Fri, 28 Mar 1997, Dane Berthelsen wrote:
<< It turned out, the output from the horn relay to the horn itself is only 8
volts even though the input is 12 volts. Somehow I'm loosing about 4 volts in
the relay.
Dane:
My best guess is that your horns are hosed, or you have a problem with the
wiring between the relay and the horns. I don't think you are dropping 4
volts in the relay, rather in all the connections up to the relay. If, as you
hinted, your wiring is in bad shape, corrosion in all the connectors between
the battery and the relay is responsible for the resistance which is causing
the drop. I would suggest that you try to adjust the horns (there is a screw
on them for that purpose). Horns are high current draw items anyway. Your
horns may need to be repaired or replaced. You might also very well have a
"near" short somewhere in the wiring to the horns. I say near, because it is
not a complete short to ground, (otherwise, the fuse would blow instantly),
but just enough, that when the current is added to the horn current, it
causes a fuse to blow.
To solve the problem, disconnect the wire to the horns from the relay, and
run a temporary jumper, from the relay to the horns, bypassing the harness.
If this clears up the problem then you probably have a short, if not, then
the horns are probably bad. Then, go through all the connectors, and clean
them thoroughly. If you are dropping 4 volts, they need it.
<< In order to lower the amp in the circuit I suppose I have to increase the
resistance.
Adding resistance would only further reduce the output of the horns. You need
to get to the cause of the problem.
Bottom line - your high current draw is somewhere between the relay output
and the horns, your voltage drop is somwhere between the relay and the
battery.
The problem may be somewhere else, but that is where I would start.
Dan Masters,
Alcoa, TN
|