A question for the more electrically-minded crowd....

[Marshall V. Daut]

As I have posted many times before, electrical issues are not my strong suit. 'Been my Waterloo for years working on cars. I just don't "get" how electricity works in practical applications. Do you know anyone who flunked 8th Grade Electricity Shop? Well, you do NOW!!!

Anyway, see if I am correctly envisioning this proposed solution to an electrical problem I am having with a light switch and rod. The horn checks out o.k., but will not work when the button is pressed. I checked all wiring and the inside of the switch body. Nothing wrong or out of place. The steering box had to be removed for rebuilding, so this gave me the opportunity to remove the light switch rod, disassemble the horn button and clean oxidation and rust off the contacts. The wire running through the rod housing was still connected, not broken or frayed. The tip looks undamaged, as many are. Before I reinstall the rod in the steering column and put them both back into the CLOSED car, I want to check that the button will now function properly. The horn is a little scary inside with lots of blackened wiring and armature. I don't want to hook up a test battery incorrectly and burn up what's left in the horn' s life. 'Gotta get it right the first time. So...

The light switch rod is lying on the garage floor. Do I run a wire from the battery's negative post to one horn terminal, clamp a wire from the battery's positive post to the light switch rod to provide a ground, and a wire from the tip of the light switch rod to the other horn terminal? Will pressing the horn button then close the circuit and make the horn work? If I have this all wrong, how DO I route the wires to test the horn button's functionality?

'Sorry for this basic electrical question that is probably causing the electrical gurus in the audience to roll their eyes skywards, but we can't be experts in all aspects of automotive repair. I'm living proof of that...
Marshall, the Village Idiot