First Generation Firebird
Posted By: 400bird Horn Relay Wiring - 09/28/14 03:52 AM
My old horn relay has a wire coming off of one of the screw terminals that has a connection on the other end made for a stud. If you are looking at the relay it is attached to the screw terminal on the left along with a red wire to the same terminal. It appears to be a factory wire but it is not taped in with the rest. Where does it go? Junction block?
Posted By: Bluebird428 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 09/28/14 04:21 PM
This help?

Attached picture 68_horn_relay.jpg
Posted By: Bluebird428 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 09/28/14 04:26 PM
Or this?

Attached File
Posted By: 400bird Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 09/30/14 03:55 AM
My wire is attached with the red wire in your picture. I have 3 large gauge wires instead of 2. How do I attach a photo?
Posted By: Bluebird428 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 09/30/14 03:23 PM
Click the "switch to full reply screen" box below the quick reply box.
Click the blue "file manager".
Click "browse" to access pics.
Pick a photo then click "add file".
Click "done adding files"
Submit your reply.

Could be that wire was added by a previous owner. Maybe the wire from the soldered splice to the junction block needed to be replaced or he/she added it to run an accessory? Where ever it ends up going you should have circuit protection in the form of a fusible link or a breaker just in case. The wire on the left screw in the photo should be the one from the soldered splice. The soldered splice has a wire from the alternator, to the 3 terminal of the voltage regulator, to the horn relay, and to the battery via the junction block on the rad support and the fusable link. The wire off the right screw goes to the firewall bulkhead connector and powers up the rest of the car. Depending on the year of your car. That should be true for all but ?
Posted By: 400bird Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 10/01/14 03:50 AM
This is definitely a factory wire. The terminal end on the wire is the same as the other factory wire. Also, my car is a 68 convertible. Where is the blue "file manager" to add photos?
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 10/01/14 04:42 AM
400Bird, check out the diagram 15-50 in the '68 Pontiac Service Manual. The convert power top is powered from a wire at the horn relay (probably to tie into the high current +12v source terminated there) to a separate breaker on firewall.

See: http://www.thefirstgensite.com/library/68sm/chaselec/chaselec.html




Attached picture HornRelay.jpg
Attached picture BreakerConvertTop.jpg
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 06/28/20 10:33 PM
Hi my friends,

after almost 27 years with my Firebird the horn stopped to work. And ... as I later noticed ... the buzzer as well. So I started to look for the relay. I thought, it's on the the firewall on the driver's side. But I did not find anything. I looked under the dash and almost everywhere.

It must be somewhere, because I've heard it for years. Is there a defined location? Or does anybody have an idea, how to locate it, if anybody has moved out somewhere else?

I want to drive to Italy and you definitely need a horn there! 😉

Thanks for your help
Markus
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 06/28/20 11:14 PM
Look on the radiator support, left (driver's side), between the washer bottle and radiator, under the voltage regulator.





Attached picture VoltReg.jpg
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 06/28/20 11:35 PM
Hi Jim,

thank you for your answer. I had removed the regulator today, but did not see the relay. I will look again. But is the buzzer not too far away to be heard in the car, when it is almost at the front of the car? To me it felt more like it is underneath the dashboard
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 06/29/20 12:01 AM
That key in the ignition buzzer in the horn relay is easy to hear in the car from that location. That's the purpose of it; to warn you that you left the key in ignition when you open the door.

So you don't have that relay with all the wires entering it in my photo?

If it has somehow been moved, maybe you can trace the horn wire back to it. See: http://www.thefirstgensite.com/library/electrical/68wir/68wir1.html
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 06/29/20 06:06 AM
Hi Jim,

no, it seems to be missing in that spot. But I'll try to follow the wires from the horn or otherwise from the alternator. The red cable should show me the way as well.

Thank you! 😃

Lemmi
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/01/20 12:29 PM
I took a look again at the area at the regulator. Nothing like that relay! Not even a cable going there, which I could follow.

I tried to look underneath the dash, but saw nothing as well. The buzzing sound seemed to come from there anyway.

Because it is very hard to see something there, I would like to remove the dashpanel there. I tried, but could only move it forward for about 2 Inches. Of course I had removed the covers of the steering column.
Posted By: Bluebird428 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/01/20 01:41 PM
Seems to me the way to find it would be start at the horn(s) and follow the wires back to the relay. It may have been moved under the fender or on the firewall?
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/01/20 02:20 PM
Has your '68 been left relatively factory original or has it seen a lot of modifications?

Have you ever heard the horn work?

Have you tested the horn(s) to see if it/they work?

When that buzzer worked, what did you do to get it to buzz?

