It's been a while since I've posted here, but I'm sure the advice is as good as when I used to check in more often. I've been trying to locate the cause of my battery draining. I'll drive the car one day and by the next morning the battery is completely dead. I just replaced my horn relay, and discovered that when I hooked the battery back up, the new horn relay makes a clicking sound as soon as it's energized. One of the wire terminals on the relay had been hot enough to melt the plastic around it as well. There's still a spark at the battery terminal when the battery cable makes contact, so I know the problem isn't fixed. I was just wondering if anyone had an idea where to look next, given this info. Do you think there could be a short in the horn wiring in the column? Oh yeah. The car is a 67 vert, automatic, originally 326 but now it has a 400.
Most wiring problems are ground issues. Check and clean all grounds under hood. A number of grounds are located on front wiring harnes. Bat neg to RH fender, ground strap from engine to frame, Horn relay has a ground.
Did you rebiud your altinator yet?
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Thanks for the replies. I'll look into the grounds. The alternator is less than a year old, and externally regulated. Other than being screwed to the radiator support, is the horn relay grounded?
Does the horn work when you push the horn button? Could be the horn button terminal at the turn signal connector is causing the relay to stay on but the horns should sound if that is happening. Did you have the doors open when you connected the battery? The courtesy lights being on may have caused the spark at the battery, but if the relay clicks as soon as it is connected it sounds like the horn relay is energizing. Don't know if the 67 has the buzzer in the horn relay like the 68, it buzzes when the doors are open and the key is on.
The symptoms would indicate two issues. The relay would click and energize when the horn button is depressed. But, when the relay energizes, the horn (or horns) should sound. If it stayed energized, it would heat up and draw current. Strange but both the horn (horns) would need to be bad and there is a short in the horn buttons or wires leading to the relay. If just the buttons are shorted, the horn should sound constantly. If just the horn is defective, the relay would not click unless the buttons were pushed.
Or a third possibility; could the three wires to the relay on the wrong terminal? If the horn button and horn connection were switched the relay would be activated all the time but at a reduced current from the resistance of the both the relay coil AND the horn coil. Thus, the relay would be on all the time, the horn would not have sufficient voltage to sound, the relay would heat up, and the battery drain. It is a quick thing to check anyway. see: http://www.thefirstgensite.com/library/electrical/67wir/67wir2.html