Need Help With Horn Assembly

[49 Dodge Dude]

When I got my '49 Dodge, someone had taken the guts out of the steering wheel for the horn. I have the horn ring and cover, and just got a horn contact & spring from a fellow on e-Bay. Problem is, I cannot seem to get everything together right. The horn contact has three ears w/screws, but there are no screw holes on the horn ring. I did get the exploded assembly pic of the horn assembly from another post on this site, but nothing seems to fit together right.

I'm posting a pic of the parts that I'm working with (The spring is not shown.) Perhaps someone could tell me what I may be doing wrong or if I'm missing parts or maybe even have the wrong ones

[Young Ed]

I think I can see in your picture the three screws there the retainer goes on the wheel itself. Not sure how the ring attaches.

[48mirage]

The contact tri-shaped bar attaches to the steering wheel. The horn ring is attached to the steering wheel by 3 long screws that go in from the back of the steering wheel. You can see in your pic the 3 holes that go all of the way through the wheel.

[DJ194950]

Heres the assembly of horn for 49 plymouth. Possibly very similar to 49 dodge.

It appears that your missing at least one part.

Hope this helps.

Doug.

Also note to Joe Flanagan: Look at the note under figure 8 about directional signal addition. Appears that there was a factory option or accessory for add on turn signal switch. This is mentioned because of your posts a month or so ago about correct turn signal sw. for your car. The clamp on ones that you used are also correct. Maybe you can locate a factory type in the future when the new truck is put together? AS if your plates not full already.

Edited November 11, 2011 by DJ194950

[Adam H P15 D30]

I had mine apart on my 49 Dodge about 2 years ago. The picture below looks the same.

[desoto1939]

The brass contact which hold the horn wire would attach to the column. I you are looking at the assembly the brass unit screws in at 11, 4 and 7 as if on the face of a clock.

There should be a horn button that holds the ring in place. there will be notches in the plastic button to mount the horn ring. Then there are three screws that come up from the back that screw in the horn button.

rich hartung

[49 Dodge Dude]

Isn't the contact point on the contact assembly supposed to be isolated from the rest of the assembly? I took an ohmmeter and checked continuity from the brass mount to the contact point and I got a dead short.

[49 Dodge Dude]

I understand the mechanical part of the horn assembly, but I'm not understanding the electrical part of it. If the center contact is grounded to the brass mount, and the brass mount is grounded to the car through the spring and ground cup, then wouldn't that cause the horn to blow continuously? The center contact does slide out of the brass mount, but I'm lost from there

[BobT-47P15]

Probably a dumb question, and not a good answer, but have you tried

running the wire that goes down thru the center of the steering

column, coming out of the steering box......then connecting it to

the other stuff under the hood....per the wiring diagram in the manual?

That should make the circuit complete for further testing purposes.

I'm not much of an electrician, but I somehow managed to make mine

work after some tinkering. Mine is a Plymouth, but the horn center

of the wheel, etc looks just the same.

Also don't tighten the screws that hold the horn button/ring from the back of the hub very much at all.

Edited November 12, 2011 by BobT-47P15

[49 Dodge Dude]

Probably a dumb question, and not a good answer, but have you tried

running the wire that goes down thru the center of the steering

column, coming out of the steering box......then connecting it to

the other stuff under the hood....per the wiring diagram in the manual?

That should make the circuit complete for further testing purposes.

I'm not much of an electrician, but I somehow managed to make mine

work after some tinkering. Mine is a Plymouth, but the horn center

of the wheel, etc looks just the same.

Also don't tighten the screws that hold the horn button/ring from the back of the hub very much at all.

Bob, does the contact point on yours stick up out of the brass mount rather than sit inside of it? In the exploded diagram it shows something called a retainer just below the contact point - I don't recall seeing that on mine, and I wonder if it's purpose is to electrically separate the contact point from the mount? Any ideas?

[Tom Skinner]

Dodge Dude,

In the Illustration above the Cup shown above has insulation material in it that keeps the horn from grounding/sounding if that insulation is scored or dry-rotting off of it where the spring contacts it, re-insulate it prior to re-assembly.

I know this because when I went out (I usually go driving my 1948 early on Sat. or Sun. mornings @ 7AM) the horn shorted as I turned the Wheel and woke my whole neighborhood up until I found the problem. So just a heads up if your not aware of that particuliar aspect of Horn Function.

As you know we have real Horns on our cars that can wake up the whole neighborhood. - LOL:D

[49 Dodge Dude]

LOL Tom - I had a '57 Chevy that did the same thing. Had to pull over and yank the wires for the horns. Talk about drawing attention to yourself...

[49 Dodge Dude]

BTW, where does the horn wire exit the steering column at? I've checked just about everywhere, but I cannot find an exit hole for it.

[48mirage]

When I rewired the horn on mine I had the same problem and couldn't figure out what isolated the 3 armed plate from the rest of the horn. I ended up taking some heat shrink over the ends of the arms to isolate it and it still worked when I pressed on the horn ring.

[49 Dodge Dude]

Heh - I found the exit hole. It was caked in crud, and I had to clean it off to get to it. On the positive side, I got the wire run and the horn assembly installed, so when I get some more time, I'll see if it actually works or not.

Thanks everyone for the help - this site is the best!

[49 Dodge Dude]

When I rewired the horn on mine I had the same problem and couldn't figure out what isolated the 3 armed plate from the rest of the horn. I ended up taking some heat shrink over the ends of the arms to isolate it and it still worked when I pressed on the horn ring.

That's what I did to mine, too. I wrapped the arms where they contacted the spring with electrical tape and made sure that where the horn ring contacted the spring was left clear. Should do the trick (in theory anyway..)

[desoto1939]

If you are going to replace the horn wire or pul the wire out from the top of the steering column TAKE NOTE:

Please and I say again Please attach a sring of some other wire to the end of the original wire prior to it being pulled up the column. You need the string or other wire on the original so you can pull the new wire back down the steering column. I f this is not done then you willhave one HEXX double hockey stick of a time getting the new wire to come ou the small hole end th end of the steering column.

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com

[49 Dodge Dude]

Believe it or not, I got it to go through that small hole after about 10 minutes of back-n-forth and twisting of the wire. And, guess what - it WORKS! I am very grateful for the help I've received here. If not for that, I'd still be fumbling around with it.

[greg g]

TA DA!!! congrats.

[BobT-47P15]

Bob, does the contact point on yours stick up out of the brass mount rather than sit inside of it? In the exploded diagram it shows something called a retainer just below the contact point - I don't recall seeing that on mine, and I wonder if it's purpose is to electrically separate the contact point from the mount? Any ideas?

________

Sorry to not answer the question, but we were

gone out of town from Mon morning til Wed night, then real busy today.

It seems you're making progress and have gotten several good answers.

The problem I have is remembering just exactly what did what since I

worked on the horn quite a few years ago. But, the end of the wire

does stick up thru the hole in the T piece....just a little. Not sure that

really does anything except hold it in place...and makes it contact the

T.