Horn and tach!

[jeepnmomma]

Gotta pick some brains again!!!

Couple of questions!

1. Horn doesn't work and was wondering whats the best way to test it? How do you get the steering wheel off (its says amc, its a 3 spoke steering wheel) to check if there is a wire cut in it for the horn (like if someone needs to service it also)?


2. The tach isn't hooked up at all! I think its missing some wires. It only has a red, red w/white stripe and orange. Does anyone know what it looks like on the back of one that is all intact? Since I have a fuel injected engine in it now. Does it need a different tach anyway???

thanks for letting me pick!

 

[LongHorn]

Hope this helps.View attachment 520

View attachment 521

View attachment 522

 

[LongHorn]

More Tach.View attachment 523

 

[LongHorn]

You need a steering wheel puller. Try auto zone.

 

[jeepnmomma]

Well there isn't a black ground wire on the tach!


AND
how would you get the horn button off the steering wheel to get it off? Can't figure out how to get the actually horn button off!

 

[LongHorn]

Pull.

 

[TeamRush]

Factory Jeep tachs don't have 'Ground' wires except for the dash light, and the light will probably have 'Orange' or 'Yellow' wire for the power to the dash light,
And a 'Black' wire fro the ground to the tach...

Let me see if I can find a picture of a factory Jeep tach and post it up,

If you have a factory tach mounted in the dash, your wiring will look VERY similar to this.

----------------------------------------------------------

If you have an AFTER MARKET tach, you need to tell us, since the wiring is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the factory tach you see in the image.
AMC/Jeep used an ODD BALL tach, it's called a 'Series' tach, and the entire ignition circuit runs through the tach before going out to the engine.

The draw back with this is,
IF the tach fails, so does the ignition, so a lot of people will have factory tachs that are DISCONNECTED because the tach failed, and they took it out of the circuit so the engine would run.

 

[TeamRush]

The 'Best' way to 'Test' the horn is to connect a 'Jumper' wire to the battery positive terminal,

And pull the plug off the horn,
Touch the other end of the 'Jumper' wire to the horn terminal.

If the horn 'BLOWS', then the horn it's self is good.

If the horn 'BLOWS', then you will have to trace the wiring backwards to the problem.

If the horn DOES NOT sound off,
Then you need a new horn sounder.

'86 should have a horn relay, so the wiring will look a little like this,

Wiring diagrams can be quite overwhelming at first,
But if you trace the wiring from the battery to the starter relay (solenoid),

Through the fusible link that protects the fuse block wiring,

Through the fuse for the horn 'Feed' circuit,
(you know about your fuse block don't you?)

Out to the horn relay...
Through the relay to the horn it's self.

If you don't know how a relay works,
Try here,
http://www.junkyardgenius.com/wiring/Images/Relay.gif

And here,
http://www.civilianjeep.info/Wiring/relay02.gif
-----------------------------

If you need BASIC WIRING education,
Try these pages,
http://www.junkyardgenius.com/wiring/Images/WiringBasics01.gif

http://www.junkyardgenius.com/wiring/Images/WiringBasics02.gif

http://www.junkyardgenius.com/wiring/Images/WiringBasics03.gif

Maybe these will help some...

 

[jeepnmomma]

Thank you!!

It is a factory tach and I have a feeling that it was disconnected because it failed.

thanks for the horn info! Have to start testing to see whats going on! I'll just have to use the "silent" horn until I can get it fixed!!!

 

[TeamRush]

I use middle finger...
And if that isn't loud enough, I've been known to use gunshots to get someones attention!

 

[AdamH]

I am trying to get my factory tach wired up. PO installed a Painless Universal harness in the Jeep. I should be looking for a heavy gauge wire close to my ignition correct? I have the purple "Tach" wire under the dash from the Painless harness but trying to figure out which ignition wire I should use.

 

[stoflos]

got an '85 CJ7 with a dead horn . . . buddy installed a radio and pulled the red wire from the fuse block that comes off the horn fuse (20amp). where does this red wire go in the fuse block? Tried a open terminal - blew the fuse . . .

 

[SemperFiCJ5]

I am trying to get my factory tach wired up. PO installed a Painless Universal harness in the Jeep. I should be looking for a heavy gauge wire close to my ignition correct? I have the purple "Tach" wire under the dash from the Painless harness but trying to figure out which ignition wire I should use.

You can use any switched 12 volt source. Use a multi meter to see which wires are hot and cold when the key is on and off.

The painless wire is purple with a white stripe isnt it? all the others are easy hook ups.