No Horn

[DaRockwilder]

The horn on my 2003 Alero doesn't work. The relay is fine. I wasn't able to jumper the horns yet to make sure they actually work, as I can't get my passenger side headlight out (um, someone glued it in). Also I couldn't get the connectors out of the horns themselves.

My hazard switch also needs to be replaced. Is this related? Sometimes my blinkers don't work and I have to just wiggle the hazard button. lol.

Thanks for anything!

[Gr1m]

i have the same problem with my blinkers, i have no idea if that would be related to your horn not working though :-\

[sound_xtreme]

the hazard button is a recall

[DaRockwilder]

For a 2003 though? I also bought the car used. If the recall hasn't been performed, can I still get it done for free?

[sound_xtreme]

yup, it's a recall. So yes, it's free.

[mrmike]

if you take the front passenger fender liner/air dam off, it gives you much better access to the horns.

[DaRockwilder]

The only recall I can find for an '03 Alero on the web is for a sticky accellerator pedal.

[DaRockwilder]

Okay! I was back at this today, and I gained access to the horns, since I replaced the shitty headlight I had.

I could not get the horns to blast by jumping them. I didn't try at the connector on the horns though. I took that connector off and tried jumping the pins, with no luck. I grounded the bracket out and applied power to one side at a time and got nothing. I also grounded out one side of the horn and applied power to the other side. Nothing. Switched them around, still nothing.

Maybe I'm just not jumping it right.

I couldn't get power at the connector with a test light. What I was doing was hitting the panic button on my remote, and the horn is supposed to work then on its own. No power in the green wire in the connector.

The relay appears to be fine. I swapped it with different ones in the box and the other things (I think i used the one that flashed the headlights with the panic on) still work. I took the airbag out and everything looked okay in there. There is a connection deep in the steering wheel though. Is that the switch, or is the switch in the airbag module?

I also tried getting power at the relay with the panic on. I put the relay in part way so that it would make contact (couldn't get the voltmeter down in there) and I could only get .5 volts at three of the connections, and nothing at the other. With the panic on I did the same thing with the one that flashes the headlights and I got 12 volts whenever the lights came on at the same spot where the was no power on the horn relay. So I'm thinking I'm not getting power TO the relay?

Anyway, anything you guys can offer will help!
Thanks!

[DaRockwilder]

I've also been reading through some posts when I did a search, and some people talk about a horn fuse. I can't find a fuse for my horn, only a relay. Is there a fuse for it somewhere I'm unaware of?

Thanks again!

[doubleN0alero]

now this is something i'm not sure of, but do we have a clock spring? had a buddy of mine lose his horn in his caravan...he thought it was the horn and bought a new one...i jumped it to find that the clock spring is what was the problem. it was an easy fix, just don't know if our cars are the same and have the same deal in there...if we do, its an easy fix...

[DaRockwilder]

My haynes manual mentions one for the airbag....

[doubleN0alero]

Well if you can jump the horn through the relay, then good chance its either that or the switch. IF it runs the same as the van I worked on, the horn also goes through the clock spring.

[DaRockwilder]

I didn't try jumping it at the relay. I should try that! Anyone know where the power is supposed to go out to the horns from the relay?

[doubleN0alero]

do you know how to jump it?

[DaRockwilder]

well, no. I would probably use a clamp and some wire and attach to the posetive on the battery. Then I'd just probe the terminal TO the horns where the relay is supposed to be.

Is there a better way?

[doubleN0alero]

once you pull the relay out there should be the holes where the top and bottom prongs go. Those are the 2 that you want to connect. YOu can just use a piece of speaker wire to put in the one hole and stick it in the other hole....it SHOULD make the horn blow. Its dark now or i'd go out and get you an exact of what the holes look like.

[DaRockwilder]

There's four prongs on mine. Two at the top and two on the bottom. My car is an '03 if its any help.

[doubleN0alero]

okay, let me first say that i hate you because i had to take my strut bar off and got my hands covered in rust-proofing to try this out, but its the top left and the bottom left. you're also going to need something a little thicker than speaker wire...I was able to get some noise out of the horn with speaker wire, but nothing drastic til i switched to a bigger wire.

[DaRockwilder]

Well thanks a PILE for doing that! But when you say top and bottom, are you referring to the top as the windsheild and the bottom as the bumper?

Thanks!!!!

[doubleN0alero]

yes and the left side as being the passenger side

[DaRockwilder]

Okay!! I'll give that a shot!

[DaRockwilder]

I got nothing. :(

Normally I would suspect its the horns, but I can't get power at the connector for them either.

Maybe later, or tomorrow, I'll test each side where I jumpered for power. If I've got nothing, the problem must be further up the line, like in the steering column.

The horn should still work with the airbag module out, right? Say for example if just the switches in the airbag module were bad, I could still jumper the horns, or have my horn chirp when I unlock the doors, etc, right?