The horn is a cool of sorts so there will be potential across it do .2
could be normal.
On Mar 11, 2012 3:43 PM, "Kevin Green" <kevin.green.thunderb...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Yeah, looking at the wires to the horn and not the button.
>
> The order you have for the circuit would make sense to me, with perhaps
> the addition of having the 12v in being relayed so it's only hot when the
> bike is on, but it doesn't match what I'm seeing from the wiring diagram or
> the readings I'm getting on the bike. I'm measuring voltage between each
> wire and the frame and I get 12 volts steady from one when the bike is on
> (0v when off) which would match your theory, but the other wire should
> measure 0 volts when the button is pressed if it just runs to ground.
> Instead I get +12v on that wire when the button is pressed.
>
> My measurements seem to match what the wiring diagram in the manual
> illustrates, although it doesn't illustrate the horn getting to ground
> directly to the frame. If the horn just used those two wires as the
> circuit and didn't ground directly then you would be looking at an
> incomplete circuit, until you pressed the button and then you would have a
> +12v on both wires, which doesn't give you any electrical difference to
> power the horn
>
> This dead horn is actually already not the original horn that was on the
> bike (also dead, not too surprising for 30 years old) and the horn I
> replaced the original with only had one connector, not two like the
> original did, and it definitely grounded through the frame. If I hooked up
> the constant 12v line it would honk continuously anytime the bike was on,
> and if I hooked up the 12v when the button was pressed the horn honked.
> I'm starting the think maybe the original horn had a relay built in, so
> that the horn would ignore the trickling voltage until it hit 12v-ish and
> then it would use the power from the 12v steady line to actually power the
> horn. That's pretty speculative though.
>
> On Mar 11, 2012 8:01 AM, "Pat Patterson" <p...@hot4x4.ca> wrote:
>
>> It's 4:40 am here... when I get up (lets not call it morning lol) I have
>> some things to do to my bike anyway so I'll grab my multi meter and have a
>> look.
>> I suspect that it's normal tho.
>>
>> Actually the more I read and wake up my fuzzy brain something isn't right.
>>
>> Your testing the 2 wires that go to the horn itself not the wires to/from
>> the button correct?
>>
>> My understanding of the horn circuit is as follows.
>>
>> Batt 12vdc+ -------- 12v+ fuse12v+ ------- 12v+ horn12v+ ---------12v+
>> button(Normally open) 0v ------- 0v ground 0v ----- 0v neg side of batt.
>> (from ground to batt it's actually frame not wires)
>> I hope that makes seance to you. If it does and you're getting .2
>> anywhere I have 0v you're ok. That can be anything from meter accuracy, to
>> static charge to feedback on the ground side with a bad ground somewhere
>> (could be on any circuit) If you're getting .2 where I have 12v (and I have
>> the circuit right) then you have a problem. What I can't say exactly
>> without knowing where in my line drawing, and maybe not without actually
>> seeing the bike. But I'll be able to make a good guess just knowing exactly
>> where in the circuit the .2 is.
>>
>> for reference a car would be;
>> batt12v+ --------12v+ fuse 12v+ --------- 12v+ Relay 0v ===---coil side--
>> 0v horn button 0v----0v ground. Relay 0v ===------ switched side--- 0v
>> horn - ground. Auto horns ground internally, bike horns run a second wire
>> back to the switch for ground.
>>
>> At 02:58 PM 3/10/2012, you wrote:
>>
>> So I'm up on the road and I realize my horn is dead. I found some brake
>>> fluid dripped onto it and I figure that could have done it in. I also used
>>> my multimeter and found that one of the wires to the horn has 12 volts
>>> anytime the bike is on, and the other has 12 volts when the button is
>>> pressed. What worries me is that the button wire has .2 volts when the
>>> button isn't pressed. That doesn't seem like the kind of voltage leak that
>>> might kill a horn, but I don't see why it's not 0 when the button isn't
>>> pressed and I hate to put another horn on just to die in another hour of
>>> riding because of a voltage leak (brake fluid leaks are bad enough). Can
>>> anybody else with a 450 check the voltage on those wires and let me know if
>>> my voltage is typical?
>>>
>>
>> Pat Patterson
>> Abbotsford, BC, Canada
>> VA7PDP
>>
>> 2001 PT Cruiser
>> 83 450 Honda Nighthawk
>> 78 F350 460/C6 on propane
>> 71 Bronco 302/C4/D20 D44/9" {o===o}
>>
>> "Just add Lightness-"
>> Colin Chapman. (1928 - 1982)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group.
>> To post to this group, send email to
>> nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.**com<nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com>
>> .
>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
>> nighthawk_lovers+unsubscribe@**googlegroups.com<nighthawk_lovers%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com>
>> .
>> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/**
>> group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en<http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en>
>> .
>>
>> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group.
> To post to this group, send email to nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> nighthawk_lovers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group.
To post to this group, send email to nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
nighthawk_lovers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
