Hi I am in the process of rebuilding this delco 801 horn and the wires have fallen out of the end of the black part in the lower part of the picture, does anyone know what this is and if it is replaceable with a modern part ? I assume it is a capacitor or condenser or something like that. Thanks Graham
had to lighten that up to see what you were talking about. I believe these are known as Ahooga Horns, right? My guess is that it's a capacitor as these are actually motor-driven and have an armature, correct ? Here's a working Horn for sale on eBay altho' a different p/n (guts might be the same) https://www.ebay.com/itm/132876493661 You could also could try contacting the seller of the above and ask him what that part has written on it, if anything.
Hi Thanks that does look like the same horn possibly a different length hence number. I will try to contact the seller see if anything is written on it.
I tried it and it did work but when I took the back cover off to strip it for paint the wire fell out of one end of the condenser. This horn was on my model a pickup when I got it and although not correct for it I would love to keep it on there. Have you any idea what size condenser I would need ?
Not too specifically no, I don't even know its actual purpose - preventing kickback arcing? Are there some kind of vibrating contact points of in there? It will need to have a lot higher voltage rating than one might think. It would only be a few dollars at most. If you can find a schematic somewhere online for even a similar unit that would be close I bet. Or dig around for a "old car horn" website forum & support group and ask them, I'd bet a soda there's probably one out there. Are there any markings on the condenser? Somebody will know what will work - e.g. 0.5uF 500 volt etc.
I did some quick goolag searches for "Delco 801 horn capacitor" and came up with some good hits. Look for an "Orange Drop" 715P capacitance 0.47uF at 600 volts. It will stand up to the abuse, horns carry a lot of current. The jury is still out on those whether or not to file the points, apparently split between "leave it alone if it works" and the OCD types. I'd expect they need it by now, but use a spoon file and a non residue solvent - Trike or something like that.
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