Long term fix for horn

[Sross975]

After replacing my battery, my horn started to not work. When I would press on the button, it would cause an error to come up for the hood being ajar.

After a bit of diag, I found that the plug behind the headlight was causing the issue. There were a few pins that had green corrosion on them, so I cleaned them up, and filled the plug with dialectic grease. It started working for a bit, but it doesn’t seem to be a definite fix. It will go in and out on its own, but I can always get it working again after fiddling with that plug. I have tried cleaning the pins and adding more dialectic grease a few times, but still have issues. I also tried adding a zip tie around the plug to make sure it stayed tight, but I don’t think that’s the issue. If I just try to push the plug together more to tighten it, that usually won’t fix it. To get it working again, I have to unplug it, and plug it back in.

does anyone have a solution for a long term fix?

thanks!

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[RangerBill]

After replacing my battery, my horn started to not work. When I would press on the button, it would cause an error to come up for the hood being ajar.

After a bit of diag, I found that the plug behind the headlight was causing the issue. There were a few pins that had green corrosion on them, so I cleaned them up, and filled the plug with dialectic grease. It started working for a bit, but it doesn’t seem to be a definite fix. It will go in and out on its own, but I can always get it working again after fiddling with that plug. I have tried cleaning the pins and adding more dialectic grease a few times, but still have issues. I also tried adding a zip tie around the plug to make sure it stayed tight, but I don’t think that’s the issue. If I just try to push the plug together more to tighten it, that usually won’t fix it. To get it working again, I have to unplug it, and plug it back in.

does anyone have a solution for a long term fix?

thanks!

There are a couple of ground screw connections near that connector. They provide chassis grounds to wiring harness ground lugs. Make sure that they are clean and tight. The horn and hood ajar switch share the same ground connection G114.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

If you figure it out, let me know. My horn goes in and out all the time. Very frustrating.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

My horn hasn’t worked since I ran through a mud puddle shortly after getting the ranger. Apparently that’s a know issue with them. If they get wet, they’re shot. That’s what I’ve heard anyway. Mine still halfway works, kind of… Sounds like a little clown horn don’t know of any real fix other than replacing. Haven’t looked into it honestly.

 

[Sross975]

Thank you f

There are a couple of ground screw connections near that connector. They provide chassis grounds to wiring harness ground lugs. Make sure that they are clean and tight. The horn and hood ajar switch share the same ground connection G114.

Thank you for these schematics. I thought it might be a grounding issue at first so I did try to clean up the grounds. I do have some low wattage lights that are currently sharing that ground as well, so maybe I will try disconnecting them and see if it helps.

 

[Sross975]

My horn hasn’t worked since I ran through a mud puddle shortly after getting the ranger. Apparently that’s a know issue with them. If they get wet, they’re shot. That’s what I’ve heard anyway. Mine still halfway works, kind of… Sounds like a little clown horn don’t know of any real fix other than replacing. Haven’t looked into it honestly.

based on your response and @Colo_Ranger perhaps it off road related. I had wheeled my truck a bit before replacing the battery, but maybe replacing the battery jostled that plug. I have definitely had water up to that point.
Do either of you have aftermarket accessories that share a ground in that location?

 

[airline tech]

I had an actual pic of the ground point - but it is on the shelf behind the headlight (drivers side) it is a shared ground - Hood Latch - Alarm Horn - Truck Horn - and Brake Fluid light, I assume the connector behind the headlight (you are referring) is the actual horn connector, it sounds like the connector pins are corroded or were corroded and it has wicked up to the wire or the pin tension has weakened.
Basically if you are not getting - Hood Ajar Message issues the ground point is good.

The Horn has 3 separate circuits - Switch to BCM - BCM to BJB (Horn Relay - Coil Ground) - Horn Relay to Horn

So noted - corrosion in connector (cleaned) but still may have corrosion in the terminals and possible corrosion on the contacts of the (Horn Relay) located in the BJB - Pull and Inspect the relay contacts as these are the 2 most likely points that the issue lies.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

All the accessories I’ve added have their own dedicated and separately fused circuits. Partly because I don’t trust factory connections, partly because it makes troubleshooting easier. If there’s ever an issue, I know the problem is isolated to one circuit that I ran and not 5 other things that are potentially tapped into a common source or ground from the factory.

 

[Grumpaw]

After replacing my battery, my horn started to not work. When I would press on the button, it would cause an error to come up for the hood being ajar.

After a bit of diag, I found that the plug behind the headlight was causing the issue. There were a few pins that had green corrosion on them, so I cleaned them up, and filled the plug with dialectic grease. It started working for a bit, but it doesn’t seem to be a definite fix. It will go in and out on its own, but I can always get it working again after fiddling with that plug. I have tried cleaning the pins and adding more dialectic grease a few times, but still have issues. I also tried adding a zip tie around the plug to make sure it stayed tight, but I don’t think that’s the issue. If I just try to push the plug together more to tighten it, that usually won’t fix it. To get it working again, I have to unplug it, and plug it back in.

does anyone have a solution for a long term fix?

thanks!

