My car is booked in for mot tomorow (Friday) and I had no horn working. A friend of mine come round on Tuesday evening and wired a new one in as I had a spare button on the steering coloum. Works fine and beeps happily
I went to go out in the car last night (Wednesday) and the car done nothing when key was turned! The dash lights came on (CEL, oil light etc) and the stereo lighted up like a christmas tree (normal) but when I turned the key to the start position the dash lights were all on still but the stereo lights all went out and there was nothing else. Not even a click from the starter motor. The headlights still work fine, so I think the battery is fine.

Any possible ideas as to what it could be? I am going to disconnect the battery in a bit and try it again later.


What a pain

 

You may think the battery is fine. You need to confirm this first. A multi metre to confirm static voltage and then cranking voltage is whats needed. Or try jump starting it

Headlights etc will want maybe 20 or 30 amps so a pretty flat battery will power them

the starter needs 3 or 400 amps

 

As above, does sound like battery.
Standard headlights on dip beam take only 10 Amps, so will light up with a flattery.

Check, as above.

Sounds like either your standard horn, or the new one, have an earthing fault, used to be called a short. I'd suspect the new one.

Can you get to the old horn? Remove it's connectors and check if it's getting power? If it is, either get a new one from a scrappers, or fit air horns.

Mine, (air horns), are zip tied to the two uprights at the side of the radiator, in front of the upright, compressor on the passenger side, horns, facing down, driver's side, the pipework runs across the top of the void, zip-tied at centre. Pretty loud.

 

I have two original horns on the car and one of those has been re-wired to the button on cowling. Its wired to the cigarette lighter which is then wired to the buton. The horn only works when the igniton is switched on.
It had a new battery when I bought the car back in June this year. I am wondering if it is the battery flat maybe the parking light switch was on, but I would of thought that all lights would be dim when switched on

I really hate cars

 

youve answered your own question. parking lights left on for a day or two = flat battery. the amount of power used for lighting is very small compared to what the starter needs Its a common miss conception that if the lights work the battery is ok.

from what youve said then its almost certain to have been drained

 

Well the car is sorted and ready to go for mot this morning

I must of put lights on at the time of trying to start it
Mate came round, I re-connected the battery. Turned key, nothing happened apart from the same as earlier Turned lights on full beam then turned key again. the radio and clock went off but the headlights didn't dim at all
Not a battery fault!
So after around 15 mins flaffing about I noticed that when the wireing was moved in the steering coloumn one of my immobiliser lights were dancing to some sort of tune

Anyway, it turned out to be that when he had the coloumn out on Tuesday there was some dodgy looking tape that he took off and that tape was holding some bad wire together which was causing a loose connection and that's why the car didn't start
So tape put back around it and stuck it to some fuses for a bit more ridgity and bingo, car nows works (well it did yesterday, not tried it yet today) lol

 

BTW the car sailed through its mot


I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo chuffed with it

 

Cool