How to Install an Aftermarket Horn Button
Vehicle horns serve a very important safety function. They alert other drivers of your intention to cross traffic or avoid a dangerous collision. They can be used to call out for attention. Unfortunately, original equipment manufacturer horns can fail because of a wiring problem or a defective contact at the horn button inside the steering wheel. Aftermarket horn buttons can bypass the faulty connection and restore the horn to proper operation. You can install an aftermarket horn button with a few simple tools and in a few steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Socket set
- Ratchet wrench
- Horn button kit
- Drill motor
- Drill bits
- Screwdrivers
- Self-tapping screws
- Wire (14- or 16-gauge)
- Wire strippers
- Wire eyelets
- Wire snap connectors
- Tape
Instructions
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1
Place the vehicle in park or neutral, depending upon the transmission type. Set the emergency brake. Raise the hood and disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Open the horn button kit and position the horn button on the dashboard, where you can reach it easily. Check the back of the dashboard to make sure no obstructions will be encountered if you drill through the panel.
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2
Drill a hole large enough to allow the horn button wire (or wires) to fit through the panel with a drill motor and bit. Set the horn button in place, with the wire through the hole, and mark the two small bracket holes with a small drill bit. Drill the two bracket holes with the drill and a small drill bit. Screw the kit screws into the bracket with a screwdriver or use your own self-tapping screws if they did not come with the kit.
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3
Cut a length of 14- or 16-gauge wire that will reach from the horn button to the hot switch wire on the primary horn. Find a rubber grommet in the dashboard that leads from the dash panel, through the firewall and to the engine compartment. Leave enough slack to tuck in the excess wire.
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4
Route the wire along an existing wire loom in the engine compartment. To recognize the hot switch wire, find the horn or dual horns and look for the wire that connects to the spade terminal on the primary horn body, usually the driver's side horn. This wire should lead from the horn to the main wiring loom, not to the other horn.
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5
Disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Follow the OEM horn hot wire until it disappears into the main loom. Cut the wire at this location. Place a snap connector over the hot wire and the custom wire. Crimp the snap connector together with wire strippers. Secure the wire to the existing main loom with electrical tape. If the horn button has two wires -- a hot and ground wire -- cut another length of wire that will reach from the horn button, through the firewall and to the horn body.
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6
Connect the ground wire to the existing ground coming out of the horn. Join the two with the wire strippers and a snap connector. If the horn has no second ground wire terminal, it means that the horn itself serves as a ground. In this case, remove one of the horn mounting screws. Strip the end of the custom ground wire and place a wire eyelet on it. Crimp the wire eyelet with wire strippers.
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7
Screw the wire eyelet underneath the horn mounting screw with a screwdriver. Tape the ground wire neatly onto the existing main loom with electrical tape. Reconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Test the horn button.
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References
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