Series 3 horn not working
 

Hi all

I've got a problem with my horns, they used to work well, then they went a little intermittent, and now they're completely dead... All I can hear now is the relay clicking when I push the horn button. I've taken one off and put 12 volts onto it, works perfectly. I've also checked the earth, and they're earthed well.

Any common problems to be found here?

Many thanks.

Nathan:


I'm not a horn guru, or any other kind, either.


I suspect the grounding shoe at the bottom of the steering column in the cabin.


And, a jaguar oddity that has lead me astray at times. Ignition must be on for a lot of things to be energized.




Carl

Check the horn fuse. It might have dirty contacts. Should be above the battery on a LHD car. Inline plastic fuse holder


Cheers
DD

Thanks JagCad and Doug, I'll have a look and see what I find.

The horn fuse I'm battling to locate it... I'm RHD to make things tricky... Is it in the engine bay? Also the grounding shoe... Is that one of the things that gets earthed to the actual steering wheel itself via copper tabs that rub on the steering column? Purple and black wire?

Many thanks for any help.

It's an inline fuse in the engine bay. On LHD cars it's on the firewall right above the battery.....which would be right above the brake booster on a RHD car. Unless, that is, Jaguar reversed the location so that it's above the battery no matter LHD or RHD

Yes, those copper tabs are grounds

This might help in some way

Horn Circuit Checklist

Cheers
DD

Look for a plastic fuse holder with thick Brown wires on each side, it could be hidden under the cowl with other wiring. I suspect the horns themselves are the problem, try cleaning the wire connectors at the horns.

Many thanks Jose and Doug

I'll have a look now.

I've checked the connections at the horns, all is good, and they work too.

On RHD it is clipped to the firewall above the brake booster.

if you hear a click when you press the Horn Push, then the fuse and Horn Relay should be good, I think the clicking means there is 12 volt power,

back to the horns themselves, they are located in a place where water and debris get in them, and sometimes the diaphragm inside them gets stuck / rusted. There is a nut and adjusting bolt on top of each horn; Loosen the nut while holding the bolt, then turn the the bolt clockwise and counterclockwise quickly while someone else presses the horn push with ignition switch in ACCESSORY position, and this might awaken the diaphragms assuming the fuse checks out ok.

That does work in situ or on the bench. But, at times, percussion
helps. Whack them with a rubber mallet.

Mine don't work and that concerns me not...


Carl

Many thanks Tony, Jose and Carl

The good news is that they're working now... I've no idea why, let's just hope they keep it up... It may have been a bad contact, I checked for continuity and got a positive reading right around, I then pulled the positive power off one of the horns and connected it to one of the old horns (the one that still works), earthed it and it worked... I put the power back on the new horns and they both came to life, bad contacts I assume, I can't think of anything else that I disturbed.

Thanks again to all for the responses.

Cheers!

congratulations! same with me, some of the best repairs I've made, I don't know what I did !!
:icon_lol:

I know the feeling all too well Jose :D

I've often wondered how many good parts have been discarded
because the mere replacement cleaned the contacts and the things worked again????


My son ahs a pair of antique CNC mills that he uses to produce
performance parts. At times when one stalls, just disconnecting and reconnecting old style military couplers restores function!!!


One is now being "modernized" with computer controlled Servos to manage the X,& and Z table travel!!! When I was over on Xmas, he had it mocked up and working on the dining room table. The 'kid" is smart....


Carl

Probably quite a few, in all honesty I could probably get the high pitch hooter working again and have the originals back, but agg, the chap at the garage got the same things (just a different brand) for a decent price, so why worry haha.

But I do agree, Carl, Many useful things get turfed unnecessarily.

I can relate to your son too, isn't that what all horizontal surfaces are for? Car parts and odds and ends? Haha!

Yowzer!!

I've all the horizontal surfaces in this 'work room" covered.

Son gave me an air force surplus Dell Optiplex 760. He got one to dedicate to his modernized CNC. Very fast!!!

Got it booted up this morning. Jag forums working fine. Can't get my email, yet?

Off to errands. Chores mostly done, plus a bit of play!!

Carl