1966 Polara Horn Not Working

TroyCo

TroyCo

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Oshawa, Ontario
So the horn in my Polara only works intermittently when I crank the wheel or put a test light on the horn ring terminal. I've cleaned the contacts on the wheel and replaced the relay.... My next thought is to replace the turn signal switch, which I need to do anyway. Any suggestions?
 
Does the turn signal switch have anything to do with the horn? I thought it was just the contact being grounded out that made the horn function. Time to look at the FSM..
 
Is your column grounded to the dash? There is a separate ground wire where it bolts up.
Also the spring loaded Switch under the horn ring could be corroded and not making good contact.

All the driver does with the horn ring is grounding the wire that runs to the relay

The horn contact and wire is made onto the TS switch but it doesn’t run through the turn signal part of the switch.
 
413 said:
Is your column grounded to the dash? There is a separate ground wire where it bolts up.
Also the spring loaded Switch under the horn ring could be corroded and not making good contact.

All the driver does with the horn ring is grounding the wire that runs to the relay

The horn contact and wire is made onto the TS switch but it doesn’t run through the turn signal part of the switch.
Click to expand...
I haven't found where just yet. The little spring switch seems to be alright, no visible corrosion and it moves freely. I did find a bare spot on the horn contact's wire but fixing that didn't change anything. It's definitely a grounding problem. I've committed to that.
 
I know on my 65 Polara, and I believe it's also true for 66 - the ground signal for the horn travels across the rubber 'biscuit' in the steering column via a spring across the two sides, it's not grounded to the dash. That spring can be fragile if the biscuit is in good shape, if it isn't it makes things worse.
 
I have seen this before, Under the steering wheel is a copper ring that contacts the contact in the turn signal switch. Chrysler put grease on this area, but after 50 some years the grease dries out and acts like an insulator. Pull the wheel, clean all the old grease off, polish it up, and use some light grease on it. Reinstall the wheel.
 
Make sure the spring under that contact (column-side) is still in good condition. Hasn't gotten weak with age.

CBODY67
 
As discussed by @Polara_500 , check this spring to make sure it's not broken.
The easiest test is to take a jumper wire and jump it to the top and bottom yoke. If the horn works regularly then this is the trouble.

I would still pull the steering wheel to clean and lube the plate discussed by @traintech55.

Here's a couple of pictures of the broken wire I had and my fix.
It's not factory but won't be seen since there's a cover for the rag joint.

Good luck finding the solution.

broken coil spring.JPG
bypass wire.JPG
 
In my 63 sport fury was a aftermarket steering wheel that i didn,t like and i bought a original at mopars at the strip in 2014 , install it but the horn didn,t work anymore....
Checked everything and at the end i saw a distance-ring ( same color as the axle so hard to
see...)

upload_2021-2-9_20-48-34.jpeg

Removed it ...put the wheel back on and the horn did his job ......:)
 
Last edited:
But his horn works intermittently, so I doubt that's the reason. The horn in my Polara doesn't work most of the time. It does now and again, but I never chased it down. I've hardly used a horn in any vehicle over the past two decades. One of the joys of country living.
 
mr. fix it said:
As discussed by @Polara_500 , check this spring to make sure it's not broken.
The easiest test is to take a jumper wire and jump it to the top and bottom yoke. If the horn works regularly then this is the trouble.

I would still pull the steering wheel to clean and lube the plate discussed by @traintech55.

Here's a couple of pictures of the broken wire I had and my fix.
It's not factory but won't be seen since there's a cover for the rag joint.

Good luck finding the solution.

View attachment 437465 View attachment 437466
Click to expand...
Thanks for the pics, I know I took some but they're hiding at the moment.
 
W
mr. fix it said:
As discussed by @Polara_500 , check this spring to make sure it's not broken.
The easiest test is to take a jumper wire and jump it to the top and bottom yoke. If the horn works regularly then this is the trouble.

I would still pull the steering wheel to clean and lube the plate discussed by @traintech55.

Here's a couple of pictures of the broken wire I had and my fix.
It's not factory but won't be seen since there's a cover for the rag joint.

Good luck finding the solution.

View attachment 437465 View attachment 437466
Click to expand...
Just got home from work, went straight to the garage. It looks like it was that spring you mentioned. Jumped the two halves and horn worked right away. Thanks to mr. fix it, Polara_500, CBODY67 and everyone else for the help :thumbsup:
I honestly would have never thought of that. Just now getting into old Mopars.
 
I'll have to take a look at mine now, if it's that simple, why not. Plus, I do love the sound of the horn.
 
Kinda hard to believe that's all there is between having steering or no steering. Having no horn turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I'm going to replace those rubbers. Anyone know a good place to source them?

20210210_173607.jpg
 
Two Land Rover pieces put together. Search the forum, remember to do it twice so you actually get the results you're looking for.
 
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