Bad Horn Placement

[Porpoise Hork]

For the third time now I have driven through standing water only an inch or so deep. Wall of water shoots up, no big deal right?

Nope.

Every time without fail water splashes up and into the horns killing the lower tone horn completely. The dealer has already replaced them three times and is about to have to do it again... Heavy rains on Monday and hit a largish puddle and wouldn't you know it. Lower tone horn is out.. Again...

Guess I am going to need to add a splash shield for them or drill a drain hole in the horns or something. Anyone else experience this?

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[Matsterious]

For the third time now I have driven through standing water only an inch or so deep. Wall of water shoots up, no big deal right?

Nope.

Every time without fail water splashes up and into the horns killing the lower tone horn completely. The dealer has already replaced them three times and is about to have to do it again... Heavy rains on Monday and hit a largish puddle and wouldn't you know it. Lower tone horn is out.. Again...

Guess I am going to need to add a splash shield for them or drill a drain hole in the horns or something. Anyone else experience this?

You need to stay in when it's raining that hard! "Turn around don't drown"! I'm from Houston also lol. I think owning a jacked up truck should be a requirement here with the high waters and bumpy roads.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

You need to stay in when it's raining that hard! "Turn around don't drown"! I'm from Houston also lol. I think owning a jacked up truck should be a requirement here with the high waters and bumpy roads.

Each of these instances the water is pooling in a low spot on the street and extends out to the middle of the two lane road and I drove through doing between 20-30 mph. The water is at best ankle deep but has not been enough to top the curbs. Haven't gone out when there's flooding or anything like that. I also make it a point to not go down a flooded street where I can't see the top of the curbs. If I do go down a street even one I know well with standing water up to the curb I keep it under 5 mph.

i hit puddles all the time and havent had a problem
i consider some of them pretty big, but cant compare to yours since you offer nothing to compare.

The puddle that did it this time was at best 2" deep and maybe 4" wide on the driver's side and I hit it doing maybe 15-20 mph. It was dark so I did not see it until I was right up on it. Got the wall of water from the drivers front tire and then maybe 20 min later parked the truck and armed it noting the lower note horn failed to sound and the higher note was very muffled.

 

[T Bone]

Bret i think the water gods just dont like you lol.

 

[Matsterious]

Each of these instances the water is pooling in a low spot on the street and extends out to the middle of the two lane road and I drove through doing between 20-30 mph. The water is at best ankle deep but has not been enough to top the curbs. Haven't gone out when there's flooding or anything like that. I also make it a point to not go down a flooded street where I can't see the top of the curbs. If I do go down a street even one I know well with standing water up to the curb I keep it under 5 mph.

Oh I know you probably weren't driving in super deep water. Just was making a Houston reference. Sorry about your horn!

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Bret i think the water gods just dont like you lol.

Lol.. Probably correct.

After they replace it, I may pull the horn and drill a 1/8" drain hole on the bottom of them, as well as get some aluminum flashing material to fabricate a splash shield for it.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Each of these instances the water is pooling in a low spot on the street and extends out to the middle of the two lane road and I drove through doing between 20-30 mph. The water is at best ankle deep but has not been enough to top the curbs. Haven't gone out when there's flooding or anything like that. I also make it a point to not go down a flooded street where I can't see the top of the curbs. If I do go down a street even one I know well with standing water up to the curb I keep it under 5 mph.



The puddle that did it this time was at best 2" deep and maybe 4" wide on the driver's side and I hit it doing maybe 15-20 mph. It was dark so I did not see it until I was right up on it. Got the wall of water from the drivers front tire and then maybe 20 min later parked the truck and armed it noting the lower note horn failed to sound and the higher note was very muffled.

Hi Bret,

The durability testing at Ford requires running through a water bath like you describe at around 20mph once every couple of route cycles... Seems this would have surfaced as a systemic problem at that time. I wonder if you are missing a splash shield. Maybe check another Ranger at the dealer. Since the horns are behind the left headlight the wheel house splash shield should keep this horn area relatively dry... Something weird is going on here....

Wheels and tires stock?

Best,
Phil

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Hi Phil,

Yes the wheels and tires are stock. I do have a 2.5" leveling kit and 1" spacers on it, but this happened prior to those being installed. There isn't any splash shield down there now. You can lay on the ground under the bumper and look up to see that the horns are fully exposed.

Thanks for the suggestion, I can certainly take a look at another Ranger to see if mine is missing a splash shield there.

 

[AdamHarris]

But both horns already point straight down so not sure what drilling a hole would do. Ensure they are plugged up completely.

 

[Msfitoy]

Stock horn is not very useful...I bypassed them...

 

[Toytec]

The Tundra has a similar defect with their air intake for the air injection system. Located high in the R/F wheel well below the headlight. Sucks in water to the injection pump, and the emissions valves. Done deal after that and sets codes. 2500.00 repair.
Thankfully they extended the warranty, and the new intake is completely different.

I'll look into those horns and remember to test from what op said.

 

[got3fords]

Stock horn is not very useful...I bypassed them...

So what do you have for a noise maker?

 

[Porpoise Hork]

But both horns already point straight down so not sure what drilling a hole would do. Ensure they are plugged up completely.

The bells do point down, but I suspect that water is getting past the grill plates and going up into the horn body. This is either shorting the horn out from inside when it tries to sound and is filled with water or causing it to seize up and breaking.

To remedy this I was thinking of drilling two small holes like the picture below shows, one on each horn so it would drain out.

 

[Msfitoy]

So what do you have for a noise maker?

Cop horn with PA...did you know squirrels can fly?...?

 

[Matsterious]

Cop horn with PA...did you know squirrels can fly?...?

I want that camera! Do you have a link?

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