Horn blows when I turn right

[MrWampus]

I'm always amazed at the shapes these Fiat gremlins take. Here's my latest. When I take a hard right, like at an intersection, if I take the turn "aggressively" the horn blows. Not every time and usually more likely if the pavement is a little rough. I have done some basic diagnostics and I don't think it's the horn button in the middle of the steering wheel. I can replicate the problem even if I pop the button out of the wheel. I also checked the horns (both original electric type) to make sure the are securely mounted. The problem does not happen on left turns.

Any ideas of what else to check? Right now I feel like my car is trying to warn people that I'm coming around the corner too fast! ("Watch out! Idiot behind the wheel!")

[aj81spider]

If your 81 is like mine was you have a wire coming up through the hub that connects to the button. The button basically shorts that wire to ground (which is the hub). My guess is that it is frayed and when you turn hard it is contacting the hub - acting like the horn button is pushed.

I would check to see if you can see any fraying. If not then pull the hub to see if it is frayed further down.

[4uall]

this might help

[btoran]

there's something to the right that your car doesn't want you to see. new fiat dealer maybe?

[perthling]

My guess is it's not the horn itself or the connecting wire, but one of the two copper tangs has broken off behind the steering wheel (i.e. in the column switch assembly).

The way it completes the circuit is the black wire in the photo goes to the horn button, and the circuit is completed when pressed by contact with the wheel - on the back of the wheel is a raised copper disc which contacts two lightly sprung copper tangs. Over time these tangs can break and rattle around in the space behind the wheel.

Just undo the nut in the centre of the steering wheel (mark the orientation of the wheel on the spline first) and remove the steering wheel. The contact tangs should be pretty obvious when looking at the top of the column. I re-drilled mine and used a small pop rivet to hold it back in place (others may have alternative methods).

I've experienced this on at least two 124s in my custody.

[MrWampus]

Update: I removed the steering wheel over the weekend but I could not get the hub off the column. I would probably need to use a gear puller to remove it. I did remove the plastic cowling around the steering column though and everything actually looks good. I did not see any frayed wires or loose/broken connectors. Unless the black ground wire that comes through the hub is frayed right behind the hub where I can't see it. If it is frayed there I should be able to move the wire around and get it to ground against the hub but no luck.

BTW, does any of that stuff under the cowling need any kind of lubrication? Seems like it had something at one time but everything is really dry now. Was thinking of a light spray of silicon lubricant or similar. My steering wheel seems a bit loud when I rotate it. Always has. And what about the joints in the steering linkage under the dash and through the firewall? Does any of that need lubrication?

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'll keep looking for the horn gremlin.

[spider2081]

I have had pretty good luck doing this.
Remove horn button. Loosen the nut that holds the steering wheel hub to the shaft. Leave the top of the nut flush with the top of the shaft. While jerk pulling on the steering wheel have some one hit the nut with a large hammer. The hub usually pops off with the steering wheel attached. Leaving the nut in place not only protects the shaft threads it also keeps me from hitting myself in the face with the steering wheel.

[rja]

I have had pretty good luck doing this.
Remove horn button. Loosen the nut that holds the steering wheel hub to the shaft. Leave the top of the nut flush with the top of the shaft. While jerk pulling on the steering wheel have some one hit the nut with a large hammer. The hub usually pops off with the steering wheel attached. Leaving the nut in place not only protects the shaft threads it also keeps me from hitting myself in the face with the steering wheel.

google-john twist steering wheel removal. it's with an mgb (or midget) but it illustrates this method. there are a host of these videos; some are quite comical.

[MrWampus]

Update: I finally got time yesterday to pull the steering wheel (thanks for the video suggestion, the hammer approach worked perfectly!). When I got the wheel off I noticed that one of the two copper tangs had somehow gotten bent over sharp side up and it had scraped a load of plastic and metal shavings off inside the hub. I guess that under certain conditions, a piece of shrapnel was bridging the gap between the two metal contact surfaces causing the horn to blow. I vacuumed out the debris, bent the tang back into the right shape and sprayed a light coat of silicone lubricant on the contacts. Everything seems fine now and the rough sound I mentioned above is gone. Thanks for the tips. Now on to the poor fuel mileage issue!

[4uall]

Glad to hear (no pun intended) you got it all worked out

[seabeelt]

And here I thought Jay was going to be the gut to say "stop turning to the right and just make left hand turns"

[4uall]

After I bought this replacement part Fiona would only turn left, so I had to return it