[slosland]

Hey guys, here's an odd one on my wife's '96 Breeze.

The horn honks (engine off or on) when the wheel is turned left or right.
The horn relay does not seem to be the problem, I have a few spares and have tried them all and it still happens.
It's not just a TOOT either. It will honk continually as long as the steering wheel is aimed anywhere but straight ahead.

Any suggestions?

 

[valiant67]

Could very well be the clockspring in the steering column. The clockspring transfers the electronic connections from the rotating steering wheel (for the horn, air bag etc.) to the stationary part of the steering column.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

+1. It's the wiring in the steering column that's twisted/pinched/shorting out when you turn the wheel. Happened to my 72 Dart. I was going to swap the steering column, but the problem went away when I removed the column and re-installed it. Must have shifted the bad wires just enough so they didn't touch.

 

[digitalrailroader]

Sorry Bob and Valiant; I know EXACTLY what's wrong here (this Also Happened on the EasyBreeze)

this is Figure 2 on Page 2 of Group 8G in the Factory Service Manual. if you notice, there are 4 Contact points on the Airbag module. the Airbag Mounting Brackets are spring loaded and Insulated to make sure that the horn doesn't go nuts when you don't want it to sound. over time, the insulators will deteriorate and fall apart, resulting in the random "Turn the Steering Wheel, Horn Goes Nuts" problem. the FACTORY Solution is to Completely Replace the Airbag Module which on a car that's 17 years old, its just not worth it. MY Solution is I replaced the 4 insulators with some Rubber Rings I had made myself from heavy duty rubber sheeting that that was given to me by a Trucker Friend. that fix worked all the way to the day I killed my own Breeze. you'll need a T30 Torx Bit to get the Airbag off the steering wheel, as well as another Torx Bit (the size of which escapes me ATM) to loosen the Horn Contact Bolts so you can replace the Deteriorated Insulators.

 

[chuzz]

Good stuff to know there, Patrick. And a good idea about the insulators.

 

[slosland]

So will the air bag still be functional? Do I need to disconnect the battery before attemping?

Great Picture of the steering wheel assembly. Thanks.

Hey, at 17 years old and 164k it's just getting broken in! Other than a random oil leak that I just can't find it's been a great little car.
Rust bunnies have eaten a hole right behind the rear passenger door though. I think they sneak in after dark and feed.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Yes, disconnect the battery and wait maybe an hour to be safe. Reconnect as the last step.

 

[digitalrailroader]

Good stuff to know there, Patrick. And a good idea about the insulators.

Like i mentioned Charlie, I've had this EXACT Problem in the EasyBreeze, and I've fixed Several other clouds with this same problem. I actually learned the fix through another Member on Stratusphere who also had this problem.

 

[slosland]

Well, I finally got around to working on this today. I replaced the rubber washers, only 1 was found the other 3 had disintegrated.

Got everything apart and reassembled, tested the horn and it seemed to work ok UNTIL I started the car and started to drive off. Once again the problem came back. I shut it down and got out. When I closed the door the horn started and stayed on! I've disconnected the horn.

Am I missing something? Do I tighten the 4 torx screws too tight? Suggestions?

 

[ImperialCrown]

Clockspring?
You will need to disconnect the battery for a few minutes before removing the airbag and steering wheel.

 

[slosland]

Can I test the clockspring?
The battery was disconnected for more than 30 minutes before I removed the airbag.

 

[ImperialCrown]

With the battery disconnected, test for continuity-to-ground on the column horn wire with an ohmmeter. Normally it should be a high resistance.
If it is low, there is a short-to-ground. Disconnect the clockspring to see if the short-to-ground is inside there. See if you can trace and locate the short-to-ground that grounds the relay and blows the horn.

 

[slosland]

IC,
I will give it my best effort.
It may be a week before I get back to it but I'll continue to update. Thanks.

 

[slosland]

Well it's been well past a week! Clockspring was culprit. Thanks to everyone for the help.