Well, got an odd question for you guys! My horn works just dandy while sitting in the driveway but after about ten minutes of riding it just dies out its kinda odd right?
Don't know if this matters but I'm also going through high beam indicator lights about once everyother month!
What is going on!
Mary
sounds like to many volts or amps coming from alternator and frying bulbs and over loading the horn. prolly the regulator or rectifier, which are one unit anyway. could also be shorted ground or bad (shorted internally) battery or alternator. you need to test the voltage with the engine at 6000rpm if its higher than 15 volts you have bad alternator or regulator/rectifier. probably both.
Unlikely to be any sort of reg/rect problem. You would have other issues and pointers if it was playing up. Biggest indicator of overvoltage is a flickering headlamp, varying indicator on/off times and a battery that spews out its electrolyte.
The spade connector on the horn could be dirty but I would say your horn is being affected by engine heat, as it warms over the 10 minute period something is expanding and going open-circuit internally and then returning to normal as it cools back to ambient, in the same way faulty pick-up coils do. There is an adjustment screw on them that allows you to alter the contact gap internally but it will have probably siezed up. I say clean the terminals up and if this doesnt work replace the whole thing, not expensive or difficult.
Depending on battery charge state and the voltage in the system at any one time all the bulbs can see voltages at the upper end of the tolerance for periods of time. Instead of looking at it as a figure consider it as a percentage. 15v doesnt sound much but it is a 25% increase on 12v. The HB pilot bulb being small and permanantly lit does not tolerate this situation well and tends to take the easy way out as a result. Not much you can do about it other than replace it with a different make from the one you have been using in the hope it might be more tolerant of voltage fluctuations.
Yeah my battery is only a couple of months old. So I dont think its that. When I get home Ill try to clean up the connectors. I think Jared has a couple of horns so hopefully I can just swap it out. But mail takes a bit and well with 79 degree days you can't ask for better weather than this!
On the bulbs they have different manufacturers? Maybe I should go to the dealer then they are $4 a piece while the other place is a buck. Maybe why they fry so fast!
Mary
Did you try to adjust the screw on the front of the horn?
Yeah we took the horn off and tested it and nothing now. I believe it is throughly shot!
Mary