[T3] Invasion prep

[Max Welton]

My next step is to pull the left seat and treat my back to a session
of tracing wires under the dash. With the ugly weather coming in, it
might be ... Monday.

Meanwhile, my portable speaker came in. Sounds great!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=809023

Max

On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 1:27 PM Max Welton <max.welton.2k at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I got some time on this today.
>
> Jim, disconnecting the horn in this case means disconnecting the
> positive wire at the horn.
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2646011.jpg
>
> The horn wire is connected as it should be. With everything connected,
> the horn sounds when it should.
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2646008.jpg
>
> If, however, I remove the ground strap from the battery, I measure 12
> volts of potential between the battery terminal and the strap. This
> goes to zero with the horn disconnected at the horn.
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2646009.jpg
>
> One thing to note is that due to the front beam being freshly
> powder-coated I ran a ground wire from the steering box to the
> chassis. Without that, the horn wouldn't sound at all. I've run
> similar grounding wires for the rear signals and the fuel sender.
>
> Max
>
> Max
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 11:26 AM Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:
> >
> > On 22 Jan 2026 at 11:55, Gary Forsmo wrote:
> >
> > > My horn inexplicably stopped working several years ago.  It irritates me
> > > to no end that it won't "beep".
> >
> > The horn circuit is the most complicated and confusing circuit in the whole
> > car. Basically the horn is supplied power directly from the fuse box and its
> > ground is switched at the steering wheel hub.
> >
> > The power side is direct and simple. It's the ground path that's complicated
> > and that's where the problem almost always is.
> >
> > Max didn't tell us where he disconnected the horn. If he simply removed the
> > fuse, it's likely that this fuse also supplied other things and those other
> > things are also likely suspects. If he removed a wire from the horn, then that
> > narrows things down to the horn itself, or the long, complicated path to the
> > steering wheel and to ground.
> >
> > --
> > *******************************
> > Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> > Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> > *******************************
> >
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