Hi guys. The horn on my 76 Cutlass is very weak. It works, but sounds like it's at about 1/4 of what it's volume should be. Second of all, where is the horn located in the engine bay. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

First, horns are typically located right behind the grille. Remember, they're supposed to be heard by the drivers and pedestrians around you as you honk at them, so it wouldn't do much good to bury them deep in the back of the engine bay. They have to be right out front.

Your car should have two horns, a low tone and a high tone. They should be right next to each other when you find them. You should verify that both horns are working and are giving the low volume sound. If this turns out to be the case, it suggests bad wiring or more likely a bad ground at the horns, since it seems unlikely that both horns would go bad at the same time and to the same degree. Find the horns and check the wiring to them, making sure the grounds are clean and tight and that the connectors are tight.

If only one of your horns is working and the other one is just sitting there, I would guess that your horns are bad with one of them completely dead and the other about to die. Replacement horns are available at any auto parts store. If you want something period correct, you might try Fusick or one of the other Oldsmobile suppliers.

The horns are controlled by a relay, but given that your horn or horns do work, even though the volume is low, the relay would seem to be OK. I'm guessing the problem is in the wiring to the horns or the horns themselves. When the relay goes bad, the symptom is usually horns that don't work at all or horns that blow continuously.

 

Sometimes moisture in the horns can lower the volume. If both are working, try spraying some wd40 in each one and then try them, if its moisture that will correct it.

 

The factory horns do go bad. I've had to replace them in a similar situation.

 

Some horns do have an adjustment on them that you can turn with a pair of pliers. I have had success about 50% of the time with this. A set of horns is pretty cheap or O''Reilly's or Auto Zone.

 

And if one horn is not working, the other one by itself sounds sick and isn't very loud.

 

All great information guys. Thank you so much. Cheers! It ended up being the passenger side F note horn that had crapped out on me. I haven't been able to find a period correct one yet.

 

Just installed the correct horn although from an 81 Cutlass. Much bettter

 

Take a look at this and see if you can revive the old horn before you chunk it. Even new car horns have these issues.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...r-problem.html

 

Thanks Rob. I did keep the old horn. My next day off I have something to tinker with. Cheers!

 

We always like it when they all lived happily ever after.