Horn stopped- just clicks

[delco1946]

Hi all, I rarely have any need to honk my horn but the occasion finally arose. However, it only makes a clicking noise now coming from the brake pedal area. Has this happened to anyone before I spend the entire day scratching my head on this? Last time I used my cruise, it worked so seems unlikely they’re related to a common grounding issue etc. Thanks!

[1986F150Six]

Does the horn have a relay in the area you described?

[Gary Lewis]

I had this recently on Big Blue.  Turned out the horn was bad.  The relay is what is clicking, and it then sends power to the horn.

I tested the horn by placing jumper wires on it and hooking it directly to the battery.  In my case it did nothing.  So I grabbed another and got a timid beep.  Sprayed contact cleaner into the horn, held upside down so it would run in, and finally got it working sorta.

I turned to the other one, but the contact cleaner didn't help.  Then I accidentally dropped it and it started working.  

[delco1946]

Well as usual curiosity got the best of me and feet up in the air I was under the dash, and can feel the clicking vibration occurring immediately under the dash where a bunch of wires enter some small black box. I haven’t tested the horns them selves but I recently installed those in the last couple months and it seems unlikely that both of them which used to work when I bought them with suddenly stopped working simultaneously. Does that mean it’s something in the steering column then? How would I start to diagnose that?

[Gary Lewis]

The wiring is shown below.  But there's not much to it.  If the relay clicks and you don't have power to the horns then the relay is probably bad.  Put a test light on the wire going to the horns and see if it lights when the horn button is pushed.

[Steve83]

The clicking horn relay means the problem is NOT in the column, or in the positive feed to the relay (including the fuse).  It's in the relay, the horn wire, the horn(s), or the ground path between the horns & the battery (-) post.

[delco1946]

Thanks for the help.  I don’t think I’ll have time today but I’ll try to investigate it tomorrow. If it’s the relay are those repairable or do you just purchase a new one?

[Steve83]

It's sealed, but I wouldn't buy new (chinese) - I'd get an OE (or 5) from the JY.

[1986F150Six]

Is this the relay?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1984-85-86-87-88-89-Ford-Horn-Relay-Bronco-F150-F250-F350-E4TZ-9C792-A-OEM/254211285516?fits=Model%3AF-150%7CMake%3AFord&epid=1830029220&hash=item3b302c620c:g:LsgAAOSwA4dWNRRx:sc:USPSFirstClass!95125!US!-1

[Steve83]

Yes



But that's a helluvalotta money for a simple relay.  Before spending that much, I'd just use a newer Bosch/ISO/Tyco style relay, with a jumper wire from pin 30 (+12V) to pin 86.  Pin 85 is ground; pin 87 is output to the horn.





You can get them anywhere; with or without sockets.  Their terminals are standard quick-disconnect size - same as the original relay, or these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F695FT4