Hello from Canada. how does the horn wire in a 1959 Buick works. On my car the horn is on all the time. I belief I have a short in the column. Does anybody REBUILD a 59 column and has picture? Thanks for any help Herbert
First off, you need to determine if the problem is in the steering column or not. Find the horn relay. Should have three wires. Disconnect it and place a test light from the hot wire to the one that makes it light up. That would be the one going to the steering column. Disconnect the plug at the steering column. If the light goes out, the problem is in the steering column. If it stays on, the problem is in the wiring harness. If it is in the steering column, you need a steering wheel or harmonic balancer puller to remove the steering wheel to further examine the problem. Good luck.
I'd advise you to take the horn ring off (don't ask me how yours works...many you just push in and turn a bit and the lugs let go) and see if you see a wire that is abraded and grounding. I just completed marrying a 58 Pontiac upper portion to a 61 Studebaker lower portion (I had a space issue for the transmission lever on the T it is going in) and the columns are really pretty simple once you figure out they aren't magic inside Just take pictures as you go, I don't have a photographic memory..those pictures really help!! You might want to purchase the shop manual, I bought both the shop and parts manual when I built my Studebaker and it saved me a lot of headaches. Good luck!! Edit...@goldmountain gave you better diagnostic advice than I did..he was typing at about the same time
yup, good advise. I found the 58 manual online, it might or might not help. There were a lot of changes from 58-59 http://buick.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/1958/1958 Buick Chassis Service Manual/index.html
The horn wire may be like the tri fives. It has a brass ring at the top of the column. Press the horn the contact is made. If the wire has broken loose from the brass ring it will honk all the time if it’s grounded. Get the shop manual to go after the wire. I have found several tri fives that broke this way. If this is the problem and you can’t find one for the Buick look at the tri five it could work.
Thank you for all your help. I forgot to mention that I checked the relay and removed the steering wheel. I have to work in the next 3 days and I will take your advice and check the electric again. I restored 2 steering columns from GM cars from the 70"s , but the 59 Buick is different. I will upload 3 pictures The horn wire comes out in the center of the steering shaft. On the lower end of the steering shaft is a switch with a contact to a brass ring inside the shaft. I belief Cadillac did have the same setup. so how the the wire connected to the brass ring?
Hopefully, the problem lies in the harness before the steering column. Pinched wire,easy fix. Somehow, I doubt that. I'm from the 70's street rod era where we ditched the old steering columns for fancy tilt columns so I'm of limited help. With the wire coming in from the bottom of the column, it would need a brush type contact to overcome the problem of a steering wheel that rotates. That would be that brass cylinder in your picture. The spring loaded contact would need some sort of insulator to keep it from grounding out and honking the horn. Start looking there. You probably will have to fabricate parts.
The wire goes inside the steering shaft and is soldered to the brass ring, which is on top of an insulator to keep it electrically separated from the steering shaft. The steering column tube has a spring loaded wiper that rubs on the brass ring with a connector on it.
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