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Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2013 6:19 am    Post subject: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

I have a 1974 Super Beetle Convertible.
The Horn does not work and the PO simply added a button and new wires to it.

I'm fixing all of the MANY PO issues and have traced the wires coming to the diagnosis that all of the wires are fine, the Horn Button itself is faulty.

Now, M&T Manufacturing will gladly sell me a new Horn Button assembly for $77.00 (item #7) but I'd rather fix what I have......... It's just me...... Spend a day fixing something rather than replace it! Wink
http://www.mtmfg.com/vw/944/Volkswagen-Beetle-Steering-Wheels-Parts

Here is a photo of the backside of the Horn button. The center White Dots are the connection to the Horn Contact Ground pin in the Turn Signal assembly. The horn wiring from the steering wheel to the horn works great! If I ground the horn contact wire to the Steering Wheel, the horn honks.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The center terminal connects via four wires to each of the four corner contacts next to the white spots. These four contact points make connection with the steering wheel wheel when the horn pad is pushed thus completing the ground and honking the horn.

None of these corner contacts have continuity to the center terminal and only two have continuity to each other.

The button is manufactured in two pieces and somehow fastened together.
IF I was able to separate them..... Repairs would be easy! Think

Has anyone traveled this path before me and repaired the bad connections in the horn pad? Question

If so, please share your method used. Idea

Thanks!

Dave
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Last edited by djkeev on Mon May 06, 2013 10:43 am; edited 1 time in total
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I stumbled upon this 1973 horn button in the classifieds.......
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


It's a different design but you can clearly see the wires inside of it.
I think that I will do some exploratory cutting to expose the wires and see what I can do to rewire mine and make it work....... I am hoping the bad connection is where all five wis join in the center......

Dave
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, it seems as if I'm the first to encounter newer Beetle horn button repairs?

Here are a few photos of the 1974 horn button.......
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I figured that the path of least damage is to remove the connector in the horn button assembly first and see what we are dealing with. It isn't at all imperative that the contact be fastened to the button so I took a 3/4" hole saw, removed the center pilot bit so that the drill bit itself fit nicely in the square recess the terminal is mounted in.
I carefully drilled through the plastic leaving behind a "plug" with the terminal moulded into it.......
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


The center terminal only had one wire connected to it...... Hmmmmm......
So, I got out my Dremel with a fiber cut off blade in it and cut out two access holes in the flat plastic on either side of center, this exposed all of the wires.
I cut off the center terminal and pulled the wire out one of the access holes I made. I stripped the insulation and clamped on one wire of my Ohm Meter and checked for continuity. It turns out that they are all good! The problem was the center terminal had a green corrosion which must have interfered with the connection..........
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here is how the unit is wired, I used a white string to illustrate the wire path.
Center terminal to Upper Left.
Upper Left to Upper Right.
Upper Right to Lower Right
Lower Right to Lower Left.
Lower Left to Upper Left............
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I used a piece of scrap wire from my recent fuse panel repair project
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...;start=260
and butt connector end it to the center horn wire to increase my working length out the center of the Button........
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I crimped on a fully insulated Spade Terminal to the Button and also onto the wire to the horn contact in the Steering Wheel...........
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Total Out of pocket today cost? Zero!
But I did at one point purchase the three crimp on connectors so I'll give you maybe $1 total repair cost!

The result?
BEEP!
BEEP!

Laughing

Dave
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ROCKOROD71
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

excellent job Dave! Never seen one of those later horns disected...very interesting.
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice job, I had to do a similar job on mine. The main spade connector had pushed into the button and I had no way to get to it without drilling into the center.
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seeing as to how the PO clipped off the horn wires in the trunk I had to run some new ones to the horn.

The Factory method was to run them out the LF headlamp rubber wire tube, then have a hole mid point where the horn wires exited.

My new tubes haven't any hole and I had no intention of making one in it!

I opted to keep the horn wires in the trunk and exit them out of the trunk floor to that great abyss where the Air Conditioner coils would go. I then used an existing hole to exit into the wheel well.

I used rubber grommets through the metal but need to pick up some wire channel for the wires themselves.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Dave
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alexvw
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where did you get that steering wheel cover?
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PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alexvw wrote:
Where did you get that steering wheel cover?


That cover came from my Local FLAPS, a CarQuest dealer.

Funny story, it's only on there because of my PO. :2gunfire:

Seems she used "The Club" on her wheel. For whatever reason the wheel was hacksawed at some point to remove it!
She had Duct Taped the seam.

I used my Dremel and ground out a 3/8" deep notch through the seam on the edge facing the driver. I bent a 1/4" steel rod to the circumference of the wheel and epoxied it into the wheel.

The fix is good but not pretty......... Enter wheel cover! Laughing

Dave
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cloudsurfer11-03
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:22 am    Post subject: Re: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

I'm only 13 years late to the conversation but I'm in the process of fixing up at '74 Standard Beetle that I recently purchased and am going to need to make a similar repair to my horn button/steering wheel pad.

I was wondering if someone can explain or has pictures of how the pad is attached/detached to the wheel and how to properly remove and install it. I've seen a few hardware kits for sale but can't find any pictures or assembly diagrams.

The PO attached the pad by wrapping everything in electrical tape and I don't want to cut it off until I have an idea of how to properly re-attach it.

They also had installed a secondary switch and wiring much like your PO. I've already removed/fixed all the wiring from the horn, the pad/switch is my last step.

Thanks in advance for the help.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

Great write up, I was actually looking at doing the same thing with my 74 Super I have a spare center button that i'm going disassemble, the PO cut the springs short for some reason so now it doesn't move off of the contact points on the wheel. and the wire connections in the center section don't make contact to the 4 corners.

Are the springs replaceable I have the smaller springs and they feel as if they are fused into the plastic.
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Wild Iris
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 11:59 am    Post subject: Re: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

Anybody know how to get that large plastic horn button off first??!
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Glenn Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2023 12:12 pm    Post subject: Re: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

Wild Iris wrote:
Anybody know how to get that large plastic horn button off first??!

Pull each of the 4 corners, they "pop" off and "snap" on. They turn the large plastic panel 90* and it comes off.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2023 12:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Repair horn button assembly? FIXED 5/6/13 Reply with quote

Darn good write up. Those wiring connectors will let you down all too soon by allowing corrosion between the connector and the wire end. Factory crimped on connectors are gas tight as in oxygen that corrodes can not get in between the connector and wire end.

Here is a thread on the proper ratchet crimper and terminals:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=338938

If one is not going to invest less then $50 for the crimper tool and terminals, then solder and heat shrink instead for same gas tight connection.
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