Ford car specialists...or mechanic question please??

aingeal_croi

Hi there

I have checked the fuses and found them to be fine...currently the horn in my FORD ESCORT Ghia is not working, what are the possible causes of this are there things i can check first before I get the specialists involved?.. Worst case scenario are there any ford specialist mechanics around the Naas or South Dublin area?...TIA

Dirty_Diesel

There could be a number of reasons why it's not working;
- Fuse. Have you checked both fuse boxes, glovebox and under bonnet?
- Horn itself. Can you get access to a test lamp or multimeter to check voltage at the horn?
- Clock spring (behind steering wheel) generally only go when removing the steering rack and the wheel isn't locked in position
- Dodgy wiring, again a test lamp or dmm could test for this.

Either way, you dont need a specialist ford mechanic to fix it

Darragh29

aingeal_croi wrote: »

Hi there

I have checked the fuses and found them to be fine...currently the horn in my FORD ESCORT Ghia is not working, what are the possible causes of this are there things i can check first before I get the specialists involved?.. Worst case scenario are there any ford specialist mechanics around the Naas or South Dublin area?...TIA

You'll need to disconnect the electricial connector from the horn assembly itself and check for 12VDC supply when the horn is operated from the switch. While your there, run a 12VDC supply to the horn and see if it is working independently of the circuit on the vehicle. You don't need a Ford specialist for this, a 1st year apprentice could sort this out for you... It's probably the horn itself, not expensive to replace...

aingeal_croi

thanks guys i am a little nervous messin about as the airbag is there, I will check the fuses under the bonnet! can you tell me which one would I be looking for?

Darragh29

aingeal_croi wrote: »

thanks guys i am a little nervous messin about as the airbag is there, I will check the fuses under the bonnet! can you tell me which one would I be looking for?

Well you're not going to be doing near the airbag, so don't worry about that. I wouldn't even bother rooting and rumaging around for fuses. Just disconnect the supply to the horn and check for 12VDC. You'd do this in the space of time you'd be chasing fuses. If you have 12VDC, (don't forget to get someone to actually operate the horn while you're checking for your volts!!!), your horn is fu*ked. If you don't have 12VDC, you either have a fuse or a wiring problem.

Usually when this happens, if the fuse is grand, the horn is the problem. That's my experience anyway...

aingeal_croi

So I need a multimeter, then where do I disconnect the supply to the horn? Is that in behind the steering wheel where you release the bonnet? how will I recognise this?? Awww may just be safer to get someone to look at it!

Darragh29

aingeal_croi wrote: »

So I need a multimeter, then where do I disconnect the supply to the horn? Is that in behind the steering wheel where you release the bonnet? how will I recognise this?? Awww may just be safer to get someone to look at it!

The horn is usually down somewhere inside the front bumper. To be honest, it's grand if you know what you're looking for. For the task involved, you'd be as well to just throw someone a few quid and get them to tell you whether it's the horn or the circuit operating the horn. It's a handy enough task once you have the tools and know what you're looking for...

aingeal_croi

Yeah its just who to trust down here in Naas?????

Darragh29

Well trust doesn't really come into it I think! It's a car horn problem, any mechanic or garage can diagnose this for you without too much trouble...

macroman

Replace the horn, I've had to replace the one on my 04 Focus twice for no apparent reason. Bought an air horn this time

You could also try the connectors, sometimes they corrode and all it takes is to clean them up to solve the problem.