Horn Replacement

[Stevie R]

I am thinking of upgrading the horn on my moggy, is this a straightforward job I’ve not had a look at it yet is it just spade fittings? any advice much appreciated

[Classiccars]

When I had to put mine back together o a 1971 traveller I found it had to be precise. The middle with the M on has a cut out to the around 4 o'clock area thst has to go over an opposing plastic plug inside the steering recess .Also one on the metal ring that fits on the same way.Finally found this out when the horn kept sticking on and had to investigate more closely.

[Mr Spigot]

I have found the standard Windtone WT614 horns quite effective enough. The home models had a single one and the export ones two. I found another NOS horn and fitted it to my 1960 car, now having a High and Low note and they almost dent the metal of the car in front they are so loud! They fit either side of the radiator with standard mounting brackets. My 1952 car has the original HF type which is quite weak in comparison.

[geoberni]

I am thinking of upgrading the horn on my moggy, is this a straightforward job I’ve not had a look at it yet is it just spade fittings? any advice much appreciated

I suggest you clarify whether you're talking about the Horn Push or the actual Noisy End...

As you can see, people have read your post both ways...

There were several Horn set-ups over the years, Home and Overseas Markets....
High Note, Low Note, either or both....
You haven't said what year your car is?

Although the Workshop Manual effectively says 'All horns are set up before leaving the Works to give their best performance and will give a long period of service with no further adjustment required',
A) I'm pretty sure they didn't imagine it to be 60-70 years, and
B) if that were really true, then why did the Parts Manual contain service parts ????

Horn.JPG (68.26 KiB) Viewed 2024 times

Various Classic Car Clubs who support their members with Tech Libraries, have Manuals relating to their cars equipment.
An area where the MMOC very much had a significant gap, probably over some copyright fears.
These Lucas Horn Manuals for example.

https://www.triple-mregister.org/upload ... e_Horn.pdf
https://bristoloda.org/wp-content/uploa ... Repair.pdf

[myoldjalopy]

"why did the Parts Manual contain service parts ????"
Probably because in those days, before built-in obsolescence, everything was made to be 'fixable'.

[geoberni]

"why did the Parts Manual contain service parts ????"
Probably because in those days, before built-in obsolescence, everything was made to be 'fixable'.

Well yes, I was just make the point that it is a little contrary to the statement in the Workshop Manual.

Morris Minor Project Spares Meeting, 1948....
Man A says, 'They'll never need to do anything to these'...
Man B says 'Well we'll stock the spare parts just in case'.

[mike1864]

When working with the horn, bear in mind it operates in a switched earth mode. This is different to most other components on the Minor, where the switched "hot" is applied to one end of a device (eg bulb),whose other end is permanently earthed.
This means that live battery volts ALWAYS sit on one of the sounder's terminals. Even when the ignition is OFF.
The other terminal joins to a wire that gets earthed to the steering column (ie earth) via the horn button (when pushed!).
So:
1. Take care when taking the hot spade off the sounder. If it touches the chassis/engine it will spark and (hopefully) take the fuse out.
2. Expect to see volts on BOTH the sounder's terminals (until the push button is pushed). This is NOT a fault or wiring anomaly.
3. If a tool touches both the "cold" terminal of the sounder and the chassis/engine, the horn will sound, and you will bang your head on the bonnet.
Maybe best to isolate the battery before starting work!
"Switched earth" is a concept that my restorers couldn't get their head around. And I had to re-wire their efforts.

[geoberni]

"Switched earth" is a concept that my restorers couldn't get their head around. And I had to re-wire their efforts.

Ouch! It's a simple concept and any competent automotive electrician would understand it.
They only have to look at the wiring diagram, plus it's the same with the Wiper Motor...

I presume their skills lay in the bodywork field .....

[svenedin]

My car originally had a single Lucas 9H type horn. This stopped working a while ago. I looked for a suitable original 9H but I found that the examples at auto jumbles often did not work or worked poorly. In theory it is possible to adjust and repair these horns although it requires rivets to be drilled out in order to open the casing. Alternatively, the Lucas LHT10 trumpet horn (high or low tone) is a direct replacement and available new for around £10 at the time of writing. The LHT10 is very loud and easy to fit. Disconnect the battery before fitting.

https://www.lucasautomotive.com/globala ... rns-en.pdf

Stephen

[Stevie R]

Just to clarify it’s the actual horn I want to replace not the horn push switch on the steering wheel

[svenedin]

Just to clarify it’s the actual horn I want to replace not the horn push switch on the steering wheel

Yes so I gather. A Lucas LHT10 will do the job for very little money. 2x spade connectors and one nut to remove the old horn. Same on the new one. Disconnect the battery first. 10 minute job if that. LH10 is louder than the original horn.

Stephen

[geoberni]

Just to clarify it’s the actual horn I want to replace not the horn push switch on the steering wheel

I assumed as much, but you can never be 100% certain.
Just because I'm an engineer and can't resist having a look at something before replacing it; I'd be tempted to see if the old one just needs a little TLC, using the relevant info in the links I provided earlier, if they cover the type your car has.

[svenedin]

Just to clarify it’s the actual horn I want to replace not the horn push switch on the steering wheel

I assumed as much, but you can never be 100% certain.
Just because I'm an engineer and can't resist having a look at something before replacing it; I'd be tempted to see if the old one just needs a little TLC, using the relevant info in the links I provided earlier, if they cover the type your car has.

Yes I agree. I have a small collection of non-functioning or barely functioning Lucas horns that I intend to try to coax back to life at some point!

There are a few videos on Youtube detailing the adjustments or if that fails how to take the horn apart. They are very simple inside. If the coil has gone then they're finished but often they just need cleaning up inside.

Stephen

[myoldjalopy]

Yes, sometimes the moving parts get stuck through lack of use and damp and just need freeing up.