308--weird horn problem.. help please..

77 GTB--

My horn has begun acting strange recently.. It now only sounds when the wheel is cranked over to either side--it won't sound when straight.

I've torn the car apart searching for the cause of my non-functioning horn; everything tested OK, so the problem had to be somewhere in the switch (horsie push-button)

I just had an idea today, and tested the horn while cranking the wheel over to both sides (while driving). Well, it sounds/honks as normal when the steering wheel is cranked over to either side...

So, what gives? Is the internal wire in the steering column messed up? Sure looks it. Has anybody had a similar problem with their 308?
If I have to pull the column I'm going to need the 4-notch steering column nut tool..... Anybody care to loan theirs to me?

Hope it's not that complicated...

Thanks in advance!
Greg in Houston

 

Greg this is not an uncommon problem. The problem I bet is in the horn ring. So you need to remove the steering wheel and then look where the wire comes off of the plastic ring . This is a comutator and has a brass ring rivited on to the plastic. This plastic ring can be pulled out of the turn signal assembly. You just need to be carefull and use a thin blade screwdriver. When you remove the ring you will see a brass tongue that most likely has worn down. This is the problem , it wears down and usually works when you turn the wheel. You need to get a small piece of brass and solder it to the old piece to extend it. When you pull it apart you will see what I mean. Also as far as getting a tool to remove the steering wheel nut all you need to do is go out and buy a 1 1/8" deep socket and grind it down to have 4 1/8" wide pins sticking up. You'll have your tool forever and it will only cost you a few bucks and a little time to gring it down. Good luck.

 

I had the identical problem. See http://www.parrotbyte.com/kbc/ferrari/308/Horn.htm.

Regards, Kerry

 

Kerry , Great write up

 

I appreciate the help, guys. This must be the solution... The search is on for the ring nut tool, UNLESS....

Can a Dremel tool grind down a socket? Cause that's the only grinder I have!

Greg

 

That is exactly what I did on my 328. If it is the same nut as a 328, use a 1 1/8th socket. If you use a Craftsman, you can take it back and get a new one when you are done!

Gene

 

I'll lend you mine. What is your address?

 

Yelcab, thank you, very kind.. Believe it or not, somebody else beat you to it!

Ferrarichat is full of very generous people! I'll owe you a favor in the future, Yelcab!

Greg in Houston

 

OK, I figured out my problem. After dis-assembling the entire steering column to get to the wiper/stalk assembly, I determined that the horn ring was not always in contact with the contact strip. As I rotated the horn ring, it would fire the horn only at the 9 and 3 o'clock position. The contact strip needed to be fractionally longer.

Kerry posted his fix in this thread; I did it a bit differently: I bought a rectangular box section strip of brass at Ace Hardware. It's about 1/4" across. I snipped off a VERY small section of this, about 1/8". I used pliers to close one end, and leave the other end open. With the wiper/horn assembly out of the car and on my workbench, I was able to position this little piece of brass on the tip of the contact strip, using tweezers, trapping it under spring pressure. This in effect added a small amount of length to the contact strip, ensuring constant contact with the brass horn ring in all positions, 360˚ around.

Lots of hassle to get to this little fix; hey, what's new in the world of Ferrari troubleshooting/repair??

Greg
77 GTB

 

You can now be certified as a Horni repair technician. Nice fix

 

--Good one...

Greg

 

Reference to my thread: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188152&highlight=steering+nut+tool

Does anyone have the socket that I could borrow?

 

I just picked up a 5" section of 1 1/4" galvanized pipe nipple at Home Dumpo and my buddy Paul (PAD) used his Dremel tool to grind down the sections to make the teeth. He drilled a hole in the other end to insert a bar or screw driver into in order to turn it. The pipe nipple cost me about $1.50. Making the tool is not a high tech endeavor. If you have a Dremel or similar tool, or a grinder, you can do it in short order, cheap.

 

You can also use a Craftsman 1 1/8th socket and cut it the same way. That way you can use a breaker bar on it.
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I've got the Dremel so I'll get the socket on the way home tonight.