My Horn Is Terrible - Here's how I made it better.

Printable View

12-15-2014, 08:50 PM
Tinker1980

My Horn Is Terrible - Here's how I made it better.

We all know what our horns sound like. And it seems to me, here where I live, that it gets largely ignored.

So I decided to fix that. And I took pictures. For this job, you will need a 10mm and a 12mm wrench.

First, we pop the hood on our mirage. Head to the belt end of the engine.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps1c803d01.jpg

The horn is immediately in front of the A/C compressor, on a bracket mounted to the radiator support.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps345565d1.jpg

Unplug the wire. It uses a squeeze tab. Once you unplug it, remove the 10mm nut. The threads may be a bit gunked up, and you'll not be able to unscrew the nut with your fingers once you have it loose. You'll need the wrench.

It looks like this. Isn't it cute?

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...pse120a9cd.jpg

This is what I replaced it with. $21 at autozone. This is the "low tone" horn. It's quite loud.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...psc99c2116.jpg

You will find that the bracket on the car doesn't have a big enough hole for this horn. You can either drill it out, or use the brackets that came with the horn. To remove the bracket, you will need a 12mm wrench. The bolt is on the front of the radiator support. Be careful not to hit the A/C line with the wrench.

Once you have your bracket drilled or replaced, it's time to put the new horn on. The factory horn grounds out through the mounting stud. This new horn has two terminals. It came with a wire that had a spade connector on one end and a ring connector on the other.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps562d1089.jpg

Put the horn down in the spot the old one came from. Plug in the other wire.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...psf32e7bd6.jpg

Enjoy your new, better sounding horn. :cool:
12-15-2014, 09:00 PM
Daox

Nice write up. Thanks!
12-15-2014, 09:08 PM
MetroMPG

We need a YouTube before/after. :D

Just kidding - thanks for the DIY.

Added to the Mirage modifications/customizations list!
01-29-2015, 05:26 PM
kronosboy35

Thanks for the tutorial. However I have a few questions.
I followed your instructions to the letter. I even got the same new horn from auto zone. I however cannot get it to work. Did you swap out the horn control unit? Or the fuse?
01-29-2015, 05:51 PM
91cavgt

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronosboy35

Thanks for the tutorial. However I have a few questions.
I followed your instructions to the letter. I even got the same new horn from auto zone. I however cannot get it to work. Did you swap out the horn control unit? Or the fuse?

You may have the wires crossed, or it could be a bad horn. Remove the horn and try to get it to sound by hooking power from the battery right to the horn. If it blows and scares you, then it's good and the wires were probably backwards. If it doesn't work, take it back and get another one.

If it still doesn't work after all of the above, post on here and I will walk you through the troubleshooting steps to find out what is going on.

Replacing my horn is a job that I too plan to tackle pretty soon. Although, I am debating on the way the OP took, or installing an air horn like I had on my old scooter.

http://vid8.photobucket.com/albums/a...psea2ae992.mp4
01-29-2015, 08:54 PM
Messy Mitsu

1 Attachment(s)

Attachment 2238

I put these in every car I build as one of the first upgrades. Hella supertone grill mount horns, they have a low and high tone horn and they mount in your grill, they are 7 times louder than any factory horn so they will hear you for sure, plus they look awesome behind your grill
01-29-2015, 10:31 PM
alex16

Those look hella loud!

Had to do it lol.
01-30-2015, 12:34 AM
Tinker1980

Quote:

Originally Posted by Messy Mitsu

Attachment 2238

I put these in every car I build as one of the first upgrades. Hella supertone grill mount horns, they have a low and high tone horn and they mount in your grill, they are 7 times louder than any factory horn so they will hear you for sure, plus they look awesome behind your grill

Hey, I like those.

I tried to mount a WOLO Bad Boy horn in the stock location, but it wouldn't *quite* fit. It would have been great, I have one on my 1400 Intruder and it gets everyone's attention.

Kronosboy, You may check to see if you have a good horn. It shouldn't matter which directions the wires are attached - the way the horn works is by engergizing a small electromagnet, which causes a diaphragm to move, which hits a switch, which makes the diaphragm drop back, causing it to energize again... really, really fast. I may have the specifics wrong, but the way they are made mean that polarity doesn't matter.

Did you bump the wires while you had the horn out? Check the fuse.
01-30-2015, 12:51 AM
MetroMPG

Messy Mitsu: those look awesome. Need to hear a comparison of stock vs. aftermarket... do a YouTube vid!
01-30-2015, 01:06 AM
Messy Mitsu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWm2PgAQE7E not my video but it shows a good vs stock comparison. they are about 100$ on ebay, sickspeed also sells the same thing but different colors but they sell the wiring kit seperately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWm2PgAQE7E
01-30-2015, 05:02 AM
m4v3r1ck

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Messy Mitsu: those look awesome. Need to hear a comparison of stock vs. aftermarket... do a YouTube vid!

