Horn wiring conversion 84 to 86

[84tony]

I have 84 Ranger with non-tilt steering column with horn button in turn signal stalk. I bought a 86 Ranger tilt steering column with horn button on steering wheel (also has cruise control) a few years ago and finally getting around to swapping them out. I need to figure out how the horn button for the 86 is wired up, there are three wires that come from behind the steering wheel for the cruise control. I don't see where the horn button wire need to connect to the steering wheel. Can someone post a pic of how the wires for an 85-88 horn button connect to the steering wheel.

 

[RobbieD]

On the old Rangers, with cruise the horn used a relay, without cruise it was direct switched (no relay). On your '84 with the stalk horn switch, there wasn't a relay. So, you'll need to add a relay, and it's no big deal.

The '86 column should have a Dark Blue wire which grounds when the horn button is pressed (provided that the Black wire is grounded). Here's the 1986 EVTM schematic:

The wire in your '84 going out to the horn should also be Dark Blue. Your '84 works just like the schematic on the left side of the page- the stalk switch directly supplies +12 Volts to the horn(s).

Get a universal 5-pin relay (any parts store); there should be numbers next to the terminals (pins) on the bottom. Wire it up as follows:
Constant +12 volt to relay pins 30 and 86 (you can use the '84's horn power wire, Yellow with Light Blue dots, and fuse #16 in the '84 will still protect the circuit like it does originally).
The '84's Dark Blue wire to relay pin 87 (NO) (this is the wire going out to the truck's horn).
The '86 column's Dark Blue wire to relay pin 85 (this wire from the column switch triggers the relay).
Relay pin 87a (NC) is not used.

The big difference on the '86 cruise column is the circuit goes through the clockspring* connection for the steering wheel. DON't try to wire it up without the relay, or the horn's current draw will be too much for the clockspring and will likely smoke it.
* old-school term; actually, it's small sliding contacts

You can use insulated female spade connectors on the relay, or get a relay that includes a socket with pigtails.

Good luck!

 

[84tony]

Thanks RobbieD, this helps a lot. The 86 column was missing the blue wire, where dose it connect to on or near the steering wheel? Does it connect to the metal plate that sits under the big spring? I don't have Cruise control in my 84. When you said to ground the black wire, are you talking about the one from the three wires that come from the cruise control buttons on the 86 column. I can easily add a relay.

 

[RobbieD]

All I have to go on is the '86 EVTM. The three wires from steering wheel switches (horn, cruise, and ground wire) looks like the steering column should have had a short harness ending in gray 3-pin connector, and there should be three wires only. As long as your column has three wires, even if the colors don't match the schematic you can use a meter to find the two which have continuity ("connected together") only when the horn button is pressed. The cruise used only one output wire, to which the switch applies varying ground to when it's operated (the schematic shows how it works). And yes, I was saying that one of those three wires is a ground wire, and must be connected to the metal structure behind the dash.

 

[84tony]

Thanks, that clears that up.