M-813 horn won't work

[my blood flows OD]

The horn in my m-813 does nothing when I push the button. I'm not sure where to start on the trouble shooting. I've only owned the truck a few months and the horn didn't work when I bought it but it would be nice to fix it.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Since no one else has yet chimed in..... Have you checked the troubleshooting procedures in the TM???

If not, please do so.

If still no "honky", then come back with specifics.

NOTE: TM's can be found in the 5-Ton and Up Forum top page.

 

[my blood flows OD]

Ok sir, I'm headed there now.
thank you

 

[my blood flows OD]

Oh boy, I took a quick look thru the TM's and didn't find an answer. Instead I found more questions.
I put a bed from a 900 seires truck (oops sorry a 939 truck) "there's on such thing as a 900 series".
anyway back to my question.
The new bed has side marker lights.
how do I tie them in? I've see some T-connector for the water tight connectors elsewhere on the harness. These might work at the taillights. (Sorry I know there is a name for these connector. perfect opportunity for someone to get post# 25427 by beating a newby for not using the right term.
so back to the question at hand does anyone know where I can get said T-connector? And what is the best way to tie in the side marker lights at the front of the bed?

Thist pic was what got me thinking of it cause I don't see anything tying in the side marker lights. I assume( ahhh not that word) that the 809 series trucks don't have side marker lights?

 

[mdemars03]

To start with as USAFSS stated, the TM's are extremely important and helpful with troubleshooting and fixing most any issue you may come across. If you read and follow the operations manual and follow all the PM's the truck will last you forever. That being said I know sometimes the TM's are confusing and difficult to find information in.

To help with your first question on the horn:
Use a meter and check your voltage at the solenoid. There are two wires going to the solenoid. One should have your 24 volts to it and the other is your ground when you press the horn button. Make sure your wiring is good. If you have a good ground when pressing the horn button and you have the 24 volts going to the solenoid then with the truck not running but the ignition switch on press the horn button. If you hear a clunk sound then the solenoid is working. If no clunk then the solenoid might be bad. You can try cleaning the solenoid and see if the helps or may have to replace. If you don't have the 24 volts at the solenoid or you don't have a good ground when pressing the horn button then you will have to start chasing wires and look for broken or bare wires that could be causing problems. Also loose connections on these trucks is a constant problem I have encountered and can have you chasing your tail. If it turns out that all the electrical is working then disconnect the air line at the solenoid and start the truck to see if you are getting air to the solenoid. If no air then you will need to troubleshoot the air system.

For your second question about the marker lights:
The type of connector you are talking about is called a Rubber Shell Connector or Packard Connector. They are listed with both names on Erik's Military Surplus website. I'm sure you can find the splitter that you want but the cheapest option would probably be to buy the packard connectors and make your own splitters. This way you can decide how long of a wire you need and want. All you would need is the correct gauge of wire, packard connectors, and heat shrink or electrical tape. You can custom make your splitters and it will still look original. I have done this on several of the LED's that I have on my truck and it works just fine.

As far as where to wire the marker lights to it is really up to you. Some people have them wired directly to the battery switch so as soon as you turn on the battery switch your marker lights come on. The problem with this is if you forget to turn off your batteries you drain them faster (relatively speaking depending on how many lights, type of bulb, etc. causing the power draw). You can also wire them into the tail lights so that when your tail lights are on the marker lights are on. Just make sure it is wired to the tail lights and not the turn signals so that they don't flash when you hit your turn signals (unless of course that is what you want). You could also wire them to the headlights or put in a separate switch for them all together so you can turn them on and off as you want. Really the possibilities are endless as to how to wire up accessories.

Hope this helps.

 

[my blood flows OD]

Thank you mdemars03,
I think I will choose to wire thief to the tail lights.

 

[swbradley1]

I may be a little slow this morning but what truck are we talking about for the horn? M813 or a M939?

Or are there two questions?

 

[mdemars03]

The truck with the horn issues is the 813. He has a 939 bed on the 813 which is why the 939 series trucks were mentioned with the marker lights on the bed.

 

[my blood flows OD]

That is correct. My m-813 has a 939 bed and the horn doesn't work.

 

[MyothersanM1]

Install one of these! Problem solved

 

[my blood flows OD]

I would love to but the prices on train horns are out of my range. Horn blasters makes there Katrina 5, it's a Nathan's 5 chime nock off I believe. It looks good for the price but I don't know if it's junk.