Horn

[Neil-yaj396]

My car has been stood for a while but has been started weekly and everything tested apart from the horn. Now I've come to try it I just get a sort of electro-mechanical grinding noise.

Any ideas?

[MattNoVAT]

The air horn pumps need oil, if they have not had any for a long while then it could have just seized up or be grinding slowly.

You can try putting some oil in and seeing if it will recover, but if not then you'll need to find another pump.

There is a tiny cap on the top of the air horn pump, I've used 3 in 1 lubricating oil without any problems, but have also put normal 15/40 in there when I cannot find the little can of 3 in 1.

[cheeky monkey]

Hi Neil

i use a little 3 in 1 down the hole under the red cap as Matt has suggested.

[Neil-yaj396]

I wondered why I had never topped up/checked the oil on my horn compressor. Have a look at the attached photo. I take it this is a non standard part???

[MattNoVAT]

That pump does not look standard nor does the trumpet in the picture and I can't see if there are two (trumpets)

What reg / year is your car?  Because the twin trumpets were on S1 and early S2 cars.

[Neil-yaj396]

Early S2 - 1978 brown dash. Yes there are 2 trumpets.

[cheeky monkey]

Hi Neil

Does the black cap come off easily?. looks like grip lines around the edge so was just wondering if the lubrication point was underneath.
i havnt seen this type before. The letters on top look like FiJA (?)

G

[thecolonel]

Trumpets are correct for the car, compressor looks
like a modification. I have a couple of spare pumps

Actually looking again, the trumpets should be all red,
With red pipes.

[Neil-yaj396]

Got my horn working! The clue is actually in the picture above. Though just out of sight the plastic air pipe in the background had come off the nearest trumpet. Presumably the compressed air follows the route of least resistance and the 'grinding' sound I heard was the air escaping from the disconnected pipe. Simples, as they say.