Horn Replacement Attempt #1

[SparkYellow]

I tried to replace the horn today but failed. I wasn't able to remove the front bumper so I reached in from the grill slats and top trim. After getting the stock horn out, I realized that I need a few more components to install the Hella Horns. After putting the stock horn back, it wouldn't sound any more. It was very low before, now it's mute. Even the alarm won't sound when I lock the car.

There was a lot of sand and small debris inside the snail. It took a lot of shaking to get everything out.

The stock horn looks exactly like this one, with only one spade (?) on the back and connected with only one wire. (All other horns come with two spades on the back.) There wasn't anything connected to the screw on the back. There is a thin wire that looks like a ground connection that is connected to the top of the mounting bracket which the horn is attached to. It doesn't appear that the screw makes contact with the bracket though.

One YouTuber was able to replace the stock horn without removing the bumper ("skinny arms for the win", and in his video, there wasn't another wire to watch out for. What did I miss?

 

[SparkYellow]

The stock horn is secured to a bracket by only one short screw. With a long Philips screw driver, you can loosen it from the grill. I had to use an extension and 10mm socket. Once loose, the screw will fall and slide out onto the ground. The horn will dangle behind the grill, hanging by the wire. You can lift up the top panel by removing four trim fasteners and two screws. It will give you about 4 inches of a gap.

If you have only two hands and no friends, you will need to utilize tools. First, find something to wedge in the far left corner to keep the top gap open. I pushed one Hella horn in there. Next, use a long handle plier or something similar to slide through the grill to hold up the horn. Then you can grab the horn out from the top gap. The wire is short and easy to grab.

To put the horn back, connect the wire first. Then use the plier or other tool to line the horn up to the screw hole on the mounting bracket. Use the other hand to hold the screw and reach in from the top gap. Try to find the hole by feel. Give the screw a few turns so it's in. Then you can tighten it from the grill.

This is only good for the bare minimum one-horn swap.

 

[SparkYellow]

I declared the attempt a failure when the horn made no sound after it was connected to the wire and before it was mounted. The bracket must have worked as a ground connection somehow. After I secured it back to the bracket, the sound is at a healthy level, not loud, but not weak either. It was all the sand and debris inside that made it quiet. I was about to use a Bluetooth speaker to play horn clips on my phone.