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Horn Air Bag fix

Wilbur

Wilbur

New member
I thought I write a short update on my Sticking horn.

I replaced my Steering wheel with a sports design wheel, and found that the horn stuck in and sounded constantly. I had to prise it out to stop the horn.
I took out the Airbag and stripped it down completely, and then found the horn came on constantly without Any sticking...
Eventually I fixed both issues, this is what I learnt.

  • Always disconnect the Battery before starting. A Sticking horn has nothing to do with the airbag, it's the cord.An Airbag has three wires; Yellow, Green (airbag) and a blade connector. Horn.
    • The Airbag actually sounds the horn using a Magnet
    • The Magnet has polarity, if it's inserted wrong, you will get problems. Great info...if you buy an eBay airbag and the horn sounds all the time
    Taking the Airbag out of the Steering wheel requires a small screwdriver
    • under the steering wheel there is a small whole, if your wheel is new look for a spot (soft to touch) and press the Screw driver in and up - plenty of videos on uTube
  • Stripping the Airbag down to get to the Magnet requires a few Knives, I found it easier to approach from the horn face, once the 4 x screws and bracket were removed 5-10 mins max. Sounds draughting but it's quite easy.
    • Once dismantled you will see the metal container for the compressed air, the cloth airbag and a magnet - this can only go one way!
    • Getting the right polarity (direction for the magnet) is tricky, but I found taking the Magnet out of the airbag and going back to the car, with the battery connected with no airbag the easiest way.
    • Move the magnet to the inner part of the steering wheel, at approximately the 2pm position you will see a small square plastic sensor, moving the magnet will trigger the horn, the way you hold it will determine how the horn will be triggered (try -back to front, upside down and swap over), depending on the magnets polarity it will either trigged the horn on approach to the sensor or when you move away from the sensor. You want to get it in to a position so when it moves in towards the steering wheel it triggers the horn i.e away from the sensor so it then mimics the being horn depressed.
    • once you have the magnet in the right position re insert tit into the airbag and you are done.
  • The key to stop sticking horn is the cord. On the inside of the steering wheel , right hand side there is a recess, ensure the cable is inserted there, and use a knife to keep it slightly higher above the recess than needed, as you push the airbag in pull the knife out and the cord should drop and fit in the recess. A final push and you should have a working horn that does not stick.


 
Great info, many thanks - I have upgraded my 997.1 steering wheel (non-MF) with a unit (wheel and original airbag) from a 991 yesterday, and while the shift paddles work (the wheel is PDK and my car is tiptronic) and the MF buttons illuminate, I have no horn.

There is a lot of info on the forums suggesting that MF needs enabling (I have done this using my Durametric PRO, although some say it only works with PIWIS) and that I may need a new steering control unit to get the horn working, but since my wheel and airbag are second hand and given the info you have kindly provided, I will look at the magnet as a potential root cause before I fork out £250.- for a new steering CU.

Either way, the steering wheel has completely changed the way the car feels - much better shift buttons than on the original wheel with the triangular airbag, thicker wheel and better contours both of which just feel so much nicer - are worth the trouble in my opinion.

 
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