I thought my asking for assistance might slow down the closer the car got to the finish line, but then I ran into this.

Suspected my horn circuit had a problem a couple of years ago, but it wasn't important then, easily fixed. So today's the day, putting front valance, bumper, horns, etc in place and checked the PY wires, nothing when pushing the steering wheel pad. Looked at S57 and saw that the key needs to be on, turned it position 1 and probed the horn relay connector. 12v on G wire from ignition, 12v Battery on NP, continuity on PY wires to horns. So I'm thinking it's in the PB wire (ground trigger) going to the horn pad. I get nothing with test light on 12v and probe stuck in the PB connector while grounding the contact in the nylon nut at the steering wheel. Connect DVOM to PB at relay connector and probe the slip-ring under the dash, 2+ ohm, there's a path, but not a good one. Pull the bullet out of the spring contact and shine it up, .3 ohm now. Probe slip-ring surface to relay connector, Ok. I can see the end of the trail coming up fast, so I probe the last link in the chain which is the brass contact in the nylon nut down to the slip-ring.....open, nothing.

The brass tube attached to the nylon nut is tight and intact, I even put my small bore scope down the steering shaft, but all that did is confirm the pin or rod that connects with the brass tube is there. The question is, does anyone have any idea how the protected ground gets from the brass tube to the slip-ring?? That "pin" in the steering shaft has to attach solidly to just the slip-ring, but I can see how it's done, more-over, how could something so protected go bad.

I appreciate any and all posts.

Thanks

Dave

 

Dave,
Ya can't just stick the probe in and hope for the best. It has to be Centered in the column so the brass parts meet and you have continuity. You'll know when you've connected as you'll feel a bit of resistance as the brass tube encounters the pin.

If this is actually your only problem with the horn circus, it's only a matter of trial and error until you get it.
(';')

 

Dave, Just a few random thoughts:
Have you checked the horns actually sound when you manually earth the system?
Did the horns work on the horn button previously?
If you have an aftermarket steering wheel, sometimes it is necessary to fabricate a connection between the brass at the centre of the plastic bolt and the horn push on the aftermarket wheel.

 

Elinor, Greg,
I can feel the resistance of the brass tube meeting and sliding over the pin down in the steering shaft. As an extra step, I have a 12" brass rod, well insulated with heat-shrink, that I also put down the hole and could feel it stop solidly on top of the pin. Throughout all of my tests, there was not so much as a flicker on the ohm meter.

Like so many things, there were no horns on the car when I bought it. I have new horns and they work. But I'm not including the horns themselves or the horn push on the steering wheel at this point, I'm just trying to establish the ground continuity between the contact on the plastic nut and the connector at the relay. That is the only issue.

I have the "nice" steering wheel from the '91 or '92 XJS. I don't believe it is different in dimension at the hub. Thank you for your thoughts and comments, but as Elinor says, I'll figure it out or a way around it.

 

if the horns are not connected, I don't think the circuit will be complete enough?

the steering wheel horn pad has a flexible brass "tang" that makes contact with the center of the plastic tube's nut. It is a very simple circuit. The XJ-S steering wheel works the same way as the original wheel, no modification is needed.

 

I thought I would give my final opinion on the horn problem. I read a couple of posts on the Forum with the same issue and it turned out to be one of the slip-rings on steering column had some how moved out of place. I have made the top level decision not to take the upper steering assembly out of the car and investigate, I've just reached that point in this build. I am going to have a push-button actuated horn.

Dave

 

So what you've really done is only Move the horn actuating button from one place to another.
Sounds like a very viable Farmer Fix to me, especially if You are the only one driving your car and You know what that button is for and where it is when you need it.

I say, WHY NOT!

We all reach this point sometime, Dave, ALL of us!
(';')

 

I get along just fine with no horn on the jaguar. not even sure the one on my Jeep toots!!

I do not believe in them.

 

Elinor,
The nice lighted momentary push button I ordered a few days ago showed up today. I plan to install it in the console cover (ski slope?), I practiced a few arm maneuvers and that seemed a good fit. My intention is certainly to be the "A" driver, but since I'm married we'll see how that goes.

Dave

 

Ya know Carl, I guess I'm the same way, when I have honked at a fellow traveler they just get mad, for some reason. I mostly honk at spruce hens, stray cats, and squirrels that look like they're about to pick the wrong time to cross the road. But I think having one is a legal thing.

Dave

 

Yes, a working horn is required in these parts, can't say about the Wilds of Alaska.
(';')

 

I have been thru this exercise with my Series 1.

The brass slip ring contacts the inner centre column by means of a small spring.
Not shown anywhere in wiring diagrams of the factory exploded diagram of the column. Nothing surprising here.

The small spring, which benefits from a little lubrication, tends to wear and not make contact with the column, thus an open circuit.

The good news is it is a cheap fix, providing your own time/labour is costed out at $0 per hour!
The bad news is you have to remove the upper column and dismantle it. Once again, no help from the factory, except for column removal procedure.

The most drama I had was re-assembling the column & refitting the circlip on the bottom end, as with the collapsible design of the column, the inner one tends to slide in (collapses) when you're trying to refit the circlip, which BTW is spring loaded. So when disassembling, be at the ready to catch the washers/spacers that may fly into orbit.

As I have a spare column in the Spare Parts Warehouse (back shed) I am happy to provide some pics if needed.

Cheers

Pete.

 

Thanks Pete, I found this thread that gave me a glimpse of the process. But as I said prior, I have just reached the point where I haven't got enough physical or mental energy to do the job properly. In the event the needed energy comes back around, more pictures would be greatly appreciated, but only if it doesn't put you out.

I think the horn button thingy is really going to catch on, might even set a trend.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...repair-107438/

Dave

 

With the ability to 3D print parts these days I might attempt to repair the plastic clips inside the column one day, but until then I’m perfectly happy with the momentary button I have installed. Down by my left foot, looks like an old dimmer switch if you didn’t know better, but it’s mounted to side, not on floor as the foot wells are kinda small already

 

Darren,
I'm glad to hear there is a growing number of us with the same problem. I spent a couple of days this afternoon installing my button. It's on the ski slope just aft of the drivers side ash tray. Looks good, and like I said before, I can see this starting a trend.

Dave

 

You've been in that time warp too??!!...

 

(You've been in that time warp too??!!...)

Yes Elinor, some days it feels like that.

Dave

P.S. How in the heck do I add a comment from a previous post that I now want to give a reply?

 

Down the bottom of the page I click on "QUOTE.

Then when the QUOTEd text comes up I delete the parts I don't want and leave the others alone.
You need to be sure to leave the name and post number, AND the closing bracket ( ] ) behind the post number, and at the end of what you want to quote you need to add, Bracket ( [ ) and slash quote (this means End Quote), /quote and a Closing Bracket ( ] ).

This procedure isolates the part of text you want to quote from everything else you might want to post.
You can practice by hitting Preview Post, just to the Right of Submit Reply to get the hang of it.
(';')

 

Thank you Elinor, I will try that next time I have something to say.

Dave

 

I thought I'd better include a picture with this thread. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it works.

Dave