Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

Something is haywire with my horn? I have a Deluxe Steering wheel on my ,49 convertible. I had the hub of the wheel apart and installed new rubber donut (home made) and it seemed to work fine. But now with my arm out the front window and I push on the horn ring it shocks me both on the arm on the door molding and my hand on the horn ring. DC voltage
shouldn't shocks, right or not. Anyone have any ideas? I do remember getting a little shock before off the horn ring before but it wasn't nearly this hot!!! I can't remember what I did to correct it...........:confused:

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

the shock your getting is probably coming from the horn relay check to make sure the relay has a good clean ground

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

The horn button ground "path" is not clean. Your body is completing the ground circuit.
Maybe add a ground wire from the column to the frame.
Also clean the steering wheel under the horn button.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

Ha....Now that you HAVE BEEN shocked by DC voltage, you should realize that the guy that told you that was kind'a "full of it"! The fact is that AC and DC can both get ya! But it's the amperage (current) that you've gotta be careful of....not the VOLTAGE. That door knob shock in the winter time can easily be anywhere between 10K volts and 35K volts. Current is what kills, and it has to travel through your heart/bloodstream to ruin your day. DD

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

Ha , our 49 coupe did the same thing , unpleasant surprise from time to time. Fixed the issue by fitting a crestliner anniversary wheel.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

Got the car out of storage building the next AM and no probems at all! Shocking was over and went for a "Drove Your V-8" cruise. There is a flat steel strap ground
attached to the fire wall to the bolt in the intake manaford.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

A transorb or varistor can be attached across the horn relay control terminals to prevent transient voltages but it may be the back flow from the horn vibrator coils causing a higher return voltage. It could be much more than 6-volts. In this case a capacitor should be installed in the horn vibrator circuit. Ford did this in the 30s but quit using them after the horn relay became the normal way to control the circuit.

The horn has about the highest current draw with exception to the starter so it can put out a pretty good transient voltage into the car frame & body. That an a sweaty arm on the window sill will get your attention pretty quick.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

if anyone is still not convince DC voltage can shock you, try my 9V battery testing method. I put the two terminals of a standard 9V battery on my tongue for just a split second. If it is weak, a slight tingle. If strong it is a jolt.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

The back flow from an operation vibrator coil could be a lot higher than 6-volts. The back flow from an ignition coil can reach well over 100 volts and that's why they have to have a condenser to catch all that voltage and allow for efficient induction on the secondary coil side. The vibrator only has one coil but it still has a back flow of energy.

Water or saliva will conduct energy flow pretty well and the sweat on a persons skin from a hot day can too. A person has to careful while arc welding on a hot day. Definitely wear the gloves.

Re: Shocked by the Horn!!!!
 

The "shock" is caused by the vibrating coil in the horn(s) or the relay coil. This is common and harmless. This was solved by the manufacturers by using a resistance wire between the horn button and ground. You can do the same thing with a low value resistor between the button wire to the horns, or relay, if you car is so equipped. If the resistor is too high in value, and interferes with the horn, just use one with a lower value of resistance