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Date:         Tue, 20 Aug 2013 17:35:25 -0700
Reply-To:     mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject:      Horns, improvements
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

The stock Vanagon horn is not that great but can be improved. Simply adding a relay down by the horn can make a big difference even with the stock horn. Doing that increases the voltage at the horn as well as triggers full volume from the horn even when the steering wheel contact ring or button have only a weak connection. By using the steering wheel button to simply trigger the relay the button can work with only a small fraction of the power going through it that the horn itself would need. Thus the relay can trigger and remain on with a much weaker connection than the horn itself requires for sounding. With the relay providing the ground the horn is louder, faster, and more consistent.

Here is a photo of a horn with the added relay and wiring to increase horn performance. The 2 existing horn wires plug into this setup. No additional wires need to be run. The yellow end is a male spade. The 2 existing horn wires have female ends. The stock black/yellow wire plugs into the wire with a yellow end. The stock brownish wire plugs into the remaining relay male spade pin #86. The wire with the ring terminal gets grounded at the mounting bolt for the horn spring plates.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1101215.jpg

The horn in that first photo is actually a larger version of the stock horn but mounts and wires up the same as a stock horn and in the stock location. Here are both horns for a comparison.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1101214.jpg

I purchased that larger Hella horn from this place. I installed it in my 89 with the added relay. It is now much louder but still has the familiar sounding beep known to old VWs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HORN-DISC-12V-335HZ-MERCEDES-/280423157106?

Of course there are many still louder horns and I like some of the dual horn setups from various Volvo, Mercedes, BMW, etc I get at the junkyard. These have a totally different sound of authority but are more complicated to mount in the stock location. I might get into that at another time.

Mark


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