Horn and Cruise Control not working

[marklj]

I just got my 1988 Accord DX running again after sitting in my garage for 3 years because of a blown head gasket.

The first time back on the road the cruise control worked and the green cruise control light came on. Tried it again later that day and it would not engage. Next day I pressed the set button, it engaged. Ran over a rough bridge on the interstate and the cruise control cut off. Drove around today and tried the cruise control several times and nothing happens.

I looked over the service manual for some trouble shooting tips. Checked the No. 2 (10A) and No. 4 (7.5A) fuses under the dash with a test light – OK. Checked the No. 4 (20A) fuse in the relay box – OK.

According to the service manual, the next thing to check is the horn (huh???) I tried the horn and sure enough, it barely makes a sound. It’s a little louder the first time you push the horn buttons but then fades to it almost nothing.

Anybody else had this problem? Could this be some dirty or rusty contacts in the steering wheel’s contact ring?

[lostforawhile]

I just got my 1988 Accord DX running again after sitting in my garage for 3 years because of a blown head gasket.

The first time back on the road the cruise control worked and the green cruise control light came on. Tried it again later that day and it would not engage. Next day I pressed the set button, it engaged. Ran over a rough bridge on the interstate and the cruise control cut off. Drove around today and tried the cruise control several times and nothing happens.

I looked over the service manual for some trouble shooting tips. Checked the No. 2 (10A) and No. 4 (7.5A) fuses under the dash with a test light – OK. Checked the No. 4 (20A) fuse in the relay box – OK.

According to the service manual, the next thing to check is the horn (huh???) I tried the horn and sure enough, it barely makes a sound. It’s a little louder the first time you push the horn buttons but then fades to it almost nothing.

Anybody else had this problem? Could this be some dirty or rusty contacts in the steering wheel’s contact ring?

check the three pin plug under the ignition switch cover, it comes from the cruise control ring,which also provides the contact for the horn, it's possible it's come loose or the contacter is going bad, they are easy to find on any one with cruise, you also need to check the big ground connection on the drivers side, under the side of the bumper cover, do this last as you have to take off the bumper, a lot of stuff grounds there, it's an oddball setup.

[marklj]

I disassembled the steering column covers and removed the steering wheel. The three ‘slip ring’ connections ohm out OK. Checked the SET and RESUME switches and they ohm out OK. Checked the four horn buttons and they also ohm out OK. The BLU/RED wire connector under the column cover looks OK. The LT GRN/BLK and LT GRN/RED connector under the dash looks OK.

I did spin the ‘slip ring’ quite a few times around to ‘burnish’ in the connections in case of poor contacts from sitting for 3 years. Also found that the four horn cover screws were loose! This could have caused a poor ground to the steering column.

Screwed it all back together and the horn sounds better and are consistently louder. I did notice now that if I hold the horn button down for a few seconds the left side horn will kick in. Initial horn activation seems to be just the right side. Possibly a defective left side horn or ground issue?

I will still need to test the cruise control and see if all this fixed the issue. Stay tuned…

[marklj]

Test drive - tried the cruise control several times, never engaged.

Any other suggestions besides pulling the bumper to check the horns and grounds?

[marklj]

All Fixed!

Just on principle, I went to perform the clutch switch test. I pulled off the connector and moved the clutch pedal, to make sure the plunger moves freely. I then saw a hole in the clutch arm where it looked like a rubber cushion had been that would have pushed in the clutch switch plunger. I fabricated another cushion and attached it. The cruise control works perfect now.

[Dr_Snooz]

Nice work! For the horn, the contacts in the switch get pitted and corroded and stop making good contact. You might find that the horn behaves differently depending on which button you push. Just sand the contacts lightly and they should be good again. Coat them lightly with some Noalox or dielectric grease and you should be set for a good long while.

[lostforawhile]

Nice work! For the horn, the contacts in the switch get pitted and corroded and stop making good contact. You might find that the horn behaves differently depending on which button you push. Just sand the contacts lightly and they should be good again. Coat them lightly with some Noalox or dielectric grease and you should be set for a good long while.

yea the cruise control contacter ring replaces the horn contact, if it's bad the horn won't work. the same voltage that goes through the horn button sends the voltage signals through the cruise control buttons

[marklj]

FWIW - You can sort of get to the horns by pulling the covers out on the bumper below the turn signals. Enough where I was able to wiggle the connections some.

[estooie]

All Fixed!

Just on principle, I went to perform the clutch switch test. I pulled off the connector and moved the clutch pedal, to make sure the plunger moves freely. I then saw a hole in the clutch arm where it looked like a rubber cushion had been that would have pushed in the clutch switch plunger. I fabricated another cushion and attached it. The cruise control works perfect now.


Whoa, does this appy to an 86 Accord Hatch LXi? My cruise control does the same exact thing. Light is on, but won't engage. It used to work, and have been knocked out of being engaged by random bumps on the road.

Thanks.

[marklj]

On mine, the green Cruise Control light stopped working when the cruise control stopped engaging.

If your green Cruise Control light is on but it's not engaging, I would think that you have a different problem.

[lostforawhile]

here's the entire diagnostic and repair procedure
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66399&highlight=cruise+control&page=2