Roadie has a touchy horn

Hi. New here, just picked up a very nice 94 roadmaster with 79k. Beautiful car, but the horn is very sensitive. It will sound with just a gentle bump on the lower left side. Is this something I should just leave alone because of the airbag? Or is there maybe something I can do?

Welcome Kevin

I haven't had any experience with any horn issues. I know there are guys here who have and they will be "dropping in". Nice looking family you have there, I'm sure they'll enjoy the Roadmaster.

Tom

Welcome to the forums

The plastic seems to shrink over time and puts more tension on the horn switch. My car had the exact problem, and in fact would sometimes get stuck on at random- it was very annoying.

The switch itself is just a sandwich of metalized layers separated by an insulator. I totally disassembled the airbag module and came to the conclusion that there really wasn't anything to do to fix it. As a side note detonating the naked air bag at an independence day party was good for a few laughs.

Things you can do-

Find another air bag. (what I ended up doing, actually) I found a gray one that was in better shape than mine and painted it blue.

The switch is actually two switches, a left and right side in parallel. If one of the switches is problematic you can disconnect the malfunctioning side and live with the "half horn"

You can fabricate another horn switch and figure out an interesting place to put it. Maybe a foot switch like where high beam switches used to be?

Or you can replace the entire steering wheel assembly/airbag with something compatible.

Replacing the whole airbag module does seem like the only real fix. This would be one source for help. http://fivestarparts.com/

Bottom line, you are dealing with an explosive device inches from the driver's face, that has to work perfectly to be of any value.

Some have tried installing momentary contact switches from Radio Shack. They do have some small ones that can be mounted in place of the OEM units.

I replaced the entire wheel with an aftermarket unit and deleted the airbag. You must put a 2 ohm 10 watt resistor across the leads of the yellow connector under the dash to make the system function for the passenger's side. The new wheel looks far "cleaner" than the OEM unit. You can do the complete project for a total cost anywhere from $75 and up. For something really nice, expect to spend at least $200. I purchased the wheels below for between $60 and $175, and the adapter from $50-100. Sometimes you must buy a horn button, and make small custom parts to fit everything together.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and the great ideas for fixes. I think the half horn solution might be the way to go, at least for now. I like the idea of having an airbag and pressing a button when somebody cuts me off just won't be as satisfying as hitting the wheel ;-) I'll let you know how it works out
And Tom, my oldest boy loves riding in "daddy's boat" as he calls it

Thanks again?

That shouldn't be a ?, it should be a !

When they are big enough, the kids should get the experience of riding in the tailgunner position. It will be a memory that is impossible to replicate with new cars.

Mine is hyper sensitive too...Ive just learned to stay away from its ticklish spots.