The Ford Barn

poolnut · 08-06-2012, 06:15 PM

My horn sounds sick Is it much of a job to rebuild it I am not a mechanic

700rpm · 08-06-2012, 06:24 PM

Rebuilding is tough. Maybe you just need to clean the commutator, lube the felts, and ensure a good ground. That's all pretty simple stuff.

Chris in WNC · 08-06-2012, 06:31 PM

assuming you have an original horn usually all it needs is cleaning of the armature where the brushes ride, oiling of the felts at both ends of armature (not too much!), adjustment of the tension screw and good clean & tight electrical connections. sometimes the trouble is in the horn button or light switch rather than the horn itself. got a dead horn right now on one of our As, I suspect it's in the button, haven't taken time yet to bypass the button and see if it works......

Tom Wesenberg · 08-06-2012, 09:56 PM

I fixed my friends slow sick horn by just holding a small piece of fine sandpaper against the commutator while holding the horn button down. After several seconds of this it took off like I added a supercharger!

I finally got around to doing the same thing to my slow horn a few weeks ago. Also add a few drops of oil to the felts at each end of the armature.

The horn cover screw will pull some on the horn motor frame, so make your final adjustment with the cover on. One click can make a big difference.

Wello · 08-06-2012, 11:11 PM

My horn would barely spin. I picked up a spray can of electric motor cleaner at Home Depot. Flushed the horn guts, still on the truck. I'm glad I had several rags protecting the hood and fender. I was amazed how much crap came out of my horn. A little adjustment was all that was needed. My horn works great now. A very easy fix.

Willie Krash · 08-07-2012, 12:56 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

If you ground the horn (the wire that goes to the switch) and the horn spools up and is loud but is anemic or slow to spool up thru' the horn button use a relay. Snyder's has them.

Duffy1 · 08-08-2012, 08:07 PM

Tom and Wello ;

Thanks for the info on cleaning the horn . I too had a sick horn . Followed your cleaning tip and now the horn sounds as it should . This forum has given me a lot of good tips on many things.

glenn in camino · 08-08-2012, 09:29 PM

Clean the comutator with acetone or lacquer thinner to get the grease off. Then lightly oil the felts.

BILL WILLIAMSON · 08-09-2012, 01:22 AM

Somewhere I read that you should oil the horn every 3 months.
Wouldn't it be trick to have lube stickers made that included all the unusual lube & oiling stuff that just applies to The Model A? Bill W.

08-06-2012, 06:15 PM	#1
poolnut Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Woodstock Va Posts: 31	horn My horn sounds sick Is it much of a job to rebuild it I am not a mechanic

08-06-2012, 06:24 PM	#2
700rpm Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 5,906	Re: horn Rebuilding is tough. Maybe you just need to clean the commutator, lube the felts, and ensure a good ground. That's all pretty simple stuff. __________________ Ray Horton, Portland, OR As you go through life, keep your eye on the donut, not the hole.

08-06-2012, 06:31 PM	#3
Chris in WNC Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Spruce Pine, NC Posts: 1,458	Re: horn assuming you have an original horn usually all it needs is cleaning of the armature where the brushes ride, oiling of the felts at both ends of armature (not too much!), adjustment of the tension screw and good clean & tight electrical connections. sometimes the trouble is in the horn button or light switch rather than the horn itself. got a dead horn right now on one of our As, I suspect it's in the button, haven't taken time yet to bypass the button and see if it works...... __________________ our next Model A is out there in the unknown......

08-06-2012, 09:56 PM	#4
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: horn I fixed my friends slow sick horn by just holding a small piece of fine sandpaper against the commutator while holding the horn button down. After several seconds of this it took off like I added a supercharger! I finally got around to doing the same thing to my slow horn a few weeks ago. Also add a few drops of oil to the felts at each end of the armature. The horn cover screw will pull some on the horn motor frame, so make your final adjustment with the cover on. One click can make a big difference.

08-06-2012, 11:11 PM	#5
Wello Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 97	Re: horn My horn would barely spin. I picked up a spray can of electric motor cleaner at Home Depot. Flushed the horn guts, still on the truck. I'm glad I had several rags protecting the hood and fender. I was amazed how much crap came out of my horn. A little adjustment was all that was needed. My horn works great now. A very easy fix.

08-07-2012, 12:56 AM	#6
Willie Krash Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Phoenix, Oregon Posts: 661	Re: horn Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) If you ground the horn (the wire that goes to the switch) and the horn spools up and is loud but is anemic or slow to spool up thru' the horn button use a relay. Snyder's has them.

08-08-2012, 08:07 PM	#7
Duffy1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Mo. City , Texas Posts: 725	Re: horn Tom and Wello ; Thanks for the info on cleaning the horn . I too had a sick horn . Followed your cleaning tip and now the horn sounds as it should . This forum has given me a lot of good tips on many things.

08-08-2012, 09:29 PM	#8
glenn in camino Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Camino, CA. Posts: 3,086	Re: horn Clean the comutator with acetone or lacquer thinner to get the grease off. Then lightly oil the felts.

08-09-2012, 01:22 AM	#9
BILL WILLIAMSON Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: FRESNO, CA Posts: 12,560	Re: horn Somewhere I read that you should oil the horn every 3 months. Wouldn't it be trick to have lube stickers made that included all the unusual lube & oiling stuff that just applies to The Model A? Bill W. __________________ "THE ASSISTANT GURU OF STUFF"