94Q45 - Horn not working

[goody90q45]

My horn is working intermittently. I've checked both horns by jumping them directly to the battery and both are strong. I looked through the FSM and think that I need to check the switch under the steering wheel air bag. I see in the FSM that the two Torx bolts are one time use. So my questions are 1) Are the bolts ruined once they are removed?, and 2) What are the consequences of reusing the Torx bolts rather than installing new ones?

By the way, great web site. I've saved 100's of dollars doing my own repairs by following all the DIY's posted here. All of the the repairs I have done are made very simple with the step-by-step instructions and pictures.

Thanks in advance for your help with my horn issue.

[maxnix]

They can be reused with the correct drivers.

But disconnect your battery first.

[goody90q45]

Thanks for the response. Trying to save a few bucks but don't want to do anything unsafe either.

[elwesso]

Wouldnt the horn relay seem more plausible?

[Q451990]

Are the screws coated with some sort of locktite? Curious why they are set up as one time use? Can't be that expensive...

From looking at the FSM (EL-239), it appears that there's a horn relay in the engine bay fuse/relay box. It's grey and is the front one on the inside row (near the large fusible links). You should be able to unplug the relay and check the signal (input) for continuity with ground when you press the horn button. That wire's color code should be White with a Green Stripe (EL-208). I would try this first. Then work backward, leaving pulling the airbag and risking damage to the expensive spiral cable for a last resort.

Heath

[elwesso]

Are the screws coated with some sort of locktite? Curious why they are set up as one time use? Can't be that expensive...

From looking at the FSM (EL-239), it appears that there's a horn relay in the engine bay fuse/relay box. It's grey and is the front one on the inside row (near the large fusible links). You should be able to unplug the relay and check the signal (input) for continuity with ground when you press the horn button. That wire's color code should be White with a Green Stripe (EL-208). I would try this first. Then work backward, leaving pulling the airbag and risking damage to the expensive spiral cable for a last resort.

Heath

Check easy stuff first ALWAYS even if it seems unlikely!

[squeefoo]

Air bag is installed with tamper-proof torx ( the ones with a little tit in the middle) these require a "hollowed out" torx, I forget which size they are. One time use is for safety/liability reasons.

There is nothing under there but two contacts to ground the relay -Doubt you'll find anything under there -I didn't -just a lot of really fussy airbag stuff. Try the relay.

[Q451990]

I think it's a T-50 security bit. I tried to find one back when we were parting out Lee's Q, so I could get the spare wheel to send off for new leather so I wouldn't have downtime. I couldn't find one locally without buying a whole set at Sears. Seems like it was $30 or so - so I passed.

Heath

[goody90q45]

Thanks all for the great advice. I misread the schematic and thought the relay was the assembly in the steering wheel. I'll check the relay under the hood and let you know.

[goody90q45]

I checked continuity and it was fine. Bought a new horn relay for $20 at Sacramento Infiniti and plugged it in. Horn now works. Thanks for the advice.

[Q451990]

I love a happy ending

Heath

[squeefoo]

BTW: For parting out/emergency purposes, the security feature can be broken off with a screwdriver.Just wiggle it back and forth a few times, and a regular bit will fit.

Some car had those holding in the seat belts (!?), and I was in a hurry...