1999 1500 Z-71 extended cab 4x4 5.7

The horn in my truck quit working. I tried troubleshooting a little. I pulled out the horn and connected it to the battery. Works fine. I reinstalled then put a horn relay out of another truck in and still didn't work. I also tried putting my relay into the working truck and then that horn did not work. Do I have a double failure. Possibly the relay and something else behind the steering wheel. I also tried shorting the system with a paper clip where the relay goes. The horn beeped. I am lost on where to go next. I read there is possibly a switch or a connection of some type behind the airbag.
Any suggestions? Thanks

 

Greetings Tex, welcome to the Forum.

You will certainly need a known working Relay.
Once installed, you can ground one side of its Coil, to get the Horn to sound.

The Wire which runs from the Relay to the Steering Wheel is a Grounding Wire only. When you press the horn button/area, the compression shorts the wire to ground, closes the Relay, and sounds the Horn.

It may be tedious, but, you should be able to trace the Wire with a Volt/Ohm Meter, verifying it's connections/continuity from the Relay, through/up the Steering Column, to the contact(s) in the Steering Wheel. Thusly repairing any interruption in that continuity.

Alternate fix...
If your inspection/effort doesn't result in an immediate fix, and, you are due for a State Inspection, you may run a separate Wire from the Relay Coil to a Push Button, which you should bolt/screw/clamp in a convenient location to/near the Driver.

Your Vehicle Inspection Requirements only require that you have a operating Horn, not where the actuator/button is for it.

 

You nailed it. State Inspection time. Thanks for the info. I will give it a try tonight and let you know the results.

 

Nails, Bailing Wire, Duct Tape...
All that Shade Tree Mechanic work I've done really pays off at times

PS:
Just in case you weren't aware...
Yes, run a wire from the Relay to the Pushbutton, AND...
another (from the other Pushbutton terminal) to a convenient Ground to complete the circuit when the button is pressed.

 

Well. A whole weekend wasted working on the truck. Bummer. Took the airbag out cleaned all of the brass contacts. No loose wires there. Finally gave up and just ran a wire from the relay to a horn button now mounted in the cab. So I guess we call that fixed.
Then the next problem. My ABS light is on. I took both front wheels off and cleaned the wheel sensors. Didn't help so I took them out and replaced them with 2 new wheel sensors. Still no fix. My brakes have not been the greatest over the last couple years so I thought we would bleed them. Started on the back right then the back left up to the front right. When I got to the front left I noticed a lot of air bubbles. I thought great. I have found the problem. Kept bleeding the brakes. No luck. Filled the reservoir a few times. What I noticed was the reservoir would fill with tons of very small air bubbles. I would let it sit until the reservoir seemed clean again. Then bleed again and the reservoir would fill with tons off bubbles again. This is new to me. I have ran this truck for 12 years and never seen this before. Any ideas what is happening?

 

Strange... I just can't think of a given problem which would cause that.
You suppose it's just an issue of how you fill the MC. Try slowing the fill where there is no possibility of "splash" within the reservoir. Try to check and see that there are no bubbles in the Fluid Bottle beforehand.

 

AustinTX Welcome to the forum...

 

I wonder if there wasn't enough beer in the cooler. Hahaa. Thanks for the help guys

 

HA HA HA...
You didn't fill the Master Cylinder up out of the wrong Bottle did you
Beer can Foam !