper-proof torx socket for the air bag module bolts. You'll need to center the steering, disconnect the battery cable for 10 minutes, remove the covers on the side of the steering wheel to access the air bag bolts, remove the two bolts and lift the air bag module out of the steering wheel, carefully unplug the harnesses, place the module somewhere safe with the front side facing up, remove the steering wheel, remove the column covers to access the clockspring. Remove the clockspring. When you install the new clockspring, there is a locking device that prevents you from turning it out of sync. Remove the device and install the clockspring without turning it. Reverse procedure. You can always download a factory service manual from Nico Club and read up on it to be sure of what you're doing.
If you wanted to wire in the security system, you'd have to wire it differently than I mentioned. You would have to wire it with a relay and then find the green/white wire from the security system and splice it into the wire between the relay and the horn switch. Your wire from your fuse (power source) would go to a 3-pin relay, which powers both the solenoid side and switch side of the relay. The switch side of the relay would go to the horns. The solenoid side would go to your horn button and the other side of your horn button would be wired to ground.
Replacing the spiral cable isn't so bad if you're careful. You'll need a T50X tamper-proof torx socket for the air bag module bolts. You'll need to center the steering, disconnect the battery cable for 10 minutes, remove the covers on the side of the steering wheel to access the air bag bolts, remove the two bolts and lift the air bag module out of the steering wheel, carefully unplug the harnesses, place the module somewhere safe with the front side facing up, remove the steering wheel, remove the column covers to access the clockspring. Remove the clockspring. When you install the new clockspring, there is a locking device that prevents you from turning it out of sync. Remove the device and install the clockspring without turning it. Reverse procedure. You can always download a factory service manual from Nico Club and read up on it to be sure of what you're doing.
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