I have those on both my cars (inluding snowy) and you need to hear urself, not even comparable with sh*tty stock
01-30-2015, 06:54 PM
strawboss

I remember that stock horn.....it's a scooter horn! One just like that on my fortwo.....meep-meep :( finally got around to putting a "real horn" on last year, what a pain that was! Now the fortwo is going I'm looking forward to my Mirage where most mods are sooo much easier.
03-11-2015, 08:38 PM
Tinker1980

Got bored waiting on the new headlights to show up, had this old WOLO air horn lying around.

Remember kids, if it's worth doing, it's worth OVER-doing.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...psnmqkdq61.jpg
04-12-2015, 06:06 AM
kronosboy35

Alright. I have tried everything. I even bought three different horns, all different styles and bands. Nothing is working! I cannot figure it out. The fuses are fine. The horns work when I connect then to the battery. I have them grounded. I have run out of ideas and patience. Any ideas out there?
04-12-2015, 11:14 AM
DonHoot

If the horns, battery and fuses are all good the only two things left are the horn switch in the steering wheel or the horn relay(do they still use horn relays?). The relay should be on the fuse block somewhere.
04-13-2015, 01:42 PM
91cavgt

Quote:

Originally Posted by kronosboy35

Alright. I have tried everything. I even bought three different horns, all different styles and bands. Nothing is working! I cannot figure it out. The fuses are fine. The horns work when I connect then to the battery. I have them grounded. I have run out of ideas and patience. Any ideas out there?

It still could be your ground. If you don't have a good ground then it won't work no matter what you do. A lot of times, I will install a star washer to help ensure a good ground is had. If you don't have access to star washers, scrap the paint away from where the ground wire is installed, then tighten your ground wire. Make sure it is tight, but don't strip the screw/nut.
04-13-2015, 04:57 PM
Ares

I prefer the sound of Ford horns though, so those hella horns wont work for me...
07-12-2015, 01:20 PM
tlstreak

hmm added to the list. enough room in there for a train horn from kleinn
07-13-2015, 03:48 PM
Ares

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlstreak

hmm added to the list. enough room in there for a train horn from kleinn

I've been thinking about it...
03-21-2018, 09:35 AM
Niro123

Can someone re-upload the images from the first post? They are not available anymore.
03-21-2018, 09:59 AM
IchabodCrane

If there's two spade terminals on your new horn, connect pos to car plug and jumper second spade (neg) back to the center mounting bolt. Mount as usual.
03-21-2018, 10:56 AM
IchabodCrane

If there's two spade terminals on your new horn, connect pos to car plug and jumper second spade (neg) back to the center mounting bolt. Mount as usual.
11-22-2018, 11:50 PM
mitsumi

is there anyone here did a 4 horn setup?

just wondering how it'll sound installing two different set of horns? I just recently changed to the new Bosch Evolution horn but my EC6 still works fine and im thinking of installing it again.

just wondering?? :confused:
11-23-2018, 12:20 AM
Eggman

You'll have to let us know. And Pictures! :)
11-23-2018, 02:11 AM
Mitz

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitsumi

is there anyone here did a 4 horn setup?

just wondering how it'll sound installing two different set of horns? I just recently changed to the new Bosch Evolution horn but my EC6 still works fine and im thinking of installing it again.

just wondering?? :confused:

On pressing your horn button it will sound as if two cars are pressing their horns at the same time .. haha.. LOL
11-23-2018, 05:04 AM
mitsumi

hehe but will it not damage the relay if i install the extra horn?
or do i have to make a separate relay for the other two?
11-23-2018, 10:01 PM
Fummins

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitsumi

hehe but will it not damage the relay if i install the extra horn?
or do i have to make a separate relay for the other two?

Depends on how well made your relay is. Most vehicles here have 2 horns from factory. But that might not be as common any more. The car I drive has a pretty crappy horn to start with and I wore it out pretty good over the last few weeks.
11-27-2018, 07:14 AM
mitsumi

Hehe @Eggman

i managed to install my EC6 again + the new bosch evolution horn and its loud. i love how its sounds.

maybe because the EC6 has a higher tone and the Evo has bass tone.

Listen n watch how loud.
https://youtu.be/82Bxkz8j-Go
08-04-2019, 11:50 PM
Fuelblender

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinker1980

We all know what our horns sound like. And it seems to me, here where I live, that it gets largely ignored.

So I decided to fix that. And I took pictures. For this job, you will need a 10mm and a 12mm wrench.

