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I can't seem to get my Toronado horns working. I'll walk through the issues.
When I got the car the horn relay clicked loudly - no horns. I opened up the relay and the contact point was broken off. I ordered a new relay. New relay installed, and ONE horn blew about 4 times, getting weaker each time until there was just a click from the relay. I figured the old horns finally gave up the ghost. Ordered new horns from Inline and they arrived yesterday. Installed them and hooked them up - nothing. Relay clicks loudly.
I measured the voltage from the output side of the relay - 12.78v compared to 12.79v on the battery attachment side. The interesting thing is that a simple circuit tester when touched to the battery side of the relay glows brightly, and when touched to the horn connection side barely glows, even though there is only a .01V drop in measured current.
I do not know the best way to test that the horns I just received are good or not, but they are new.
Connections at the horns are solid. Ground points have been cleaned and sanded for best contact. Wiring to the horns is intact, but I can't see every inch of it. It doesn't seem to be pinched or broken, and moves easily. Should I pull the horn wires out and replace them? What I'm seeing is confusing to me. I'm not finding any troubleshooting tips in my searches that match this issue. Thanks for any help.
Tester on the battery side of the relay - measured 12.79V Tester on horn connection of relay - measured 12.78V. But why so dim?
Last edited by BSiegPaint; November 16th, 2023 at 10:50 AM.
Take a jumper wire and connect the horn to the battery or the terminal where the battery connects. if the horns are good, they should blow. Sounds like you have a bad relay. Just because it is new does not mean it is good. Remember it is probably made in China.
Take a jumper wire and connect the horn to the battery or the terminal where the battery connects. if the horns are good, they should blow. Sounds like you have a bad relay. Just because it is new does not mean it is good. Remember it is probably made in China.
That did it. A short wire touched to the power junction and then to the horn wire blew loud and proud. Bad relay. Everyone seems to sell the same piece - and this is actually the second of these I've had. THANK YOU for a quick response.
I've read several items that state the main reason for these going bad is the contacts burn or pit. I'm wondering if I open this up and file the contacts if I'll get some kind of resolution. I'm tired of waiting for these things to show up in the mail.
Last edited by BSiegPaint; November 16th, 2023 at 08:44 AM.
So... question.... I can easily repair this, but with what, exactly? Is there a particular wire I should use? Obviously this one melted as soon as I started honking the horns.
EDIT hahaha - I just can't wait for an answer. I grabbed a 1" piece of copper wire and soldered it in place. Works like a champ.
I definitely got the chinese version of this relay. There are a number of them online that specifically state "Made in USA". This one does not.
Last edited by BSiegPaint; November 16th, 2023 at 10:34 AM.
Glad I could help. I would probably solder a piece of something like 12 gauge wire across the two ends where it burned into. I just noticed that the solder at the top of the burned section looks to be touching the other connection that did not melt. Make sure that is not because that would be a direct short. This could be the result of Chinese quality.
The only thing more fun than bolting a small harness from a 12V battery direct to the positive terminal of a horn, and dragging the bracket on the negative pole to see if the horn will go on a 12V horn....is doing it to a 6V horn on a 12V battery. It sounds like a dying goose.
Glad I could help. I would probably solder a piece of something like 12 gauge wire across the two ends where it burned into. I just noticed that the solder at the top of the burned section looks to be touching the other connection that did not melt. Make sure that is not because that would be a direct short. This could be the result of Chinese quality.
You would think in my whole house, in which I used tons of 12g and 14g wiring, I would have a scrap somewhere. But no. And the solder you see is a victim of the zoom on the camera lens - there is plenty of room between the posts. I tested over and over with the protective cap off to make sure nothing was overheating or failing before setting the cap back on and connecting the remaining wires. I probably didn't need to replace the horns, but oh, well. They sound great and should for a long time.
The only thing more fun than bolting a small harness from a 12V battery direct to the positive terminal of a horn, and dragging the bracket on the negative pole to see if the horn will go on a 12V horn....is doing it to a 6V horn on a 12V battery. It sounds like a dying goose.
November 16th, 2023, 06:59 AM
