Horn Stopped Working / Relay Question

[NDL]

Hello Y'all:

Let me start out by saying that I have a 2001 Ranger XL, and all of the accessories (and horn) were working before I touched the truck today:

A month ago, the bearing on my steering column went out, so the shop replaced my steering column.

The thing is, the ignition chime would go on, even if the key wasn't in the ignition. So today, I pulled the plastic steering column shroud off, and it revealed that four wires were hanging (these wires look like they would've gone to the clock spring, but I concluded that they didn't, because my horn was working perfectly, and the wires were left hanging/dangling loose - not plugged into anything).

Turns out that the wire that goes to the ignition switch was making contact by grounding itself against steering column, thus making the ignition chime ring. I took care of that.

Left were a few wires, whose insulation was stripped off the ends. These wires were left dangling; connected to nothing. When I put my dykes against one of the wires, the horn sounded. I wound up clipping this wire while it was hot. Now the [censored] horn wound sound when I hit the steering wheel.

I reached under the dash for the horn relay; grabbing around, I pushed on the tops of the relays, but I felt nothing. The fuses in the fuse box are okay.

Is it the horn relay? If so, how do I reset the [censored] thing? I know nothing about relays.

Thanks in advance

 

[drive4show]

Can't help you.... but your topic reminds me of a bumper sticker: "Horn not working.... check for finger"

 

[Dinoburner]

Take the truck back to the shop and have them repair the cluster of problems that they created. If it`s beyond them then a wiring diagram will be needed to sort this all out. Since the horn works the relay is ok IMHO.

 

[KneeGrinder]

I never worked on Fords except my own, but if they replace the clock spring with a broken one, or one from a truck that had an "SRS" air bag that had been deployed, that breaks the connection to the horn.

Is your SRS system on the steering column all in working order? Does the SRS light go out after you turn the ignition on?

Edit, reread your post, relays do not reset. they get feed a negative or a positive to activate them, or to open the circuit.

 

[NDL]

Originally Posted by drive4show
Can't help you.... but your topic reminds me of a bumper sticker: "Horn not working.... check for finger"

That gave me a chuckle!

Originally Posted by Dinoburner
Take the truck back to the shop and have them repair the cluster of problems that they created. If it`s beyond them then a wiring diagram will be needed to sort this all out. Since the horn works the relay is ok IMHO.


Thanks for replying. The horn worked perfectly, until I cut the wire that was left dangling. Now the horn doesn't work.

Originally Posted by KneeGrinder
I never worked on Fords except my own, but if they replace the clock spring with a broken one, or one from a truck that had an "SRS" air bag that had been deployed, that breaks the connection to the horn.

Is your SRS system on the steering column all in working order? Does the SRS light go out after you turn the ignition on?


Appreciate the reply; the SRS system is working fine, and the shop used the clock spring that came with the replacement column

Here's what I think:

I don't know what the loose wires were, but they didn't go straight to the clock spring - since the horn worked fine prior to me cutting the wire.

There was current running into the dangling wire, because when my dykes hit the wire, the horn honked. When I cut the live wire, maybe I blew a fuse - but an intense search shows that there are no "horn" fuses, although there is a horn relay. But I don't know anything about relays; how they can be reset, etc

The relay is tucked up under the dash, in a location that's inconvenient to reach, and hard to see. If I pull the battery cables and leave them off for a time, will that reset the relays?

 

[NDL]

Here's what it looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z2qhIgIF6g

Note: the harness that goes into the clockspring; on my truck, a few wires go into the clockspring, while three wires were left dangling. On the three dangling wires, the insulation was stripped on the end of each wire. All I did (and my action caused the horn to go out): was to nip the end of each wire

 

[Nukeman7]

Check Fuse #35 in the fuse box that is on the left side end of the dashboard when you open the driver's door.

Ranger Fusebox

If it is good, you can check the horn relay which is in the fuse/relay box under the hood near the battery. The horn relay is not under the dashboard in the '01 Ranger. There should be four identical relays in the underhood fusebox. You can just swap the horn relay with an adjacent relay to test it. However, I am willing to bet you blew a fuse, not the relay.

 

[NDL]

Originally Posted by Nukeman7
Check Fuse #35 in the fuse box that is on the left side end of the dashboard when you open the driver's door.

Ranger Fusebox

If it is good, you can check the horn relay which is in the fuse/relay box under the hood near the battery. The horn relay is not under the dashboard in the '01 Ranger. There should be four identical relays in the underhood fusebox. You can just swap the horn relay with an adjacent relay to test it. However, I am willing to bet you blew a fuse, not the relay.


Many thanks for the reply. Fuse #35 looked okay (which surprised me as well).

I say this not to argue the point, but there is an auxiliary relay box under the dash, near the top of the accelerator pedal. It might well be that I was given poor info, and that the horn relay is under the hood (which is the logical place to put the relay).

If I find that the horn relay is out of order, is there no way to reset it? Do I have to buy a new relay altogether?

Again, thanks in advance for your time

***
(EDIT: the link that you enclosed does not indicate that the horn relay is under hood. When I open the box tomorrow, should I see something labeled "HORN," or something to that effect?)

 

[KneeGrinder]

If it is the relay, yes you must buy a new relay, they can't be reset.

I would check all fuses in all fuse boxes with fuses in place with a test light or a volt meter, just touch each side of fuse where it is exposed on top of fuse, that will tell you it is making a thru connection. Always check fuses in the fuse box with fuse box energized, always check both sides of each fuse.

 

[NDL]

Originally Posted by KneeGrinder
If it is the relay, yes you must buy a new relay, they can't be reset.

I would check all fuses in all fuse boxes with fuses in place with a test light or a volt meter, just touch each side of fuse where it is exposed on top of fuse, that will tell you it is making a thru connection. Always check fuses in the fuse box with fuse box energized, always check both sides of each fuse.


Appreciate the reply, and for clarifying my question about relays. I will go over the fuses again to be sure.

Thanks

 

[Nukeman7]

NDL...you were right about the location of the relay. It is not under the hood but in the auxiliary fuse box above the gas pedal.

Horn relay fusebox

 

[NDL]

Originally Posted by Nukeman7
NDL...you were right about the location of the relay. It is not under the hood but in the auxiliary fuse box above the gas pedal.

Horn relay fusebox


Thanks again, Nukeman, for your time and council.

 

[Dinoburner]

Usually the term relay applies to a device acts as a switch. A low voltage or low amperage circuit switching a higher value circuit. The resettable devices can be manual reset or automatic and are called circuit breakers. An example of auto resetting being the headlight circuit breaker which is sometimes called a relay. Relays will have 4 or more leads and circuit breakers 2 leads.

 

[NDL]

Originally Posted by Dinoburner
Usually the term relay applies to a device acts as a switch. A low voltage or low amperage circuit switching a higher value circuit. The resettable devices can be manual reset or automatic and are called circuit breakers. An example of auto resetting being the headlight circuit breaker which is sometimes called a relay. Relays will have 4 or more leads and circuit breakers 2 leads.


I thank you for the explanation, which is helpful for future repairs.

Turns out that the relay is good, and the fuse is good; the wires going into the clockspring are bad (detached from the clockspring).

There are several parts listed for my vehicle, and, depending on the website, there's conflicting info depending upon where I check.

It looks like the clockspring for a cruise control equipped vehicle is half the price of a clockspring not fitted with cruise control. If I get the CC clockspring, do y'all think that the harness will work with my horn? There's no reason why it won't, no?