First, we pop the hood on our mirage. Head to the belt end of the engine.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps1c803d01.jpg

The horn is immediately in front of the A/C compressor, on a bracket mounted to the radiator support.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps345565d1.jpg

Unplug the wire. It uses a squeeze tab. Once you unplug it, remove the 10mm nut. The threads may be a bit gunked up, and you'll not be able to unscrew the nut with your fingers once you have it loose. You'll need the wrench.

It looks like this. Isn't it cute?

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...pse120a9cd.jpg

This is what I replaced it with. $21 at autozone. This is the "low tone" horn. It's quite loud.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...psc99c2116.jpg

You will find that the bracket on the car doesn't have a big enough hole for this horn. You can either drill it out, or use the brackets that came with the horn. To remove the bracket, you will need a 12mm wrench. The bolt is on the front of the radiator support. Be careful not to hit the A/C line with the wrench.

Once you have your bracket drilled or replaced, it's time to put the new horn on. The factory horn grounds out through the mounting stud. This new horn has two terminals. It came with a wire that had a spade connector on one end and a ring connector on the other.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps562d1089.jpg

Put the horn down in the spot the old one came from. Plug in the other wire.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...psf32e7bd6.jpg

Enjoy your new, better sounding horn. :cool:

Thanks! I'm installing a compact two tone air horn from Amazon tomorrow. Because of the current draw, I'll also be adding a horn relay. Your post has been most helpful!
08-06-2019, 05:12 PM
Wubbalubbadubdub

I installed A, C, D, and F GM "cadillac" horns in mine. Remember cadillacs that sounded kinda like trains? Well, that's the sound. Not quite as loud as "train" horns you'll see but they are plenty and I mean plenty loud enough.

You don't have to buy a "set" off ebay, just go to a junkyard and look for 70s-80s-90s GM vehicles and get the horns. I say "set" because not many cars came with A, C, D, and F so people go to the junkyard and make a "set" to sell on ebay. Take a 12v battery and wires so you can test them (check the battery or jump box in with the junkyard). They have the musical note they are on the back. I probably have like 50 bucks in mine not counting the relay. I ran hellas and didn't like them.

If you remove the front bumper cover and use the existing wiring to trigger a relay, it's not too bad. I used the factory brackets the horns were attached to and just bent, cut, and shaped them so they would fit. Instead of a bolt, I put a stud in and it made it way easier to get 3 horns on one post and cinch it down nice and tight. I used one of the factory holes. For the other one, I forget what I did so I'll have to take a picture....it's been like a year.

The look on someones face when they hear the GM "Cadillac" horns come from the Mirage is amazing, worth the price of admission.

This guy goes over the GM horns really well, I could imagine C+C+D+D= super creepy and loud. That's toward the end of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiVowe2vcPY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiVowe2vcPY
08-06-2019, 05:25 PM
MetroMPG

Wow! You just made me nostalgic - when I was a kid, my grandpa had a couple of higher-end GM's (Buicks & Caddys) with that 4 note horn!
08-06-2019, 05:42 PM
Wubbalubbadubdub

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Wow! You just made me nostalgic - when I was a kid, my grandpa had a couple of higher-end GM's (Buicks & Caddys) with that 4 note horn!

Exactly the same for me, grandparents had a Fleetwood Brougham.
08-06-2019, 05:57 PM
MetroMPG

I think my grandpa's Riviera had it. I'm not exactly sure which Caddy he had.
12-10-2021, 03:33 PM
Nobu

1 Attachment(s)

Probably workin on this this weekend. Need to try a few different mounting locations—this one isn't bad, but it's closer to the engine mount than I like. Edit: Oh yeah, it's a kleinn 6126 direct drive kit. Probably a bit higher pitch than I like, but I can swap one of the horns later if it bothers me.

Attachment 22478
12-10-2021, 11:48 PM
Eggman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobu

Probably workin on this this weekend. Need to try a few different mounting locations—this one isn't bad, but it's closer to the engine mount than I like. Edit: Oh yeah, it's a kleinn 6126 direct drive kit. Probably a bit higher pitch than I like, but I can swap one of the horns later if it bothers me.

Attachment 22478

Can you please post a video of those horns in action? They must be crazy loud.
12-11-2021, 12:13 AM
Nobu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eggman

Can you please post a video of those horns in action? They must be crazy loud.

I will, but I need to wire them up still, and it's supposed to be pouring down this weekend so it might not be until next weekend. The product description says they're 110dB or so (with the included air pump), which isn't close to the 150dB they're rated for with an air tank, but should be a bit louder than stock anyway.
12-11-2021, 09:03 AM
foama

Disliking the OEM squeek-horn and wanting something that is heared, I got another horn from the junk yard and mounted it next to the original one. Both horns sound at the same time, and they are loud enough.