Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Air horn help!!

OK so yesterday at Tech Day 2, I worked on everyone else's bike but mine... So today I go to rock the Stebel. I spend all kinds of time making a mounting bracket, etc. Finally, I get it ready and it doesn't work. Just a loud BUZZZ. So I swap the wires, thinking I had them on wrong even tho I checked, and still buzzzz. So THEN I figured maybe, when I separated the horn from the compressor, I ruined the air connection, so I took it apart again and connected the halves with tubing, still just a buzz. So I don't know... I know all 3 went in just fine yesterday, leave it to me when nobody is around to have a problem!

Any ideas? I am thinking of returning it, but I want to make sure I am not missing something. Maybe my existing relay isn't strong enough?

That could be. hook it up to the battery directly and check it. Check the ground too.

Well the compressor definitely spins. I had it dangling by the wires on one test and it twisted itself loose just from the torque. I'll try the battery thing tomorrow, but keep the suggestions coming!

my ground was bad and I actually had to scrape the paint away for a good connection

Ground on what, the paint or the battery? It's definitely getting juice cause it vibrates like a mo-fo and buzzes, and the ONLY wiring I did was to snip my horn wires and put on new blade connectors. That's it. Never touched the relay, etc. And I KNOW my old horns worked cause I used them on my ride with Kim today!

It'd be easy enough to test, hook up the positive on the air compressor at the horn lead and run a direct wire to the ground terminal, then you'd know if it's the ground.

Yeah I'll do that tomorrow. Don't feel like dragging all my tools out... I NEED A GARAGE!!

That's one thought I had. I was trying to get away with not pulling the tank, but I think I will just to be sure. Can't hurt to swap the relays.

Tried running it off the battery tender leads. Just spinns and buzzes. No horn... I'm gonna call them and see about a replacement.

Just curious, did it work before you took it apart?

Good question...

I've had to work on accouple ships horns in the past (usually while stuck in the fog DownEast Maine, apparently thats where they all break).
Any way if its just a buzzing noise it sounds like the horn is not getting enough air. So if its not the tube connections (try the soapy water trick, to see if air is coming out), it could something is lodged in the horn itself. What happens if you blow on the horn part seperately? Also can you feel air coming out of the compressor? I would imagine you should feel some air movement with that compressor
Good luck

Most of those compressors have a vane type pump with 2 spring loaded carbon (graphite) bars for vanes. I have had these stick in the retracted position (they spin in an offset oval housing, big side with vanes extended for intake, small side with vanes pushed in for compressed air out) so the motor spins the compressor but it doesn't do anything. If they are sticking, you have to clean the vanes and the slot they ride in. Don't oil them or they will soon stick again.

WHAT?!? I can;t hear you!! Maybe it's cause MY HORN WORKS!!!

OK so I decided to make sure the pump was actually pumping. I hooked it up separate from the horn assembly, and hit the button. It was definitely pushing air, I did it a few times just to be sure. I'm thinking maybe if I had it hooked up backwards, something got stuck like greybeard said, and it wasn't pushing, so it needed to free itself up.

So, then I hooked it up via a hose connecting the parts and it tooted!! YIPPIE!! then I hooked it up like it is supposed to be and nothin... I figure I caused an air leak of some sort when I separated the parts.

So that pretty much made up my mind as to how I was gonna mount it... I needed to separate the halves. I then hooked it together using a long piece of tubing to make sure it would work. It did. So I set off to make myself a mounting bracket for under the seat. I added on to the brace I made for the front of the "mud flap" of the freak using some aluminum angle iron. See pics...

Then I ran the wires and the tubing up to the front where I mounted the horn part, for now. It is kinda tight up there, so I'm going to get some right angle fittings for that hose (prevents kinking) and maybe see if I can tuck the horn up behind the neck of the frame in that void. Then point the horn openings down at the oil cooler basically. See if it stiffles the soudn at all. Down the road tho... I was running out of daylight. Maybe later this week!

So I guess it is still a bit of a mystery, but it works!! And its LOUD! I do notice a millisecond delay from when the compressor starts spinning and when I actually hear the toot. Nothing to worry about tho, and not bad considering there's a good 3 feet of hose in there.

Here's the compressor. Still need to hook up an "intake" to under the tank I think. I figure it might get wet where it is...



And this is the horn. Snipped off half the bracket and drilled a small hole. I think that may crack, another reason to relocate it...

Glad to hear you got it working Ben. Nice relocation job too.

I wound up putting mine in my now empty air box, so its totally invisible. still makes itself heard tho
G

Well there you go!

I'm gonna make the horn end of things more stealthy... I just wanted it ON there so I could ride!! I also grabbed some 1/4" 90 deg barbed fittings for the hose I'm using. That will make it much easier to tuck the hose away without kinking it, and I can hide the horn better. I need to have it kinda low now so the hose can bend.