BigEkak1941

The horns on my 280ZX doesn't work. I can run 12volts directly to them & they work, but on the steering wheel it doesn't. I have tested an old Z with the steering wheel off and when you cross a screwdriver from the column to the horn button it would work, but not on the good Z. I can't find anything in the manual about this. Is there a horn relay? (oh the fuse is good). I hate to take the car in to a shop (electrical testing is expensive). If I can't figure how to correct it I am considering running a wire from the possitive terminal to a button switch on the dash & then to the horns directly, but don't want to jerry rig the car. Sure would appreciate any suggestions/personal experiences and solutions. Thanks BigEkak1941

plac

All the horn on your steering wheel is, is a break to ground. Its one of the simpliest jobs to work on. I rewired a lot of dash stuff on my 68 Charger back in the 90s. It could be your steering wheel and rust. Take off the top cover. (I'm guessing, its been a while since i had my Z). I hope you have a volt meter at least. You need to check where your horn tab touches when you press on it. You need to check continuity between those 2 parts. You especially need to make sure both sides are bare metal to conduct current. If you need to go further, you can hold down your horn button. (assuming it doesnt work), and check for continuty between both halfs of that connection. If your meter beeps, then the current is passing thru that area. In that case, you need to trace the wiring all the way to the horn, and look for any melted, ripped areas.

its time consuming, but very rewarding if you get it fixed. then all electrical works basically the same way, and you can solve anything.

jfairladyz

And yes there is a horn relay...I do believe it's up in the little cubby hole behind the battery. It doesn't look like the other relays though, its a funny shaped metal relay.

WildmaN

I believe it is right in front of the battery in the passenger side front fender. There will be a square piece roughly a couple inches up and down. I can't recall on how many screws there are. Either 2 or 4, but remove that black cover, and the relay should be in there. I replaced mine in my '81 before, but it has been a while. If I get a chance to look at mine, I will post more info.