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HELP (ASAP): Installed New Horns - NO SOUND AT ALL!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by jbusta, Jul 4, 2017.

  1. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    Hey guys,

    I need some help ASAP. I'm set to drive back down to LA (7hr road trip) in the morning, it's July 4th and I don't have a working horn.

    I just installed what are supposed to be some Plug-in-Play horns on my 2008 Prius.

    http://www.amazon.com/HELLA-424-801-Twin-Trumpet-Bracket/dp/B000COBK8A/

    HELLA 3FH 007 424-801 Twin Trumpet High/Low Tone 12V Horn Kit with Bracket

    I detached the power connectors from both the stock horns and then re-attached both the Hella Horns and used the brackets that came with the horns. And that's it.

    Also, not sure how to intrerpret this but on the back of my new horns, there is a metal connector labeled "10" and another labeled "16". I tried plugging in the horns' respective connectors both (low and high) into 10, and then tried both of them into 16. But neither setup works.

    So I tried just reinstalling the old horns thinking I could just go back to normal...and they don't work either

    I get no sound at all when i hit the horn. What could I have done for this to happen and what can I do to fix it?

    Thanks for any and all advice
     
    #1 jbusta, Jul 4, 2017
  2. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    I didn't add any extra wires or relays or anything at all. I simply unmounted the old horns, plugged in the connections to the "10" mount on the new horns and then reinstalled the brackets in the same place.
     
    #2 jbusta, Jul 4, 2017
  3. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Check your fuses, sounds like you blew at least one. You didn't read the manual or instructions that came with the horns?
     
    #3 xliderider, Jul 4, 2017
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  4. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Read through the Amazon site on your new horns and see that each horn draws 6 amps for 12 amps total current draw.

    If your horn circuit has a 10 amp fuse, then there's your problem. You will need to use the included relay to bypass the oem wiring circuit and draw power for your new horns directly from the fuse box.
     
    #4 xliderider, Jul 4, 2017
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  5. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    There were no instructions in the box. Would I be able to tell if I actually blew a fuse by looking at it?

    Are these that much different than the Freeway Blasters or the FAMM Grande, circuit/amp wise?

    Is the "10" and "16" connection on my horn directly reflecting the amp fuse?
     
    #5 jbusta, Jul 4, 2017
  6. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    I don't know what the amp rating is on the FIAMM Freeway Blasters I installed are, but I installed them a while ago without a relay with no problems and they have been used several times with no problems.

    Sometimes you can see a bad fuse is charred or discolored, or an actual break in the fuse itself, but the best way is to test it for continuity with a multitester. Look at the fuse legend in your manual for the horn relay fuse and replace that fuse with the spare, even if the fuse looks OK.
     
    #6 xliderider, Jul 4, 2017
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  7. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    OK. Crap. Just opened the fuse box and switched fuses. Now there is no power to the car. What did I do?
     
    #7 jbusta, Jul 4, 2017
  8. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    Anyone please help. In such a desperate position right now. Everything is closed. And I have to leave tomorrow, with lots of stressful events going on, I now have a car without power. FML
     
    #8 jbusta, Jul 4, 2017
  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Where are you located currently? Which fuses did you remove? Can't you put them back to restore power?

    If only without a horn, I would save that troubleshooting for another time. I can count on one hand how many times I've used our 2010 Prius II horn in the almost 8 years we owned it.

    Good luck (y)
     
    #9 Raytheeagle, Jul 4, 2017
  10. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    you "switched fuses"? did you read the amp values before you switched them? the only one you should have touched is the horn fuse. no reason to remove any of the other ones. you need to put whichever ones you moved back where they belong. and look at each of them carefully to see if the metal filament is burnt, melted, or broken.
     
    #10 69shovlhed, Jul 4, 2017
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  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Hopefully, switched means spare for the one in use?
     
    #11 xliderider, Jul 4, 2017
  12. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    Hey guys, so by switch I mean I switched the Right High beams for the horn fuse. I didn't see a 10A spare and i figured i wouldn't be using the high beams any time soon (going to head to the store and buy some spare fuses tomorrow).

    Just had my buddy use a multi-meter and my battery read 3.68. He says that it might have been due to me leaving the car on while I was working and it possibly being drained by my newly installed dashcam (a119 plugged into passenger-side 12v port).
     
    #12 jbusta, Jul 5, 2017
  13. jbusta

    jbusta Junior Member

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    So looks like I was in fact a newbie and left the power on for most of the day, draining my battery dry. It was just a coincidence that I found out after testing the new horns post-installation.

    So after charging the battery overnight, it was good as new this morning. Unfortunately I still couldn't get the new horns to work, so I re-installed the old horns and they're working fine. I also changed out the fuses with a couple spares, so all is well in the fuse box

    I guess I should look for Plug-n-Play and either get the FAMM Freeway Blasters or the FAMM Grande. It sucks because both of these horns says they are "two terminal" horns just like the set I tried to install. I just hope I don't run into the s

    Thanks for the help guys
     
    #13 jbusta, Jul 5, 2017
  14. TerryM

    TerryM Member

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    I couldn't find install instructions, but there should be a ground wire to connect one terminal to body ground for each horn. It doesn't seem to matter which side is ground and which is power. Most aftermarket horns do not ground through the mounting bolt like the factory ones do, so they come with the extra wire. Hope that is all you need to get them working.
     
    #14 TerryM, Jul 5, 2017
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