Hi all,
Replaced my Horn relay, Horn not working on steering wheel. Ground out the # 2 terminal on new relay and horns work, weak sound but they work. I pushed down hard on the horn and steering wheel moves inward (seemingly getting a ground or working the spring or something) and I am able to get the relay to click and also some sound. I then try grounding the # 2 terminal again and I get the same very weak sound whereas earlier it was a horn sound, weak but you could hear it, now all I get is a sound like now the horns are failing. I tried to seat the steering wheel hub further down but it will not budge any tighter. I have a Chevy II that when the steering wheel has this type of play I have to tighten the hub nut to get the ground (?) better for the horn to work. Am I not understanding how the horn spring works in the 442 ? Why do you think the horns now stopped working at all other than a weird really weak sound when I had originally jumped the # 2 terminal on the relay I had at least a horn sound, albeit weak. I didn't mess with any grounds between the first jump of the#2 terminal and the second time.

any advice is most welcome.

thank you

 

How about we start with a picture of which steering wheel you have.

 

 

FYI, that's not a "442 steering wheel". That's RPO N34 woodgrain wheel, optionally available on any Cutlass that year. Most 1968 442s came with this wheel:



To your horn problem, are the horn contact pieces properly installed in the tube in the cancel cam? Pull off the horn button and unscrew the contact ring, There should be a spring, eyelet, and plastic retainer. The spring goes in the hole first, then the eyelet, large end down against the spring, and then the plastic retainer. The "L" shaped tab on the bottom of the contact ring should press on the eyelet when installed,

 

yes, the parts are installed correctly, although they look a little different and yes the L part of the contact ring sits on the eyelet and depresses it when I push on the horn. It just doesnt seem to depress it enough unless I push it hard enough to also push the steering wheel in to take up the gap/play. And I guess I have the cutlass steering wheel. It's odd, I have cutlass hood, cutlass interior (newer) but I have block ID and vin derivative on the tranny that match the 442 VIN. not sure why all the cutlass parts other than they are much more readily available.. I digress. thanks for your time. I take a picture of the retainer, hub and eyelet. The eyelet seems to be made of plastic and the end that contacts the retainers L has a hole in it.

 

A plastic eyelet isn't going to conduct electricity. The OEM horn contact parts used a hollow eyelet. The aftermarket ones are typically solid. Shouldn't matter from a functionality point. Pull off the horn cap and contact ring. Jumper a wire from the eyelet to the steering shaft. If the horn blows, that much of the system is working. If not, the problem is in the steering column. Is this a new problem or has it been this way since you got the car? I'm guessing this steering wheel was added to the car at some point.

As for your "Cutlass" parts, the sheet metal is exactly the same from Cutlass to 442. The only difference is the grill and emblems. If the car was in an accident at some point in the past, it's likely that the more common Cutlass parts were used to repair it, since they probably came from a wrecking yard. So long as your VIN starts 344..., it's a 442.

 

Thank you. Electrical skills are lacking. That is what I was looking for. As i cleaned the contacts from horn to the retainer etc, tried to close a circuit there.. I couldn't figure out how to isolate the problem in the steering wheel. re: "Jumper a wire from the eyelet to the steering shaft. If the horn blows, that much of the system is working."

Thank you for your direction

 

I'll just add that the rag joint in the steering shaft down at the box is supposed to have a ground strap to ensure conductivity from the upper shaft to the box, specifically for the horn to work. I've found that some replacement rag joints don't have this strap, and I've had to use a wire to ensure conductivity. If the rag joint has been replaced, this can also be a problem. If jumping from the eyelet to the steering shaft doesn't work, try jumping from the eyelet to a good chassis ground point, like one of the screws under the dash.

 

Another good pointer. read about the strap and will do as you suggest.

 

Replaced ground strap. Thanks for your help. Sorry for late reply. Just got to this and you were right.
Horn works, but the horns are weak. Gonna replace soon, but the functionality is back. Thank you again, as always a lot of help.