Is there an 850 horn contact repair kit yet?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Doug Warner
  • Start date Start date
D

Doug Warner

Well, after honking my horn at one of Atlanta's many mobile idiots
today, my 94 850 succumbed to the dreaded crumbling horn contact
failure:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact.jpg

Left: The one that sounded the horn until I pulled the fuse.
Right: What it looks like with all the plastic gone, The tip is 2mm
thick, and the supporting ring underneath was 2mm as well, producing a
total 4mm protrusion above the bracket surface.


I could see that a whole steering wheel would be the only factory
fix..

Still, where there's a will (and cheapness), there's a way:

First try:
Machine screw, insulating washers, shrink tubing:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact2.jpg
Still, it didn't seem too durable, and I didn't have enough washers.

Second try: Some plastic rod stock and my old lathe:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact1.jpg
Original contact insulator on left, my version on right.
The original has some plating on the tip. There's no tarnish, so I
doubt it's silver. Any ideas what metal it is?


With ready made screw-based contacts and the plastic parts, this
would be an easy & cheap fix, The ring terminals can be easily pulled
off the original contacts and they fit nicely around the screws. Is
Volvo or anyone else currently selling repair kits?

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Doug Warner said:
Well, after honking my horn at one of Atlanta's many mobile idiots
today, my 94 850 succumbed to the dreaded crumbling horn contact
failure:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact.jpg

Left: The one that sounded the horn until I pulled the fuse.
Right: What it looks like with all the plastic gone, The tip is 2mm
thick, and the supporting ring underneath was 2mm as well, producing a
total 4mm protrusion above the bracket surface.


I could see that a whole steering wheel would be the only factory
fix..

Still, where there's a will (and cheapness), there's a way:

First try:
Machine screw, insulating washers, shrink tubing:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact2.jpg
Still, it didn't seem too durable, and I didn't have enough washers.

Second try: Some plastic rod stock and my old lathe:
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/HornContact1.jpg
Original contact insulator on left, my version on right.


And, one of the four restored contacts. I coated them with silver
solder.
http://webpages.charter.net/dwarner2/DSCN0159.JPG
Horn works fine now.
About 5 hours work, including trial & error "sculpting" of the plastic
parts.

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