Horn repair

Here's some good repair guides for your Tercel :) Look here for help first!
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keith
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Posts: 1249
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:04 pm
Location: Tennessee

Horn repair

Post by keith »

This is how to repair the horn ring when it wears down.

Remove the cover over the horn
Remove the horn contacts
Remove the steering wheel and turn it over.
On the steering column, you can see the brush that carries the current from the steering wheel down to the wiring harness and to the horn.

Image

On the bottom of the steering wheel is the brass ring that contacts the brush. By now the brush has worn down so that it doesn't make contact with this ring any more. Remove this ring.

Image

Cut a piece of adhesive backed gasket material to fit under this ring, between the steering wheel and the ring and reinstall.

Image

You test this first before starting by unlocking the tilt wheel and move the wheel to its upmost position, the horn will work, but not in the down most position, or visa versa. Its been awhile.
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
Posts: 6369
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: Horn repair

Post by ARCHINSTL »

Bravo - Sticky City, it is bound!
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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ALiveSR5
Top Notch Member
Posts: 164
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:58 pm
My tercel:: Was a stock 1985, SR5, 4WD, 6-speed manual, Wagon.
Location: Pennsylvania USA

Re: Horn repair

Post by ALiveSR5 »

When I had to fix my Tercel's horn, I first raised the brass ring, much like you describe. However, I was concerned that the spring-loaded brush might catch on the raised ring, either causing the steering wheel to lock or bending/breaking off the brush stem.

So, I reseated the ring in its normal place then put a solder bead on the end of the worn down brush end.
No other vehicle that I have ever owned had a heart and soul like my 1985 Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon. :D
~
Great minds may think alike but it is the doers who see their visions become reality. :?
Briguy91
Newbie
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:34 pm
My tercel:: 85 Tercel

Re: Horn repair

Post by Briguy91 »

keith wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:04 pm This is how to repair the horn ring when it wears down.

Remove the cover over the horn
Remove the horn contacts
Remove the steering wheel and turn it over.
On the steering column, you can see the brush that carries the current from the steering wheel down to the wiring harness and to the horn.

Image

On the bottom of the steering wheel is the brass ring that contacts the brush. By now the brush has worn down so that it doesn't make contact with this ring any more. Remove this ring.

Image

Cut a piece of adhesive backed gasket material to fit under this ring, between the steering wheel and the ring and reinstall.

Image

You test this first before starting by unlocking the tilt wheel and move the wheel to its upmost position, the horn will work, but not in the down most position, or visa versa. Its been awhile.
I have a question I recently changed my indicator wiper blade stick would that mess up the function of my horn??
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Petros
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Posts: 11930
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Horn repair

Post by Petros »

Briguy91 wrote: Tue Oct 05, 2021 1:22 pm I have a question I recently changed my indicator wiper blade stick would that mess up the function of my horn??
I do not think so, the indicator stalk is unrelated, it has a lever that strikes a post as you turn the steering wheel to disengage the indicator when going around a corner. none of that affects the horn ring.

That is assuming you got it all back together properly. It is possible you may have disturbed a contact, the alignment, or connector on the horn assembly when you had it apart. But I have found it is rare that the horn works anymore on a 35 year old car, corrosion and wear typically makes it not work without a good overhaul like shown on this thread.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
Briguy91
Newbie
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:34 pm
My tercel:: 85 Tercel

Re: Horn repair

Post by Briguy91 »

What did you use to between the steering wheel and ring to extend it where can I find something like that
xirdneh
Highest Ranking Member
Posts: 2121
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:38 am
My tercel:: 87 tercel 4x4 wagon w/reringed engine, 83 tercel 4x4 wagon w/salvaged engine and 4.1 Diff's
Location: seabeck, washington, USA

Re: Horn repair

Post by xirdneh »

I made a brass part to slip over the brush to make it longer. Then lube with dielectric grease
Love those Tercell 4x4 wagons but they sure suffer from road noise.
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MrWrench
Top Notch Member
Posts: 252
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:10 pm
My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5. aka Spud
Location: Michigan
Contact:

Re: Horn repair

Post by MrWrench »

xirdneh wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:38 pm I made a brass part to slip over the brush to make it longer. Then lube with dielectric grease
Is this something you would sell?I would gladly purchase a few.
1984 SR5. Lifted offroader with a snorkel. Aka "Thunderbucket"
1985 SR5. Daily driver. Aka "Spud"
1986 SR5. Dakar Rally clone build.
Phatcat
Advanced Member
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2023 12:09 pm
My tercel:: 1984 Toyota Tercel 4WD
Location: Issaquah, WA

Re: Horn repair

Post by Phatcat »

On the older Toyota pickups and 4Runners we use a .22 LR casing slipped over the plunger contact and it works absolutely perfectly for those vehicles. I’ve used it on trucks from 1979-1995. Obviously, the bullet has been discharged/fired and we’re talking about the shell specifically, but it fits perfectly and majority are brass. The casing will ride on the horn plunger and wheel ring, and the butt end of the bullet is just thick enough to fill the few millimeters of wear. Just information.

My horn on my 84 T4WD works 95% of the time, but I suspect I’ll be installing a .22 LR casing at some point.
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NWMO
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Posts: 1615
Joined: Wed May 20, 2015 1:08 pm

Re: Horn repair

Post by NWMO »

Phatcat,

Fantastic! Tips like this (with our groups good nature and civility) make this site special! Thank you.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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