Can a bad intake manifold gasket make my exhaust really loud?

Can you tell which wires go where and break them down as to color? There looks to be a diagram of the relay in the third picture, can we see a better (closer) picture of that? If nothing else, we might be able to track it down with the model number of the relay if that is on there. I hate to see you go chasing those leads down without knowing a little more about it. Also no big hurry as it apparently hasn't worked for awhile. A little while longer won't hurt anything.

 

There is no model number on the relay. The numbers are 85-87-87 on the top row and 86-30 below them. It also says "Made in EEC" so I assume the "C" stands for China? The only way to trace the wires would be to take the wiring harness apart and I don't really want to do that. So when I buy the horn button and it has two little screws on the back which wires do I attach to each screw?

 

I'll check the wiring diagram for my '61 tomorrow. In the meantime, maybe another '56 owner could advise you on which wires go where.

 

I just checked my service manual and while the relay itself is slightly different, I believe the operation is the same. Mine shows a light blue wire going from the horn relay to the horns and a tan wire going from the horn relay to the horn button. As I mentioned previously, when the horn button is pressed, the circuit is completed via a ground connection. 12 volts is provided at the horn relay itself and when the relay coil is energized, it sends 12 volts to the horns via contacts in the relay.

My manual says the horns should draw between 7-11 amps, which is why a simple switch will not work. Being as your wiring has been modified, I would suggest you wait until someone with a '56 wiring diagram responds before attempting to connect your horn button. HTH

 

There's a bright blue wire, two yellow wires and two black wires. See pics. One of the black wires is on a post by itself and it loops around and is attached to a second post with another black wire. On the third post is the blue wire and on the fourth post is two yellow wires which go to the two horns. One of the black ones may go to the voltage regulator but I can't be sure because they're all bound tightly together as part of the wiring harness. I took some pics so you can see what I'm talking about. I can try the trial and error method with various wires but first I need the horn button. Which one do you suggest and where can I get it? Does it need 2, 3 or 4 screws on the back?

 

Okay, so you know the yellow wires are not it so you can eliminate that terminal. That means that either the blue or black wire is 12 volts and the other is the ground. I would use either a test light or multimeter and see which one is 12 volt. Once you find that out, try grounding the one that is left and see if the horns blow. That would be the one to hook the horn button to.

As for where to get a horn button, I would say almost any auto parts store could carry them.l Autozone, NAPA, etc. HTH

 

How many screws need to be on the back of the horn button-2? Where do the wires go-to any fuse on the fuse box and to the horn relay? Thanks again....

 

It really depends on what you discover about the blue and the black wires. If it is like the original, one wire from the horn button will go to ground on the car and the other will go to the horn relay. The button is used to provide ground (negative) to the relay to energize it. 12 volts for the horns is provided by the relay itself.

You are probably used to the light switches in your house where the hot wire goes to the switch. Circuits in cars often use ground switches instead. Doesn't really matter to the circuit as long as the path is completed the device being switched will work the same.

As for the mounting hardware for the button, I guess that depends on the one you get. It should include the hardware I would think. HTH

 

The post with the two black wires is the hot one so all I need to do is connect one wire to that and ground the other on the body? I'm going over to Advance Auto Parts now and see if they have a horn button.... :TU:

 

No, don't do that, you will simply be grounding out the 12 volts each time you hit the horn button. If the black wire is 12 volts, then the blue wire is the one you need to hook the button to with the other wire from the button going to ground. You can do a quick test by grounding the blue terminal to ground and see if that make the horns blow.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying but I'll try to figure it out tomorrow because Advance didn't have any horn buttons in stock. I'll call NAPA tomorrow and see if they have one....

 

It is really quite simple. Take a piece of wire and run it from the blue wire terminal on the relay and touch the other end to some piece of metal nearby. All of the exposed metal under the hood is grounded (connected to the negative terminal on the battery). If the horn blows when you touch that wire to metal, then you have found the right wire (terminal) to connect to your horn button when you get it. The other wire on the horn button needs to attach to some exposed metal (probably under the dash).

Then whenever you press the horn button, it will be the same as connecting the blue wire to ground (negative) and the horn should blow. It may not make sense to put it (the switch) on the ground (negative) side of things, but that is primarily done from a safety standpoint. With all the various switches in cars, if they were all hooked up to 12 volts, the potential for shorts would be enormous. There are some 12 volt positive ground cars out there, but your '56 Buick is not one of them.

Get your car buddy to help you if you don't feel confident enough to do it on your own. We all learn at a different pace, so don't feel bad to ask for help. I took 2 years of electronic tech in school way back when but sometimes I have problems relating what I know to others. I would have made a lousy teacher, that's for sure! :shock:

 

You have identified a common relay. It may not be for the horn. A proper 3 terminal relay is available to function like the original. The original relay case was grounded to the inner fender. A red 14g wire (not fuse protected) originated from the amp meter (center terminal). A 14g black wire (left terminal) went to the horns and a 18g tan wire to the horn button which grounds it.

 

NAPA has them in stock so I'm going there in the morning to get one. If it's as simple as you say it is I should be able to hook it up with no problems. Thanks again....

 

You were right-it was pretty simple. I got a horn button and two big hose clamps at NAPA this morning, then wrapped a piece of old inner tube around the steering column so the paint wouldn't get scratched, and hooked everything up like you recommended. The horn only works when the ignition is on but that's not a problem. On the way back from NAPA I got stuck in a big traffic jam on I-71 and the Buick came very close to overheating. At least I know that the temperature gauge works now. The engine is not running too well again but at least it runs so I'm not going to worry about it for awhile. Thanks again and let me know when you're coming to Louisville next time (since you're only 50 miles away) so I can buy you lunch....

 

Glad it worked out okay for you. I remember those jams on I-71, no fun at all. Sorry your car is not running so good now, but I'm sure that can easily be fixed.

I remember my dad's '58 Century was that way, nothing worked unless the key was on. Guess that's just the way they were wired back then.

Supposed to go see my sister in Lexington sometime in the next month, maybe I can stop by then. No promises, things change day to day for me sometimes. ou:

 

That would be cool. I'm only half a mile from the exit 17 (Buckner) offramp of I-71 so I'm not way out in the middle of nowhere. I took a couple of pics of the horn button.... :TU:

 

Looks good. More importantly it works!

 

That's funny, by some of your previous comments I was going to ask if you were closer to Crestwood or La Grange, but I guess you are kind of in the middle. LOL