Your car horn may not be the most vital part of your car but those moments during traffic jams or when you’re about to collide will make you wish you had a working car horn. In addition, when you plan to sell your car in Dubai, it is essential that all parts are fully functional. This CarSwitch guide lists some causes of dead car horns and how to fix them.
1. Clock Spring
The clock spring is located on the steering wheel through which you operate the horn and connect to airbags as well. Make sure not to mess with the airbags unless you’re a pro at fixing steering wheel problems.
If you’re a pro at detaching steering wheels then you can do this yourself. Otherwise, the only fix to this is that you take it directly to the mechanic as you can set off the airbags while trying to fix it on your own. To fix this, you should also be aware of the steering wheel problems that can occur.
2. Check the fuse
One of the most common causes of a dead car horn is a blown fuse. The fuse box is located in the engine, the side of the dash or on the driver’s side. If you can’t find it, it’s best to check the owner’s manual.
The fix is pretty simple, use a jumper cable and connect it to the fuse and jump power. If the fuse blows, that means that it was the reason and you can easily get it replaced. This is why a jumper cable is an essential item you should always have in your used car.
3. Bad horn relay
The horn relay is mostly found in the fuse box in the engine compartment. Either use a multimeter to to test the relay or swap it with the relay of some other part such as the fog lights.
If this swapping of relay works, that means the relay is defective. Just replace the relay and you’re good to go.
4. Check the wiring
The next step is that you check the wires that are plugged into the horn for power. You will need a multimeter here as well. Set it to DC and connect the wires to the multimeter to them. Turn on the ignition and get a friend’s help to push the car horn. If the meter gives a range of 11 to 14 volts when the horn is pressed, the problem lies somewhere else. If it doesn’t, check the horn wire harness. It is likely that the plug is corroded, loose or disconnected from the socket. Here, all you need to do is clean the plug and attach it properly.
5. The Horn Itself
When all else fails, you have to consider the possibility that your car horn has stopped working. To check this, you need to unplug the wires connected to the horn which are placed between the grill and the radiator. Use a screw to detach the bumper and read the owners manual to check which wire is live and which is ground.
Unfasten both wires and connect a jumper lead to the positive battery terminal and use a +12 feed line to give battery power to the horn. By this time, it should make a sound if it just isn’t getting enough power. If it doesn’t make a sound, this means that your car horn is not functional anymore and needs to be replaced.
As trivial as they may seem, car horns can save you in very rare but dangerous situations. Also, if you need to sell car Dubai make sure that all parts are working properly or it can lead to a decrease in the resale price. CarSwitch.com can always inspect your car to detect any problems with your car.