 

[Sross975]

I had an actual pic of the ground point - but it is on the shelf behind the headlight (drivers side) it is a shared ground - Hood Latch - Alarm Horn - Truck Horn - and Brake Fluid light, I assume the connector behind the headlight (you are referring) is the actual horn connector, it sounds like the connector pins are corroded or were corroded and it has wicked up to the wire or the pin tension has weakened.
Basically if you are not getting - Hood Ajar Message issues the ground point is good.

The Horn has 3 separate circuits - Switch to BCM - BCM to BJB (Horn Relay - Coil Ground) - Horn Relay to Horn

So noted - corrosion in connector (cleaned) but still may have corrosion in the terminals and possible corrosion on the contacts of the (Horn Relay) located in the BJB - Pull and Inspect the relay contacts as these are the 2 most likely points that the issue lies.

thank you for your response. You mentioned if I am NOT getting the hood ajar message, then my ground is fine. I am getting that message, so the assumption would be that the ground is not okay? I did confirm that all grounds in that area are secure, but I could try cleaning the threads on them. I would also mention that the plug I am referring to is the large one behind the headlight on the “shelf” in front of the battery. I think we are talking about the same one but just want to be sure. I can get a picture on my lunch.

As part of my original diagnosis I did check the relay and it seemed fine. I swapped it with a similar adjacent relay and was getting similar results. They actually remain switched to this day. I also checked pin tension, and they don’t seem wobbly when rubbed with a pick tool.

perhaps my next steps are to check the ground that’s mounted right above the horn, and then strip back the wire at the plug to see if there is a corrosion issue inside the wire?

 

[Sross975]

exactly this!

but also not hearing my horn honk when I lock it leaves me unsettled as I keep expensive equipment in the truck haha

 

[RangerBill]

thank you for your response. You mentioned if I am NOT getting the hood ajar message, then my ground is fine. I am getting that message, so the assumption would be that the ground is not okay? I did confirm that all grounds in that area are secure, but I could try cleaning the threads on them. I would also mention that the plug I am referring to is the large one behind the headlight on the “shelf” in front of the battery. I think we are talking about the same one but just want to be sure. I can get a picture on my lunch.

As part of my original diagnosis I did check the relay and it seemed fine. I swapped it with a similar adjacent relay and was getting similar results. They actually remain switched to this day. I also checked pin tension, and they don’t seem wobbly when rubbed with a pick tool.

perhaps my next steps are to check the ground that’s mounted right above the horn, and then strip back the wire at the plug to see if there is a corrosion issue inside the wire?

I would remove ground screw at G114 and clean the screw, ground lugs, and sheet metal with a wire brush, then reattach the screw. Make sure that the screw is tight and not stripped out.

 

[Sross975]

All the accessories I’ve added have their own dedicated and separately fused circuits. Partly because I don’t trust factory connections, partly because it makes troubleshooting easier. If there’s ever an issue, I know the problem is isolated to one circuit that I ran and not 5 other things that are potentially tapped into a common source or ground from the factory.

how are your grounds separated? All of my accessories have a separate ground mounted in the core support, but I have seen situations where grounds get loaded close to other grounds and can cause problems.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

My horn hasn’t worked since I ran through a mud puddle shortly after getting the ranger. Apparently that’s a know issue with them. If they get wet, they’re shot. That’s what I’ve heard anyway. Mine still halfway works, kind of… Sounds like a little clown horn don’t know of any real fix other than replacing. Haven’t looked into it honestly.

I thought this was the issue with my OE horn, so I replaced it with an air horn. I used the factory wires, soldered them to a relay/horn control (IE: did it the right way) and it has worked really well for a year or so. Mine just started failing again on Sunday.

based on your response and @Colo_Ranger perhaps it off road related. I had wheeled my truck a bit before replacing the battery, but maybe replacing the battery jostled that plug. I have definitely had water up to that point.
Do either of you have aftermarket accessories that share a ground in that location?

All my grounds are either at the battery or the SDHQ ground kit. I am going to take some time in the next few weeks to chase down wiring and make sure nothing is loose. The horn is my only failing item though, so... I don't think that's it.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

how are your grounds separated? All of my accessories have a separate ground mounted in the core support, but I have seen situations where grounds get loaded close to other grounds and can cause problems.

The only time I’ve seen issues with grounds is if/when they come loose and aren’t making good contact. I ground all the stuff I’ve ran straight to the body with a bolt and locknut. Clean the paint off first and get it down to bare metal. I haven’t had any issues so far and I’m going on 4 years with the hood lights and GMRS radio.

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