Bans25

Horn switch not working on my 90', I know the horns work, because if I set off the factory alarm, they blow..

Any idea what would cause the buttons on the wheel not to work? how do I go about pulling it apart? (Airbag etc)

thanks

-Bill

ruby9246

It could be the horn ring in the steering column. Its a plastic ring with a metal cap and a wire and it cracks.
Try holding the horn button down and turning the steering wheel and if the horn occassionally works, suspect the ring. Its a cheap part but you have to pull the wheel to replace it.

PAINTER MAN

On my 86 the horn would not blow. It seems the horn grounds through the turn signal lever. I had the dealer replace it and it now works fine. It did cost almost three hundred dollars for the repair. I really didn't want to get into taking the steering wheel apart.

ontheroadagain

My '85's horn also would not work. Relay from battery to firewall checked out fine. If not on horn pad, then most likely bad relay from column to relay behind dash. May need to fix that relay, which fixed mine, and you'll need that horn more than you'll know so don't waste time fixing it.

myblue91

On my 91 I had to replace both of those grey horn buttons. If yours is the same, those plastic buttons have 2 prongs underneath,which are plastic,and all were broken off!!,these are what provide the contact to the small copper pieces(don't know what else to call them) under the button. Take a small screwdriver and gently pry they up and you'll see .Hope this helps.

Wildride

The pre 1990 horn circuit and mechanism is different from 1990 and later.

For some info on troubleshooting and repairing the 1990 and later I wrote this up for the Forum some years ago but it apparently has been deleted from the archives, so I will post it again:

"Apparently horn problems are very common on the C-4 and in particular with the 1990. There have been many posts on the subject over the years.

I will try to walk you through this, but it is being done from memory so please bear with me. What is mentioned here is mainly specific to the 1990 or later C-4. Prior to 1990 a different design was used.

I am assuming that you have checked and cleaned the electrical connections at the horns themselves and checked the fuses.

Many people have reported corrosion in the horns themselves. The cure is either replacement or squirting penetrating oil or WD-40 into the horn. I have never had to try that so I can’t vouch for its effectiveness.

The operation of the horn relay can be checked with 98% reliability by following these steps:

1. Roll down the windows.
2. Turn the ignition “Off”.
3. Exit the car.
4. Lock the doors.
5. Reach in through the window and “Unlock the Door”
6. Attempt to start the car.

If when you try to start the car and the horn goes off, the horn relay is okay. To reset the alarm and to be able to start the car, lock the door with the key and then unlock it with the key. The horn relay is a DPST relay that works either from the horn buttons or the security system.

There are several problems I have found that seem to come up with the horn buttons,

1. The Buttons themselves are made of a plastic that seems to deteriorate over time. This plus the normal (and abnormal) pressing on the buttons causes a little "nipple" inside of them to break. This nipple's purpose is to press down on the brass contacts underneath it and complete the circuit. No nipple = no contact = no horn.
2. There is a wire (one only) that goes between the brass contacts and the hub of the steering wheel. At the end of this wire is attached a plastic spring loaded male bayonet fitting that is inserted into a female socket in the steering wheel hub and twisted into place to hold it. This plastic bayonet fitting and/or its socket will also give up after time and separate causing an intermittent contact or no contact.

Solutions:

1. The horn buttons are available from GM for about $6.95 each. PN
12506007 and 12500608. There are two ways to remove them from the steering wheel.

A. Using a dull thin blade slide it along the hub side of the button feeling carefully for the catch that latches the button to the wheel. There are two on each side-total four, you only have to find and release two on one side of the button.

The top one is about 1/2-3/4' down from the top of the button and the bottom one is about 1/2-3/4" up from the bottom of the button. When you locate each catch, push in (toward the center of the button) gently on it while lifting the button. You have to do this twice-top and bottom on one side. The button should then pop off.
I have mine discretely marked so the catches are easy to find. You may want to do this to them after they are off.

B. The second way means removing the airbag. Disconnect the battery. Pull the fuse controlling the airbag. At the rear of the steering wheel spokes are imbeded two torx screws (size T-27 ). Unscrew these two screws and then GENTLY lift off the airbag. I advise being off to one side of the steering wheel while doing this as an improperly handled airbag can be dangerous. (These things are shipped all over the country without problem but I would rather be cautious). BE SURE THERE IS NO ELECTRICAL POWER AVAILABLE!!!!
After the airbag is removed, the buttons, contacts and wires are easily accessible.

2. If the wire/bayonet socket is defective the solution is a little more involved. The airbag must be removed as above to get to the wire.

To the best of my knowledge replacement sockets are not available and the GM solution is to replace the steering wheel hub assembly. VERY EXPENSIVE and a lot of labor.

But there is hope. Using a piece of stiff plastic (1/16" Plexiglas sheet works fine or cut up an old AOL CD) cut it into a U shaped piece that fits flat into the hub around the hub retaining bolt and with a very narrow slot that the horn wire was fed (but not wide enough slot to allow the bayonet socket to come through) over the socket. This piece will hold the bayonet socket in place. The plastic piece is held in place by a very short bolt (1/2") that is screwed into one of the bolt holes that are used for a steering wheel puller. DO NOT use a long bolt as it may hit the internals underneath the hub causing short or other problems.

I hope the description makes sense. A picture (if I had one) would make it very clear.

It seems that many people have problems with the horns on their C-4. I hope this helps resolve some of the problems.


References:

General Motors Corporation Parts and Illustration Catalog 1984-90 Chevrolet Y (Corvette)

General Motors Corporation 1990 Corvette Service Manual

Alldata Corporation 1990 Chevrolet Corvette V8-350 5.7L Service and Repair CD"

mfi

My horn did not work when I got my 92 inspected. My mechanic said it would be a real bitch to fix. About $300.00 in labor alone to rip it apart. He passed me anyway, said he thought he heard my horn honking in the distance, nice guy he is.

scott92

My 92 had non functioning right horn button, so I knew the horn and wiring were OK. Using a jewelers 1/16" wide screwdriver, I found and pressed the two clips on the top and bottom of the button, inward, (toward airbag)from the edge nearest the wheel rim. As each releases, gently pull up, until both are free, then pull the entire button back toward the outer wheel rim to free the other two. Revealed are two arched copper contacts, the top with an attached wire, that sit on a brass bar. When the button is pressed, the two plastic posts under the button push the copper contacts flat, making the connection with the contact in the brass plate underneath. This finally explained why there is no replacement switch per-se available like for 93-96. Examining the underside of the button, my posts were extremely deformed, (bent and curved) which I corrected with warmed needlenose pliers. My copper contacts were also flat from hard pressing, and again, I gently restored the curve of each and returned them to their indented recesses. Slowly inserting the horn button clips on the airbag side, and pressing down, the clips on the side near the wheel clicked into place. The spring action of the copper contacts now keeps the button raised, and operation is restored. A very poor and fragile design IMV. Just mirror this process for the left button, it seems the right side fails first, as most drivers are right handed? Another post mentioned springs, but I did not find evidence of any, and the copper contacts seem to flex and return, springlike on their own, but I could be wrong here. I'll attach images of the right side contacts and the posts on the button underside.