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Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Yahoo Message Number: 97956
I have a crazy horn problem with my 2003 Lexa. Never happened before.
Parked outside a hotel in Vancouver, WA, ready to hit the road. 15 seconds after I start the coach, the airhorn starts going off! It keeps going off until I turn the coach off. It then doesn't shut off immediately but takes 10 or 15 seconds for the air pressure to bleed off, and the horn slowly reduces in volume until both notes finally shut off. So it's not acting like it is when I press the horn button, which is quickly on and quickly off.
It does NOT go on with ignition only, only once I actually crank the engine and start the coach. Then there's a delay, I touch nothing else.
So it seems that something is running air pressure to the horn? I'm not sure how it works, is it +12v to the horn itself, or does it run off some other pressure?
I've pulled the 7.5 amp horn fuse/relay in the front fuse bay, and it makes no difference. I don't have a ladder to get on top of the coach, or I'd disconnect the horn itself.
I tried checking to see if the +12v side of the fuse is somehow getting power backfeeded once I start the coach, but the 9v battery in my multimeter is low as I'm not able to get any voltage readings out of it.
I'll be at Oregon Motorcoach Center tomorrow, so I just need a temporary workaround to get there, without the horn going the entire way.
It rained last night, and there's a little water getting into that front fuse bay, looks like it's dripping down the big bundle of wires coming from the aft corner right near the hinge, so it's possible that's related. That's a problem I'll have to figure out, first of all how water is getting there, is it from the roof? Down through the sliding window? Wasn't a super hard rain, but coach hasn't moved in 2 days, so it's not the recent theory of crack at the aft top of that bay, with water coming off the top of the front left tire while driving on wet roads.

Re: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 97958
Had this problem. The solenoid needs to be replaced.
To get back on the road. You'll need to disconnect air line and crimp - we used vise grips. On my 05 Allure, access solenoid by slide out generator, then on drivers side look up and remove access panel.
Good luck.
Kent 31281

Re: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 97959
In case it was alarm related, I pulled #265 red 7.5 amp fuse in the rear bay for the alarm panel (as from schematics there's a brown horn out, and an alarm horn), also turned off the under-dash alarm switch. No chance, same behavior (kept the front alarm fuse pulled of course).
Pulled the wires off the front air solenoid just in case. Same problem.
Front air brake pressure only at 81psi (rear 92) even when I increase idle revs (as long as I dare as I'm sure the guests in the hotel aren't loving the full-blast air horn), so I suspect it's coming off the brake compressor air. Was through all coach schematics and don't see anything else left for air or alarm, I'll now start going through the chassis schematics.

Jim

From: Jim Walsh [mailto:jimw@...] Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 3:53 PM To: 'Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com' Subject: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

I have a crazy horn problem with my 2003 Lexa. Never happened before.
Parked outside a hotel in Vancouver, WA, ready to hit the road. 15 seconds after I start the coach, the airhorn starts going off! It keeps going off until I turn the coach off. It then doesn't shut off immediately but takes 10 or 15 seconds for the air pressure to bleed off, and the horn slowly reduces in volume until both notes finally shut off. So it's not acting like it is when I press the horn button, which is quickly on and quickly off.
It does NOT go on with ignition only, only once I actually crank the engine and start the coach. Then there's a delay, I touch nothing else.
So it seems that something is running air pressure to the horn? I'm not sure how it works, is it +12v to the horn itself, or does it run off some other pressure?
I've pulled the 7.5 amp horn fuse/relay in the front fuse bay, and it makes no difference. I don't have a ladder to get on top of the coach, or I'd disconnect the horn itself.
I tried checking to see if the +12v side of the fuse is somehow getting power backfeeded once I start the coach, but the 9v battery in my multimeter is low as I'm not able to get any voltage readings out of it.
I'll be at Oregon Motorcoach Center tomorrow, so I just need a temporary workaround to get there, without the horn going the entire way.
It rained last night, and there's a little water getting into that front fuse bay, looks like it's dripping down the big bundle of wires coming from the aft corner right near the hinge, so it's possible that's related. That's a problem I'll have to figure out, first of all how water is getting there, is it from the roof? Down through the sliding window? Wasn't a super hard rain, but coach hasn't moved in 2 days, so it's not the recent theory of crack at the aft top of that bay, with water coming off the top of the front left tire while driving on wet roads.

Re: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 97960
I pull the panels off the front of the driver's compartment once I push out the genset, and I see a bunch of red and green lines and a big solenoid (looks like 5 each red and green lines). .

There is one pair of red and green lines (joined by a couple of lighter red lines from inside the coach) that form a bundle that go upwards to the front left, looking like they go up the driver's A-pillar, are these the lines? Which do I crimp off, where do I disconnect, or do I just crimp without disconnecting?

I'll see if I can post the two pics, will call LexaAirLines1 and 2.

Thanks,
Jim

cell (425) 466-4731

Re: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 97962
I didn't pull any of the lines off, but I did crimp off both the green and red lines that appear to go up to the roof, no change (used vicegrips on one, hose clamp pliers on the other).

I'll start working through the other lines one by one, but I assume those would be for airbags, brakes, etc.? Not sure what that solenoid is or how it works, it seems more like an air distribution manifold, but I don't see any other solenoid though in that area or anything else connected to any of those lines.

Jim
 

Re: Crazy horn problems, any suggestions on a workaround?

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 97965
Last resort. Remove horns on roof and cap lines. Hate for you to do that, but you'll loose too much air driving down the road with those trumpets blaring.
The solenoid looks like a starter solenoid with air lines. I'm wondering if you found the correct solenoid.
It's not manifold or air distribution device. Wish I could before help.
- Kent #31281