2008 Honda Civic LX Sedan Horn not working

[lordmoosh]

Hello all,

I did some searches and saw that this usually occurs because of a blown fuse, bad relay, bad ground or bad horn. I checked the fuse for the horn in the engine compartment and it was ok. The brake lights are working. The relay clicks when I press the horn. I tried looking for the relay under the dash but I don't see any labels.

1) How do I find the horn relay?
2) I have read people have switched from a Civic horn to an Accord horn when their Civic horn died. Does the Accord horn plug into the 2008 Civic wiring harness? Which year and model Accord horn should I get?

Thanks all.

[lordmoosh]

bump.

[NBPRudy]

1)Look in your manual.

2) http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/elect...y-39-pics.html

DIY: Accord Dual Horn Upgrade

Accord horn upgrade

[SN95GTMustang]

Take advantage and install the accord horn. The civic horn is Embarrassing.

[MardiGras]

The non-Si models come with only one whimpy horn (Si's come with 2 whimpy horns). There are machined holes on both sides of bumper for ground bolt, meaning you can install a 2nd horn on the passenger side.

The Accord has dual (Hi/Lo) trumpet-style horns. My neighbor has a 2009 Acura TL, and I liked the sound of his horns, so I purchased the pair & installed on my EX. Although vehicle can accept ground bolt on passenger side, there is not a connector. Fortunately, the horns are only 1-pin connectors, which is 12V. So I tapped into the original horn and ran a wire across the bumper to the other side. One of the best mods I ever did -- idiot drivers really hear the horn instead of a high-pitch "meep meep".

Horns look like this:

[lordmoosh]

Originally Posted by NBPRudy

1)Look in your manual.

2) http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/elect...y-39-pics.html

DIY: Accord Dual Horn Upgrade

Accord horn upgrade

Thanks for the information. I looked at the manual and I do not see any mention of relays in it:
http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/p.../ACV0808OM.pdf

Do you know what page its on? I do see the two diagrams of the fuse boxes but no mention of relays and only one fuse marked Horn.

[MardiGras]

Horn relay circuit is embedded into the MICU. You'd have to replace the entire MICU. If relay is making a sound, then it is probably working.

Remove your bumper cover & check the horn. Just apply 12V to the horn terminal & ensure the ground bolt is on tight.

[MardiGras]

Originally Posted by MardiGras

Horn relay circuit is embedded into the MICU. You'd have to replace the entire MICU. If relay is making a sound, then it is probably working.

Remove your bumper cover & check the horn. Just apply 12V to the horn terminal & ensure the ground bolt is on tight.

P.S. -- The MICU is built into the under-dash fuse box, which costs approx $270 for the part alone. You cannot replace the individual relay.

[lordmoosh]

Originally Posted by MardiGras

Horn relay circuit is embedded into the MICU. You'd have to replace the entire MICU. If relay is making a sound, then it is probably working.

Remove your bumper cover & check the horn. Just apply 12V to the horn terminal & ensure the ground bolt is on tight.

When you say apply 12V to the horn could I just connect the 12V + from the battery to the horn directly to see if it starts honking? I was thinking to just buy a new horn since they are like $15. Removing the bumper to test if it works then having to put the bumper back on to get a new horn or having to wait for a horn to come in and removing the bumper again does not seem like a lot of fun.

[MardiGras]

Originally Posted by lordmoosh

When you say apply 12V to the horn could I just connect the 12V + from the battery to the horn directly to see if it starts honking? I was thinking to just buy a new horn since they are like $15. Removing the bumper to test if it works then having to put the bumper back on to get a new horn or having to wait for a horn to come in and removing the bumper again does not seem like a lot of fun.

Yeah, just remove the connector to the horn then apply 12V directly from battery to the single terminal on the horn. Just be careful not to touch the 12V to any body ground, or you'll get a short somewhere. A better option is:

If you have help, you can just measure the voltage on the connector itself (disconnected from horn) when horn button is pressed. If it's 12V, then you know the horn is getting voltage and the horn is bad. If not 12V, then the problem is between the connector and the steering wheel horn activator.

I cannot remember if the horn connector can be reached from the bumper bottom air inlets without removing bumper cover. It's pouring down rain right now so I can't check at this moment.