[T3] Horn Issue

[Max Welton]

You called it Bob. This is a new coupler from ISP West.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2649673.jpg

I have now ordered three other styles to test. One of those red things
from CIP1 and two different ones from CB.

Max

On Sun, Feb 1, 2026 at 9:17 AM bobsnotch at aol.com <bobsnotch at aol.com> wrote:
>
>  Max, if you do a search of the Samba type 3 forum, you'll find that the "rag joint" can be electrically conductive. This has been a problem for a few years. I think someone on the forum took an ohm meter with them, and searched the "help" rack at an auto parts store to find one that ohm'd out correctly (wouldn't pass voltage thru it) to fix their horn problem. I hope this helps.Bob 65 Notch S w/factory sunroof
>     On Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 06:43:29 PM EST, Max Welton <max.welton.2k at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  So the tank is pumped empty and removed. It's nice to have an electric pump.
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2648103.jpg
>
> I measured ~71 ohms between the shaft and the chassis. OK, maybe the
> wire is chaffed inside the tube. Disconnect the wire and test again.
>
> Still 71 ohms. I would not have suspected the disk itself. It's just
> rubber, right?
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2648102.jpg
>
> Max
>
> On Sat, Jan 31, 2026 at 11:37 AM Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:
> >
> > On 30 Jan 2026 at 16:08, Max Welton wrote:
> >
> > > I may have just found my problem. The steering shaft is NOT completely
> > > isolated from the chassis. I'm measuring just under 70 ohms. So it looks
> > > like the tank is coming out so I can check the rubber "rag" joint.
> >
> > Yes, it should be isolated, and have you confirmed that this shaft is directly
> > connected to the (red?) wire coming from the horn? It should be. Sounds like
> > it is.
> >
> > You can check the flex coupling rather easily from below. The wire coming
> > down the center of the hollow steering shaft should be grounded, and it can
> > abrade against something as it comes down the shaft or as it exits the hollow
> > shaft just before it jumps across the flex coupling. Sometimes, all it needs is
> > to be "bent" a bit to push it away from where it has been wearing.
> >
> > Starting in '68, the lower part of the steering shaft was replaced by an
> > expanded metal crush tube, that offered better protection in a head-on
> > collision. The center wire still comes down the shaft and crush tube and
> > jumps across the flex coupling. It can still get shorted there.
> >
> > --
> > *******************************
> > Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> > Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> > *******************************
> >
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