1966 L72

Sometimes when I press my horn I get a little jolt. They are working fine. I am not strong on electrical items at all. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Larry

JohnZ

That's usually a result of the horn circuit grounding partially through you instead of through the rag joint to the steering gear (and then to the frame); the original rag joint had a copper ground strap in it joining the upper and lower flanges for the horn ground path, and they can corrode away over time. Use a jumper wire to join the upper and lower flanges of the rag joint and see if that stops it.

midyearvette

could be a loose nut behind the steering wheel??...sorry i couldnt resist....

Nowhere Man

it also could be the horn contact as well.

woodsdesign

I have the same problem on my 65. My ground strap on the rag joint is intact.. My column has been completely rebuilt.

1966 L72

The rag joint is in good shape, but I put a jumper on it anyway. No help. I guess the horn relay is next.

Nowhere Man

no repalce the $15 horn contact first and make sure the screws that hold it fast are clean and have star washers

Oriondriver

I have the same issue with my '62... but it is only if I push and hold the horn button... with just a quick beep it doesn't do it... I have traced the wiring and it all looks good... I have just gotten used to it.. shock therapy....

NVaVettes

Before you tackle the horn relay....

My horn was doing the same thing as yours:

First, it was working fine.
Then, it would intermittently shock me.
Later, it would intermittently shock me and sometimes not blow.
Later still, it would only occassionally blow.
Since procrastination doesn't pay, I finally decided to look into it.

I searched the forum for "horn" and "shock" issues, and found the same
suggestion to make sure the upper and lower steering column sections
were electrically joined and making a strong ground. It seemed in
my case that they were, even though I had no ground strap as described.

So, I took my upper steering column apart and found a few issues.

I found a dirty horn contact with a fairly weak spring under the plunger.
I cleaned the horn contact and replaced just the spring.
(It would probably be easier to just replace the whole assembly.)

I also replaced the turn signal switch for several reasons, not the least
of which was for a significantly worn copper horn contact rod/plunger.
(Lots of copper dust laying around where it shouldn't be....)

I also cleaned the contact points on the underside of the horn button itself.

After re-assembly, the horn stopped shocking me and worked much
better.

Good luck with yours!

Don

woodsdesign

My horn does the same thing. I have a rebuilt orginal horn contact. I did notice that the spring was weak. It also only blows when I press the lower right part of the button.

4440stevesvette

Mine does the same thing occasionally when I have my arm out the window. Go figure!