Technical Odd horn problem; '60 Chevy

I have a strange horn problem in my '60 Biscayne, hoping you all can brainstorm this one with me...

I just installed a new upper bearing in the steering column (old one was a junk replacement and the contact ring on it was too small, so the horn contact brush couldnt even touch it). The new bearing wasn't much better that the old one; very sloppy, ID too big for the column, and the contact ring was still too small (albeit larger than the previous one). It took two hours of fiddling with it and trimming the rubber to get it to actually work with the steering wheel installed. After that I installed the new horn button hardware (also junk, the plastic insulator is so brittle the thin strip holding the 3 pieces together immediately broke. No bug deal really, just makes it a little annoying to install the insulators individually).

Now, when I test the button with my multimeter, it functions perfectly. Press the button, wire from bearing grounds, release button and it breaks connection. I can repeat this endlessly and it functions fine every time. Now, when I connect the wire from the bearing to the wire going to the horn relay, the relay closes as if the horn button is stuck. I disconnect the wires, retest the button, and it is fine. Wire us not pinched, chafed, or otherwise shorted to ground. So I reconnect the wires, and the relay grounds/closes.

Now I test the relay with another horn button (the pushbutton type that you would mount under the dash) and it is fine. I test the actual horn butron again and it is still fine. Connect the wires again, and the relay grounds!

I can't figure this one out, and I've already waisted the better part of my Sunday dinking with it. Anybody have any ideas???? I am at a loss. Why is it always the simple things that give you trouble?!?!

 

What is probably happening is that the new mechanism you installed has a high resistance to ground. But it is low enough to cause the horn relay to draw enough current to arc across the horn contact you just replaced. Take a voltmeter and check the resistance across the wire going to relay from there to ground without being hooked up to horn relay. Use a higher setting on the voltmeter. You have to remember that the relay is there to allow a low current to ground to energize the relay.

 

same problem in my Chevy II....I gave up on it. I blame it on the reproduction part.

Do you have all the hardware in there, that pushes the center race of the bearing down? they used a spring on some models, and a spacer sleeve on other models. My Chevy parts book does not show that one, and I don't remember.

 

Funny, none of my books show anything either!!! Nothing to do with the horn or upper steering column. Not in the parts book, not in the '58 or '59-'60 service book... There is like a one-sentence paragraph on changing that bearing which basically just says "change it, duh..." but thats it.

There was a spacer in there before, new bearing came with a spring, but I reused the spacer. I just gave up on the whole thing and got an under-dash button instead. I wish I would've just done that from the start, between the bearing and horn button parts I'm out like 50 bucks for nothing...