Well, I took apart the '93 960's steering wheel today to see why the horn isn't working. If any of you remember my previous posts, I took the car to the dealer to have the airbag tightened up since it was sitting loose on the steering wheel. They said that in order to tighten the bag up they had to disconnect the horn or it would honk all of the time. They said that this is because the insulators in the steering wheel are bad. After taking the airbag out, I can't see any obvious problems with the steering wheel nor can I figure out where the dealer disconnected the horn. I really need some advice as to the best way to fix this problem. The dealer wants $600 to replace the steering wheel and I'm not sure that this is really the problem. I don't know of any other Volvo repair shops here in WV that I can take it to.

Thanks,
Dave

Dear Dave,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. Disconnecting the horn is not an acceptable solution. In most states of the USA, a working horn is a safety requirement.

I do not have a wiring diagram for a 960. I have a wiring diagram for a 940. There is a red wire, that runs to the horn contact ring, which I believe is mounted below the steering wheel. From the horn contact ring, a blue/black wire runs to a connector (C-2) which is in the engine bay, near the driver's side wheel well, on the side of the wheel well closest to the door hingers. They could have disconnected the red wire from the horn ring, or the blue/black wire.

In any case, there's absolutly no reason to get a steering wheel from a dealer. You should be able to get one from a salvage yard. If possible, try to find a yard that will let you remove the part you want.

By the way, I hope you removed the negative battery cable clamp from the negative battery terminal - and put it in a plastic bag to isolate it - before you touched the airbag. No work should ever be done on the SRS system, until the negative battery cable clamp has been removed and isolated. At close quarters, an airbag deployment can be lethal. Even if it is not, it will be costly: a new sensor (under the driver's seat) is about $1,200, and the airbag itself likely will be about $1,000!!

Hope this helps, at least a little.

Have a Good, Healthy New Year!

Yours faithfully,

spook

Hi Spook,

I'll check the wire at the contact ring and in the engine bay to determine which one the tech disconnected. I found a used steering wheel for $100. I guess this sounds OK. I was hoping to get one for around $50. I did disconnect the negative battery terminal and isolate it before messing with the airbag. You told me how to remove the airbag on a 940 that I used to have.

Thanks for your help,

Dave

Someone is making a repair kit for the horn contacts. I thought it was IPD, but I don't see it on their web site. Perhaps I just missed it. In any case, I saw it listed recently, and I don't remember if it was in a Rolling magazine or IPD's catalog.
I'd call them to see what's available for your problem.
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 234K, '82 245T/M46-182K, '84 242DL/AW70-100K, '89 244DL/AW70- 212K and I miss my: 86 244DL 215K, 87 244DL 239K, 88 744GLE 233K, 88 244GL 147K, 91 244 183K

Thanks Rob. I think that I also remember seeing that horn switch repair kit in IPD's magazine. I'll call 'em first thing Monday morning.