E30 Zone

Hey guys,

i've got an 89 320i and the horn stopped working, had a look at the fuse and it were in good condition but changed it just to be safe, horn still didn't work, so i bought a new relay thinking this was the problem horn still didn't work so then tried changing the horn switch on the steering wheel still nothing, so im guessing that its both of the horns which are the problem, so im wondering what tone of horns would i need i.e 1 low tone horn and 1 high tone horn and where are these horns located ? and are they easy to change ?

Thanx Guys

Fraser

they are located on the front of the car under/behind the front bumper, near the front subframe

What do they look like ?

bmw2006 wrote:Hey guys,

i've got an 89 320i and the horn stopped working, had a look at the fuse and it were in good condition but changed it just to be safe, horn still didn't work, so i bought a new relay thinking this was the problem horn still didn't work so then tried changing the horn switch on the steering wheel still nothing, so im guessing that its both of the horns which are the problem, so im wondering what tone of horns would i need i.e 1 low tone horn and 1 high tone horn and where are these horns located ? and are they easy to change ?

Thanx Guys

Fraser

This is an excellant example of how not to go about finding a fault!
Instead of doing some simple, logical tests and proving exactly what the fault is, you've wasted a lot of time, spent money on unnecessary parts, disturbed a lot of things (possibly introducing new faults) and still are no nearer finding the fault!

Switch on the ignition, take the top off the fusebox, and listen carefully to the horn relay while someone pushes the horn button. Does the relay click?
Switch off the ignition, pull out the relay, and, with a short piece of wire, link together pins 30 and 87 of its socket. Do the horns sound?

On my 320i, you have to push the steering wheel in slightly (or push heavily on the horn push) to get the horn to operate. This is because the slip-ring brush has worn, so it doesn't make contact without a bit of help.

What does the slip-ring brush look like and how much would they cost at a main dealer to buy ?

cheers guys

On my 320 touring (89) the horn only works after driving a number of minutes. So only when the car is warmed up does the horn work and thereafter it works perfectly. Weird and annoying when you're trying to beep goodbye to people.....!!

The brush is copper/brass looking, approx. 5mm square section and sprung loaded (visible once you've removed the steering wheel).

DO THE TESTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll Make it my first Job in the morning brian

Brianmoooore wrote:DO THE TESTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is aimed at Padzer as well!

honestly, some people just cannot be told!!