sdstud212001

So today I tried to honk at my doggie and the horn wouldn't honk. I checked the fuse and it is still good. I went to AutoZone and after talking to the guy there I think that it is a bad relay.

Is there a relay to the horn? Where would it be? I looked in the engine bay nothing is marked "horn" other than the fuse.

Oh yeah this is an 87 4Runner.

Elton

unplug the horn and test it to see if its getting power

firemaniac

No horn no problem just use your..... never mind

Brendan

ya, you can connect the horn directly to the battery to see if it works. when you press the horn button, do you hear the relay clicking? i'm not sure where it is, so if it's in the engine compartment, you wouldn't be able to hear it anyways.

sdstud212001

Yeah but I need the horn to get their attention some times.



Right, I thought of that. I do not hear a clicking but then again I don't know where to listen at. Thats kinda why I started this threaad. But thanks anyway.

firemaniac

Sounds like a good time for a P.A. system to really be heard.
Try connecting a light (or meter) to the wires at the horn and see if it lights (or shows power) besides that i think it is time for some wire chasing, also look in the steering column, I don't have my truck or a book in front of me so I don't know exactly which wire or where in the column but there are lots of connections in there near moving parts in there

knowjesus

The last two 87 trucks I've had were in the same boat. I found the horn was good, just not getting juice. Didn't want to tear anything apart so I did this: get a small push button switch from a parts store (the silver push button ones that come up on their own after you push them) and install it on the bottom of the dash below the steering wheel. I put mine to the bottom right of the wheel where it looked good and was easy to get too. Then just wire it up directly to the horn and a hot wire.
It's not as easy to get to as the original horn button, but saved me time & aggravation in wire searching.

all_terrain17

My horn didn't work either, although I did hear a click when I pressed on the wheel. Figured everything was ok in the cab so I popped off the grille and replaced my horn when I did my headlights...Voila. I got my whimpy Toyota horn to work.

sdstud212001

Well when I push the horn I hear a slight sound, but not sure it's a click. I think it's the metal tab grounding out. I will check the horn by sending power to it then give you the update.

typical8o8

time for an air horn

4x4Lamm

I can sell you the two working stockers from my 95 if ya want.

Lamm

Tiger Paw

Not to be a mooch, but let me know what you find out. Mines not working, either. I'll go out tomorrow and see if I can hear or find a relay.

yota_krazy

try turning the steering wheel back and forth while pressing the horn. I beleive there is a contact ring in the steering column that wears out over time and will only get intermittent contact when you turn the steering wheel.

Nic

Yep. Just what I was thinking. That ring and contact can get dirty too, which will prevent a good connection.

bodo

Hey this sounds funny, but my truck set for awhile and the dirtdobbers got in it. When I finished replacing the horn I did a slam dunk on the concrete with my old one. When i finished getting all that stuff out of the horn it worked fine after kissing the concrete.

BeaterToyota

Yep, I had that problem and I used some dielectric grease to help make it work again.

Tiger Paw

O.k., I tried honking the horn while turning the steering wheel and what do ya know? It worked. It always makes me giddy when something is not really broken!

So my next question is, where are the contacts? Are they under the horn cover?

Thanks for helping me find the problem!

Elton

start takeing the steering wheel apart you will find them

Tiger Paw

Thanks! Sounds like they're pretty obvious to notice. I'll take a look when I get off of work this afternoon.

amgraham

I had to replace that contact when I got my truck. The guy I got it from had already got the new contact from Toyota so I don't how much it cost. It is a brass pin about 2 inches long and the Toyota part came with a new spring and clips and stuff. To replace it you pull the steering wheel and use like a little screw driver or pick to pop the clip out (hold it down though because it is spring loaded). Once I put the new parts in and polished up the ring on the wheel I was set. Took about 15 min to do. I have not had a problem since, at least, not on that end (my stupid cheap air horns that were on the truck have gone out again. I have revived them twice. I am looking for some god replacements, probably not air).

Like everyone else said though, make sure you're not getting power to the horn before you go through all of this. Good luck!