Horn Wire

[fast fredy]

I need to pull out the horn wire from my column( dont ask why). Question is it hard to fish back in and out the bottom? Normally I would tie a string on it , but I need it right out of the way to repair the upper end of the shaft that got screwed up taking the steering wheel off. thanks to a helper , thats why I usually do it all myself thanks Fred

[GLAmes]

Mine slid right down the shaft with no problems. If yours doesn't it should be fairly easy to fish it through with small wire.

[dmsfrr]

Tie a string on the bottom end of the old wire and pull it out from the top.
A thin layer of tape to hold the loose end of the connector tied to the string may help pull the new wire down from top to bottom.
If it's similar to this one there is a sleeve on the top end of the new wire that holds the spring & horn contact in place. It prevents an undamaged horn wire from passing upward thru the inside the column from the steering box end.

If the string hanging out at the top will be in the way of repair work... a length of bailing wire inserted thru the steering box after the repair is done will give you something to tie to.

[Daves55Sedan]

If he needs to file the top of the steering shaft down, a pull-wire will just be in the way.
You can get even an old horn wire back down thru the bottom of the gearbox; I've done it numerous times. There are two places inside the steering shaft where the bullet connector at the end of the wire might hang up. The first will be at the top of the oil tube and the se3cond will be near the bottom there is a little indentation all around the bottom of the tube that holds it to the bearing backplate.
If you straighten the wire real good and twirl the wire while pushing it down into the shaft, it may go all the way thru for you. If it does hang up, pull the wire out, straighten it again and reinsert, pushing down and twirling the wire in the opposite direction.
I think the mistake you made which damaged the top of the shaft is by removing the nut that holds the steering wheel all the way off, leaving the top of the shaft susceptible to damage. The proper way to remove a wheel is to unscrew the shaft nut until the uppermost surface of the nut is a little higher than the top of the shaft. Then put on your steering wheel puller and insert a short piece of bar stock between the steering wheel nut and bottom of the center bolt, that way the nut and shaft endure the compression as a unit. The bar stock should be minimum 1/8"thick AND fits INSIDE the metal horn ring plate on the steering wheel.
Tighten down the SW remover center-bolt and the wheel will pop off but it wont be able to fall, because the nut is still there, which is another good thing. If the nut was gone, the wheel would pop off, fall in your lap, get scratched or chipped when it rolls off or hits the top of the column. You don't want that.
Let me guess, you have accidently expanded the steering shaft from tightening the SW remover up against the steering shaft, so the steering wheel nut wont go back on, right?
Here's what you do; get another nut with the same thread as the SW nut and clamp it in a vice. Get a Dremel tool with abraisive cutting wheel and cut a slot all the way through the short flat side of the nut. you have just created your own die for cutting the threads on your steering shaft. It may be necessary to get a small chisel-punch and drive it in the slot you made in that nut prior to attempting to screw it on the shaft. Once you get it started on the threads, pull the punch out and get a wrench and run the nut up and down on that shaft enough to re-cut the threads until your original SW nut will go on the shaft.

[miker98038]

Put a string on it and pull it out thru the bottom. Tape the string off at the bottom and push the top end down out of the way. The shop vac will suck it back up when you’re done. Just the way we old electricians put a pull string/rope/wire when we’re pulling into pipe longer than a fish tape.

[Daves55Sedan]

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Originally Posted by miker98038

Put a string on it and pull it out thru the bottom. Tape the string off at the bottom and push the top end down out of the way. The shop vac will suck it back up when you’re done. Just the way we old electricians put a pull string/rope/wire when we’re pulling into pipe longer than a fish tape.

Not possible for this application. The horn wire can't be pulled down lower than the spring-loaded button housing will allow it (which is maybe 1/4"). it has to be pulled out through the top.

[miker98038]

Didn’t know that, it’s been some years since I did one. But it still easier to use the string. At least it was when I rewired my bird, and had to get by the slip joint in the middle for the telescopic column. But I was cutting and replacing the wire.

[cousinjd]

old speedo cable might work!

[fast fredy]

Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions , got it fixed up . I unhooked the wire down below , pulled up a few inchs and cut the wire .the situation I had was that the the plastic and the metal sleeve were crushed and then both got pushed down into the shaft I managed to get them fished out but then the wire was 3 inches down the hole.. I was able to push the wire back up and out the hole.. I spent some time repairing the sleeve , found a spring and plastic bushing, so put together and spliced the wire and back down the hole it went , dont have the steering wheel back on yet but the horn woks when the brass point is grounded ... I know the proper fix would be to buy a new wire assembly , but being up here in Canada thats not a simple option when you consider the price in US dollars and international shipping and probably 3 weeks wait thanks again for your suggestions and help Fred

[KULTULZ]

... but being up here in Canada thats not a simple option when you consider the price in US dollars and international shipping and probably 3 weeks wait

Isn't that something? NAFTA was supposed to cure all of that.

It used to be a big thing where people would go across from Buffalo and either carry or bring back.