Horn stopped working after steering box & front axle beam were r

[Poorjimmy5]

As the title says, my horn stopped working after I had the steering box and the front axle beam were replaced. Now it may be a coincidence that before my horn worked and after it didn't, but on the chance one begot the other I have to ask: Is there any electrical connection that may have been disturbed by the removal and replacement of these two parts?

I have checked that the horn has both wires attached. While the car was running I was getting a light from my current detector tool when I grounded it and touched BOTH connections to the horn. This happened if the horn was pushed or not. I was expecting to only have the light turn on in the tool when the horn was pushed, but honestly I have no idea what I'm doing. Please help. Hahahahaha

[sjbartnik]

The ground path of the horn is via the steering box and to the axle beam, so yeah it sounds like there's a good chance that the issue is related to the work you had done.

The horn is powered all the time. The button in the steering wheel makes the ground connection, via a wire that runs down the steering column, jumps over the steering coupler, through the steering box and then via a wire from the steering box to one of the beam mounting bolts if I recall correctly.

So check that out.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Poorjimmy5]

A-ha! Thank you!

So...where exactly am I looking...exactly?

[Al Capulco]

See if this jumper wire is missing at the steering coupler above the steering box.

[Poorjimmy5]

Great! Thank you!

Obviously I have to get to this from under the Thing right, so do you think I need a lift or can just shimmy under and do his? Or perhaps run her up on some ramps in the front?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to do this right.

[74 Thing]

You can do it by removing the drivers side front tire and putting the beam on jack stands and reaching over the brake drum.

[Poorjimmy5]

Cool. Thanks!

I will do it this weekend and let you know how it turns out. I hope the "jumper" is still there and just not connected on one side because I don't have the replacement part (yet)!

[Poorjimmy5]

Bingo! Guess I have to order one! Thanks! Will let you know if that fixes the horn problem.

[sjbartnik]

Shitty work by whoever did the job, what happened to the wire down the center of the steering column? If the horn worked before then it must have been there.

Whoever put the new coupler in fucked up on the hardware, you want self-locking nuts on those coupler bolts. Should have washers too.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Al Capulco]

Things never had a ground wire down the steering column, but it is missing the jumper wire. As suggested, the coupler needs to be corrected.

[Poorjimmy5]

Does anyone have the part numbers for the couple hardware that I need? I would like to get it back to the correct way.

[sjbartnik]

[Poorjimmy5]

Ok, removed all the incorrect hardware and installed correct hardware and installed the crossover ground strap.

Unfortunately even after that, the horn didn't work! Then I found this...

There is a considerable gap, with no electrical contact! Is this NOW my problem? And if it is, how do I fix it? Or does the current go through the shaft and this none connection across the gap not come in to play at all?

This is so confusing. The horn worked before the mechanic changed the steering box and front axle beam, and now that I sorted that out, did he ALSO screw up the gap? Some how widening it? Anybody have a theory?

Oh and one other thing, when I was down there working with the drivers side front tire off I looked across to the opposite shock and found he left off the cover that protects the shaft that runs into the shock! Dammit!!!! So pissed. Never going back there!

[Al Capulco]

Yes, the gap is too large, that copper strip must make contact with the bottom of the steering wheel. Just loosen the 2 bolts that hold the steering column to the bottom of the dash, and pull up toward the wheel. You are just looking to get the copper strip to touch the bottom of the steering wheel. You may want to get yourself a parts book and an orange Bentley service manual, they can be very helpful.

[sjbartnik]

If you can't make up the gap Al's way there is also some adjustment at those flanges on both sides of the coupler.

The pinch bolts on the clamps on either side of the coupler can be loosened the column can theoretically be moved in and out.

I say theoretically because the upper flange and steering column are probably rusted together pretty good - yours don't look like they've moved in a long time.

That leaves the lower flange on the steering box and probably where the issue came from. The mechanic may not have bottomed out the lower clamp on the steering box input shaft, causing your steering wheel to be out too far.

That would be easier to fix as the parts haven't rusted together yet. You could loosen the pinch bolt on that clamp, then while pulling the coupler & column forward against the spring, snug the clamp bolt back up.
_________________
1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Poorjimmy5]

[obus]

Free manuals are on this website if you did not know. https://riverdrivedesigns.com/vw/
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July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
66 21 window bus built 8/31/65 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777273

[Poorjimmy5]

Thank you. I will peruse when I have the stomach to look at my Thing again...

[sjbartnik]

I saw that you made the jumper over the coupler, but did you also run a ground wire from the steering box to the front axle?

My apologies if this is not how it's done on Things (I was not aware that the Thing didn't have the wire down the steering column), but my Type 3 has a wire that then connects from the top of the steering box to one of the axle beam mounting bolts to make the final ground connection.
_________________
1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[Poorjimmy5]

I do not know either way at the moment...but I do know that I didn't run one from the steering box to the front axle. I have not heard of one, but them again I am a novice at all this. Thank you for the suggestion either way my friend.