Horn Repair

[3rdmdqm]

Tracked the problem with my horn not shutting off to the wire shorting out inside the steering column. Pulled the assembly out of the top of the stearing wheel and the wire was terribly frayed down inside the column. When removing the wire accroding to TM, I pulled the wire and rubber plug from the bottom of the steering box under the truck and gear oil poured out of the hole. Not a lot but enough to make a puddle on the ground. Is this normal? If not, where did it come from and what's the next step? Thanks.

 

[Heavysteven]

I don't know the next step. I was wondering what that wire went to because i notice that i have a small leak around mine as well.. You probally broke the seal between the wire and the steering gear box. I would order a new one from a dealer, drain the rest of the fluid out from the bottom plug, replace the seal, and then refill the steering box.

As for the wire and horn i am clueless.

 

[3rdmdqm]

The hole through the steering column and out the bottom of the box seems to be a simple open at both ends channel pass through. There is the rubber boot that connects the wires together and then behind that was a rubber fitting that just wrapped around the wire and held the wire firmly in the hole. I'm not sure there should be any gear oil inside this channel, the rubber fitting looks like something to just hold the wire securely in place. There is a plug screw on top of the gear box which I will check for fluid and proper level, just not sure how/why there would be gear oil in the wire pass through channel.

 

[cessnatwin]

OMG my did the same thing at home depot, and I had to get out and rip it from the silenoid on the horn, pull it up and solder it, cover it from grounding out!

 

[3rdmdqm]

I may have an answer but not sure, someone suggested that when filling the steering gear box with 90W gear oil, some overflowed/spilled down into this channel and was trapped there by the rubber plug that holds the wire snug. There is a square pipe fitting fill plug on top of the gear box where you fill it. This sound plausible or could there be a crack or gasket failure in the gear box inside this channel?

 

[geezer71]

Any ideas why the horn wire gets cut a lot in my steering gear box? Should there be a protective tube inside?
Thanx

 

[goldneagle]

Any ideas why the horn wire gets cut a lot in my steering gear box? Should there be a protective tube inside?
Thanx

You can always slip a thin rubber or plastic tubing over the wire from the opening in the steering wheel. You can put some wire lube in the tube to keep it from hanging up on the wire.

 

[doghead]

Do not cross post.

 

[SCSG-G4]

If you ever happen to open a steering gear box, you would find that the tube that the wire runs in is open at the top. If someone were to 'fill' the gear box to the top where the plug is, it could easily overflow into this tube. If you only get a little out when doing an R&R on the horn wire, that is likely the culprit.

 

[Flyingvan911]

I plan to replace the wire in my column eventually for PM. I plan to run a piece of thin wre loom down the column. I don't know how much room is in there. When I do it I plan to reain the gear box lube before pulling out the stopper. After the wire and stopper are back in I will put in new gear lube.