Hi All, Just got my standard '69 bug back from a shop that works on a lot of aircooled vws. They do good work. They replaced the missing wire down the steering column and also the wire that crosses the outside of the steering column junction above the steering box. They also cleaned all the contacts on the horn button and on the horn itself. The horn worked fine for a while and then stopped working. I normally rarely use the horn but inspection is coming up and it was good to have a horn again after almost a year so. I was miffed but drove on home. On the way back home I drove straight, nothing, made left turns, nothing, made a right turn, horn back! This continued all the way home where while after driving straight for a while, no horn, left turns, no horn, a good sharp right turn, horn back! ?????????? Any ideas? Could there be something amiss we missed? David
'69 beetle intermittent horn
Oct 18, 2007
2 Replies
See if yours has the wire connection to the shaft support bearing:
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That might be the cause.
The other possible is that the preload on the tiny ball bearings in the steering box isn't tight enough. Adjustment is very tricky and the bearings easily damaged, so leave that as a last resort.
Speedy Jim
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This refers to1969 Beetles in Aust, I,m not sure if they are the same the world over so this might be all bollocks.The gap between the rear of the steering wheel and the front of the assembly that hold the ignition switch/blinker is adjustable by loosening the two Allen key screws that clamp the assembly onto the steering column. Loosen the screws only and there is a small amount of up/down movement along the column. If that gap is too large the two beryllium leaf springs that contact the circular contact on the back of the steering wheel dont make contact, or maybe one will at certain positions. On my T3 the gap is about 1/8 inch, maybe minus a bit. You can actually see the contacts if you peer into the gap with a torch ( And you area contortionist!) . If the gap is too small you will wear out those leaf springs very quickly. Give this a go if all else fails.
John
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