How to Hook-Up an Air Horn

The stock horn on your vehicle can be augmented with an air horn. Typically, the air horn will provide a higher-pitched sound. An air horn uses compressed air in a canister that is activated electrically by a switch. This switch is connected to a relay so that it will be activated when you press on your horn but will stop when you stop pressing your car's horn button.

Things You'll Need

• Shop manual for your vehicle
• Wire cutters/crimper
• 12-gauge wire (five sections of wire)
• 3/8 socket wrench and socket set
• Air horn kit
• Electric drill
• Electrical tape
• Wire connectors
• Inline fuse

Instructions

1. Open the hood and locate the horn on your vehicle.

2. Disconnect the negative wire from the battery terminal, then disconnect the positive wire from the battery terminal.

3. Disconnect the power harness from the factory horn. There are two wires. One is the wire that supplies the power to the horn, while the other is the ground wire. Disconnect the ground wire first.

4. Mount the new horn using the supplied brackets. Typically, there is an option to mount the new horn on top of or next to the factory horn. If there is not, you may need to drill a hole in the frame to attach your new horn.

5. Locate the positive wire on the factory horn. You will need to consult your shop manual's wiring diagram. Strip a small section of wire from the factory wiring.

6. Strip one end of one section of the 12-gauge wire, and connect this to the positive wiring that connects to the factory horn. Secure the connection with electrical tape.

7. Strip the other end of this wire, and twist the wire end. Place a wire connector over the end and crimp the connector on with the wire crimper.

8. Run this wire to one of the positive/negative power connector sets on the relay. Connect it to the positive connector on the relay.

9. Repeat Step 7 with another section of wire. This time, you will be adding a wire connector to both ends of the wire. This is the ground wire. Connect one end of the ground wire to the ground connector on the same positive/negative connector set you just connected the positive wire to. Make sure you connect it to the negative connector. You are going to ground this wire to the frame. You need to locate a bolt that you can loosen and wrap the connector around (and then re-tighten) to ground the relay.

10. Mount the relay next to the battery with the supplied mounting brackets.

11. Strip one end of another section of the 12-gauge wire, and twist the wire end. Place a wire connector over the end, and crimp the connector on with the wire crimper. This wire will run from the air horn to the second positive/negative set of power connectors on the relay.

12. Connect one end to the positive connector on the relay and the other end to the negative.

13. Place a wire connector over the other end of this wire end and crimp the connector on with the wire crimper. Connect the other end of the positive wire to the positive connector on the air horn.

14. Strip another section of wire to make another ground wire. One connector on each end. Ground the air horn by connecting one end of the wire to the negative connector on the horn and the other end to the frame of the vehicle.

15. Make another section of wire with wire connectors--one on each end. Connect one end of the wire to the remaining connector on the relay, and the other end of the wire to the positive terminal on the battery.

16. Cut the wire between the battery and the relay. Place a connector on the ends of the wires, and connect the wires to the relay. The fuse runs inline between the relay and the batter to prevent the battery from overloading the relay switch.