If, the buzzer was the key in ignition with the door open, wiggle the ignition key a bit to see if you can get it to work. A worn ignition switch and key can cause poor continuity and make the buzzer fail. (I know because I am glad mine has worn so that obnoxious buzzer stops when I wiggle the key.) If you can get it to buzz, maybe it will locate the relay. Who knows, a PO may have even separated the horn and key buzzer functions into separate circuits so the buzzer might be under the dash and horn relay elsewhere.

And, as we mentioned, trace the wiring. The wire from the horn(s) and the wires to the fuse box are the important ones to trace. If the relay was relocated, the red +12v could come from numerous connections.

Do you have any photos of your engine compartment from various perspectives?


Posted By: Ronnie S Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/02/20 05:43 AM
In 1969, the horn relay/buzzer was located on the fire wall, near the brake booster. I know it's a long shot, but I was thinking that maybe they changed the position of the relay on late 1968 cars? This picture shows a 1969 Firebird. The relay is marked with a red "circle".

Attached picture Relay.JPG
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/02/20 08:37 AM
The amazing thing is, that I believe, that I have it seen in former days. But if you see anything everyday and it gets very common to you, then it's hard to describe, when it's gone. What colour of hair does your wife have? ;-)

My car is left as far as possible to factory conditions. But I have swapt the 350 engine to a 400 recently, but I did not do this myself.

And yes, the horn and the buzzer worked for years. I can't remember, when it stopped working, because I do not use both items all the time. And no, I did not test the horns (2) directly. Can I just take some wire from the battery to the horns?

The buzzer worked, when I had put the ignition in "accessory mode" (turn the key to the last position counterclockwise) and something was still on - maybe the light. But I do not remember this exactly.

I never thought of a worn ignition switch. I will wiggle and test, if that will change something. But will the buzzer also have influence on the horns? And I doubt, anything with the key will make it buzz, because this did not happen for a long time and it would have buzzed some day by accident.

The wires are all wrapped, so I will have to open the wrapping to follow the red wire. I will make some pictures of the compartment tonight.

I have seen some pictures with various locations of the relay. Some on the front wall next to the radiator, some at the firewall close to the brake … distributor(?). There ist nothing at the regulator and nothing at the brake distributor. The only thing I can see there, is some big connector going through the firewall. Are the horn wires going through this connector, too? I could unplug this and check the wire with a gauge from the horns to this Point. If there is a direct connection, there should not be a relay in between, or?

Thank you
Markus
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 07/02/20 03:59 PM
Yes, +12v from the battery to the horns should test them.

First trace the horn black wire back to the relay rather than the red wire.

The buzzer is activated by the key in the ignition and the door open and the buzzer circuit is separate from the horns circuit. I only mentioned wiggling the key with the door open because it is a very easy test and it is "semi-broken" in my '68.

I checked various '68 documentation that I have and other Firebird and Camaro forums and find no other standard horn relay '68 mounting locations other than on the radiator support under the regulator.

Is your '68 the convert in your Photobucket? Beautiful car! Coincidentally, we passed a '67/'68 white convert while vacationing in Germany in 1998. Going in the opposite direction on a divided highway, I didn't get a good look at it. I was just surprised to see a 1st Gen there and remembered it.
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 02/27/21 08:17 PM
Hi Jim,

I am still working on it and still have not found the relay. It ist definitely not where it is supposed to be. Next week we will take care of it in a garage and go piece by piece. I still do not think, it was at the radiator, because it always sounded way closer in it's "good days". I will have to remove the instrument cluster anyway, because something came loose in there and some bulbs are not working anymore. Maybe, it's hidden there?

There are some FirstGen Firebirds in Germany, but most are Coupes. Some are in a great condition . I prefer to keep my car in a "used", but original condition. It may tell the story to the people, that it had a long and interesting life. ;-)

I will tell you, when I've found the relay and hopefiully the problem as well. I need the working horns for the statutory technical revision called TUV.

Lemmi
Posted By: Lemmi Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 03/13/21 12:03 AM
Mystery and problem solved!

Somebody must have removed the relay during the engine swap and has forgotten to put it back in. I was thinking of this before, but then there should have been at least some leftover wires hanging around. But there were non.

After reading the wiring diagram, opening all of the wire harnesses and found a lot of non-original wires with non-original colors, I measured all the wires from end to end. And it turned out, that those wires for the relay were attached to the alternator and the voltage regulator. 😒 No wonder I did not find any of those wires for the relay. Amazing that the car worked and did not stop or go up in flames.

I rewired everything and tried to go back to the original wire-colors. And ... my horn is back! The buzzer still does not work, but I am not sure, if that is a good or a bad point.
.
Thank you for your help

A very happy Lemmi

Attached picture Regler + Huprelais -s.jpg
Attached picture Neue Verkabelung -s.jpg
Attached picture PC-_001C-s.jpg
Posted By: Jimc2002 Re: Horn Relay Wiring - 03/13/21 01:59 AM
Good news. Mystery solved.
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