Help Identify this part! Need Your expertise!

[Mark Maras]

 Kira

 You're not missing anything. That's all there is to the early horn button. The cracked plastic ring is normal. That's why it falls off when you hit a bump or in your case will fall off when you hit a bump.  Haven't tried it yet, but the crack(s) could be cleaned, epoxied and squeezed together while curing with a hose clamp. Don't see why it wouldn't work.

[Premo34]

Kira,

I'm looking for the same part. It was my post that you commented in the WTB section. It is the horn contact assembly. What I am confused about is that the picture of your steering wheel has those parts already installed. What exactly do you need? I had a beat up 280z wheel which i swapped out for the 240z wheel. The wheel didn't come with the horn contact assembly. I was just recently able to find one source other than the ebay posting mentioned above. It was selling for $80. S

If you need the assembly from a 77/78 280z i have what you need. 

[nix240z]

sold out right now but I will be making some new plastic horn pad replacements rings this weekend.

 http://www.240zrubberparts.com/apps/webstore/products/show/4432194

 

steve

[NVZEE]

The information probably exists elsewhere on this site but, for the sake of this discussion, here's a quick comparison of an early, smaller pad (48410-E4600) which fits my '72 wheel and a later pad. No info on the second one because it came in a grab-bag of odd parts. I tried to make it work on the '72 wheel -- before I node better

Edited April 27, 2016 by NVZEE

[Zed Head]

Uh-oh.  I should have stuck with my instinct.  Hope she didn't buy that 77 button.

Are you saying it didn't fit?  Or that it did but looked horrible?  If the three stand-offs that fit in the holes are on the wheel, which they seem to be in her case, it should still slip on if there's room.

[KiraK]

Thanks all... This forum is truly amazing! So full of knowledge! Where to start... I guess where I left off... 

Terrapin: nice find! I'm watching and have contacted the seller. However based on the conversation here, sounds like it may not be needed? More below..

Mark: So that's it? I guess I was under the impression that I had a problem 1) Because the horn pad does fall off, 2) My horn doesn't work when I push the pad? 

Could this be a fuse problem? Connection issue? Or because it's cracked it's not strong enough to connect when I push it? Thoughts team? 

So do I maybe have bad parts? I know the 3 little metal tabs that connect the button seem worn? So is replacement indeed needed or is it again the issue of the crack? 

Premo: Thanks so much for the info regarding comparison and the offer of your 77, it seems to be the consensus, that I do indeed have the parts I need. Although they may be worn, causing part of the problem. Thanks again for your kind offer and referral. 

Nix: Great to know! Thanks much for the link!

NVZEE: Great photo comparison, and exactly what I mentioned above; wondering if I was missing something because nothing was inside the hollowed out portion of my horn pad. Other  Z's have a metal housing, like in your photo shows (BTW I believe the pad with the metal housing belongs to a 280zx)

Zed: No worries  nothing purchased yet! Although I am following the link on eBay from terrapin in case I do need pieces. 

So gang, maybe the real question to address since Mark says I do have all pieces. Is why doesn't my horn work? 

1) Electrical? Wiring ( shouldn't be, car is original, no other new components since dealer install originally) 

- Fuse

2) Worn components that need to be replaced or repaired?

- Horn Pad (cracked, see my photo above) 

- Horn contact assembly ( too worn, needs replacing? )

Do your thing fellow Z'ers! I learn so much through you! Thanks to each of you for your offerings and thoughts! Keep it coming, and I'll keep u posted on success! 

Thanks much! 

K

The lil z lady  

 

[Zed Head]

3 minutes ago, KiraK said:

Is why doesn't my horn work? 

You can make your horn beep with a piece of wire, or a screwdriver, from its state of disassembly in your picture, if it's connected properly and they work (they're behind the grill).  The power is there, and the horn button and its metal parts just provide the ground.  

This is not the problem you started with, but good that you redefined it.  Could be that the horns themselves are disconnected.

[KiraK]

Hi Zed!

Yes your right, this was not the problem I initially started discussing here. Like many things my z refurb., one problem seems to lead to others or at least more questions. I just assumed ( I know.., a truly bad thing!) that since my horn button was falling off, and that the horn was not working, and by looking at other horn assemblies, I must be missing something. It just didn't look right? 

To anser your questions, 

18 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

You can make your horn beep with a piece of wire, or a screwdriver, from its state of disassembly in your picture, if it's connected properly and they work (they're behind the grill).  The power is there, and the horn button and its metal parts just provide the ground.  

This is not the problem you started with, but good that you redefined it.  Could be that the horns themselves are disconnected.

1. The horns are still there behind the grill

2. Not sure about power? I guess I check that by touching with a screwdriver. I'll try that next. If no beep, what do I check next? 

3. How do I check to see if they are disconnected? 

The horn has not worked for some time, so I guess I need to try your suggestions.

Any thing to add?

Thanks much! Appreciate all the advice to help me solve this little problem. Once my girl is back on the road, I want to make sure I can honk at some idiot who might think to run into us, and undo all of this hard work! 

K

The lil z lady  

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by KiraK

[NVZEE]

Fuse? Relay? Grounds? 12v + in the right places? Whole new can of worms here, and the horn button is just one basic component. Like you, my '72 horn didn't work at first, but I was relieved that simply cleaning the contacts for the button restored the ground and brought the horn back to life.

Got a multimeter or test light and a schematic to see if circuits are complete and juice is going where it belongs, just in case it takes detective work? Safe bet that you'll need this stuff sooner or later. On cars of this vintage, weak or non-existent current flow due to oxidation on contact surfaces is a common electrical gremlin.

[KiraK]

Great feed back NVZEE, certainly something I can pass to my mechanic! Hopefully it will be simple! 

I'll keep u posted! 

K

The lil z lady  

[Zed Head]

There does appear to a fuse for the horn at the fuse panel.  Worth checking first.  Have to say though, that I can't understand the horn relay wiring diagram provided by Nissan.  They show the solenoid, the switch and the horn all connected to the same spot in the relay.  And the relay sends power back to the combo switch. Since the horn is grounded at its mount that would have the horn on all the time.  Odd.  Unless it's set up to work like a transistor.  GB provides power to actuate the horn through the switch and the fuse.  Using the same ground circuit, the horn itself.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Zed Head

[KiraK]

Another great post from Zed! Hope we can figure it out? It does look confusing! 

K