Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi I am a new owner and I need to replace the horn earth wire which is in the middle of the steering column. But I just can not see how to take it out to replace it. Hope some one on here can help me.

The reason why I need to know about how to remove the earth wire from the steering column is that each time I connect the wires to the horn it just keeps blowing the fuse, so I want to rewire it. I the interior light is working fine and I need to get this sorted out for the MOT.
Thanks

Have you got the horn wiring clear in your own mind? It's not like, most equipment, because one terminal of the horn is connected via the fuse to a permanently live source, and the circuit is completed when the other terminal is connected to earth. This is done by the horn button in the steering wheel.

Take both wires off the horn, and establish which one is permanently live (probably purple). Connect this one back to the horn - doesn't matter which terminal. Does this cause the fuse to blow? If so, the horn itself is faulty.

If not, leave this one wire connected, and briefly connect the other terminal to earth. The horn should sound. If it doesn't, or if the fuse then blows, the horn is faulty.

If it sounds, reconnect this second terminal to the wire leading up the steering column (probably purple/black). Three things could then happen: the horn could sound continuously, which means a fault in the horn push or possibly a short to earth in the cable up the column; or the horn may not work when you push the button, which would mean either a fault in the switch or a break in the cable up the column; or it may work fine.

Let us know what happens when you follow that sequence. Sorry if I'm teaching egg-sucking here, but I don't know how experienced you are with electrics in general or whether you have a test lamp or multimeter.

This also assumes a standard single horn with no extra relay fitted.

Kevin

hanks I have tried all that and it has to be the cable up the column and that why I need to know how to remove it and replace it.

What fault, exactly, in this cable could cause the fuse to blow?

Kevin

I am not sure but I just want to rewire the whole thing so I just need to know how to remove the wire thats all I need to know.

I'd guess you undo one end and pull on the other, preferably pulling the new bit of wire in with the old one.

But you may as well clean the inside of the sump, or change all the wheel cylinders, for all the difference you will make to the problem. IF, that is, you really have done everything I suggested, and just not told us how far you got before you found a fault.

Kevin

As I said I have tried all that and now I want to rewire it, I thought people on here would help and not have some one come up with silly things like clean out the stump and talk about the brakes.

You asked for help: I gave you a step by step troubleshooting guide to your problem of "each time I connect the wires to the horn it just keeps blowing the fuse", and I asked you to describe the outcome.

All you've said is "I have tried all that", without telling us at what point something goes wrong.

You insist you know it's the cable at fault, but can't suggest how a cable fault could cause your symptoms. If what you mean is "I put a nail across the fuseholder and now I've burned out my loom", confess, and we'll start from there.

I've even told you how to pull a new cable through your steering column.

Read the threads about brake imbalance and cleaning sumps under "Mechanical" and you may understand the analogies I'm drawing.

Are you making yourself easy or rewarding to help?

Kevin

Have to agree that the solution has been outlined very clearly for you in Kevin's post. The horn circuit is quite a simple circuit and very very rarely goes wrong. If there are problems with your horn, it is almost certainly a connection problem or a problem with the horn push itself rather than a faulty wire unless this has been damaged somehow through use. If you think about it, The wire you want to replace has no real opportunity to get damaged and if it is, it is certainly not a common fault. damaged horn pushes are a much more likely cause of the problem.

My advice would be to follow the guide outlined by Kevin BEFORE you rip any wires out of the steering column etc. As with all things - start simply and if that does not fix the problem then look deeper and decide after all else has failed, to replace the wire if required. Good luck and do let us know what the cause of the problem was and how you fixed it!

It CANNOT be the wire in the column.......you are failing to understand the problem. We have all done our best to help you (including a reply I sent that seems to have disappeared) - you seem to know better (but obviously don't!) . Good luck !!

Before you go criticizing the replies you are receiving note that the people trying to help each have over thirty years experience of maintaining Morris Minors and similar cars.

More like 50 years for some of us.........but even way back then I understood how the horn circuit worked on my Morris 8E!!! Looks like 'gus' was sound asleep when they covered electricity at skool.........

Maybe 40+ would have been closer

As I have already said I have tried all that has been said on here and all I have asked if how to remove the wire. Yes there are people on here which have many years working on the Morris Minor. But when some one asked about how to do some they should just tell them how to do that thing. I will not be coming back to this site again.

Be assured - there is NO REASON to renew that wire - that is NOT the problem. But seems you just can't be told.........

...and another pram rolls off into the sunset, toys scattered behind it.

You wonder why you bother trying to help, sometimes. I'd even told him not to just pull the old wire out without using it to draw a new one in.



Kevin

you can lead a horse ................... shame 'cause this is a great site and even experienced chaps and ladies ask for help and advise,so the less experienced are going to struggle to get good independent knowledge (and quickly)

We are all perfectly happy/willing to help the less experienced - but they do have to be willing to take in that advice and to co-operate with suggested tests/trials etc..

Some people do not appreciate the time and effort that can go in to answering questions, checking references in text books and workshop manuals, looking at components on the car or digging through the box of spares, taking photos, downloading and attaching, and typing a detailed instruction can take over half an hour, and you do not even get an acknowledgement.