Date:         Wed, 21 Aug 2013 17:55:51 -0700
Reply-To:     Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject:      Re: Horns, improvements
In-Reply-To:  <52153923.9050703@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Some years ago I did what Mark described on my '82 westy. I used on fo those black boxes you find in the engine compartment as an enclosure for the relay (actually had 2 relays in there, the other for a spot beam aux light). The boxes can be sealed up pretty well especially if you can find some of the "blank" or un-perforated rubber grommet plugs. Also they can have relay mounting brackets in them.

That worked perfectly fine and allowed me to have 2 horns, various types scrounged over time from the wreckers. I even tried an old school Fiamma air horn, trumpet style unit. 

On my '86 syncro I decided to try another method, that is using the wiring changes found in the Euro option dual horn set up. This works well with all the horns I have tried - audi, stock, and now one of those compact air horns, a clone of the Fiamma Nautilus type horn (Go Westy type).

If the stock wiring is not up to the task it isn't letting me know yet.

Wiring details here on my blog

http://shufti.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/dual-horn-relay-and-wiring/

alistair


On 2013-08-21, at 3:03 PM, mark drillock wrote:

> The horn relay is nothing special, just a generic "bosch style" 4 pin
> relay. Every VW has a couple and many other cars do too. VW refers to
> this one as Type 53 or 24 and stamps that number on the top in big type.
> You can buy the generic version at any flaps, often sold as a fog light
> relay or horn relay, or driving light relay. Commonly used as fuel pump
> relays as well, as in Vanagons. Typically 30 amp, sometimes 20 or 40
> amp, all more than enough for horn use. Sometimes the generics have a
> 5th pin that isn't used for what I did.
> 
> The 4 pin relay has pins labelled with numbers and is used thus:
> 
> 30  load in
> 87  load out
> 86  relay control input pin
> 85  relay control ground pin
> 
> Mark
> 
> 
> Marco wrote:
>> Thanks for the tips, Mark.  I have ordered one of those Hella horns from the eBay vendor.
>> 
>> Do you have a part # or source for the relay? I couldn't find it in the archives.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Marco in Seattle
>>