Hey all. I have the 4 horn shocker setup. Obviously the warm weather is coming and I’m having the same problems as last year. I am getting TONS of water in my horns. Even if I drain the tank a few times a day, the horns continue to gargle. I can blow it one time, it can be fine, the next it will gargle. There is no consistency of when it will do it. Ive tried putting in water/air separators they sell for paint guns. But that didnt even catch all the water. Ive tried moving the compressor to a cooler area. I had it under the hood, but moved it thinking the heat was causing all the water. I put it on the frame rail under neath and it still did the same thing.
What can I do to fix this problem. I want to horns to sound good when I blow them. Not some squealing sound…
Several questions since I know nothing about your setup and it’s unclear if your water issues are horn, supply, or compressor-related:
[ul]
[li]Is it just one horn or is it all of them that sound this way?[/li][li]Are your horns mounted in a way that minimizes water intake from road spray, puddles, etc.? (e.g. Vertically mounted & downward facing? Rear-facing?)[/li][li]If your horns are not vertically mounted & downward facing, are your horns mounted with enough of a downward angle to guarantee that any/all water from road spray, puddles, etc. runs out of them rather than becoming trapped in them?[/li][li]What about your supply line from your air tank to your solenoid/valve? Is it connected to a tank port near the top of your air tank (and NOT to one near/on the bottom of your air tank … like one you might use for a drain!) to avoid sending pooled tank water from the tank to the solenoid/horns?[/li][li]What about your compressor – is -IT- mounted in a way that minimizes its exposure to water from road spray, puddles, etc.? I would think low in the engine compartment or low/sideways on the frame rail would be less than ideal – whereas high in the engine compartment, inside the cabin, or above the frame rail (and nowhere near exhaust, fenders, tires) would seem to offer the most protection.[/li][li]When you moved the compressor out of the engine compartment did you put it near the exhaust system? If so, the air, there, may not be much cooler … and if it’s wet out, then you may be sucking in and compressing what is already hot, moist air.[/li][/ul]
Make sure the air line from your tank comes from the TOP and not the bottom. You should also consider adding a solenoid to the bottom of the tank so you can get a remote controlled purge happening.
I cant tell if its all the horns or just one. By the sound of it, its all of them… I will try and get a audio clip of the sound.
[ul]
[li]Are your horns mounted in a way that minimizes water intake from road spray, puddles, etc.? (e.g. Vertically mounted & downward facing? Rear-facing?)[/li]> [li]If your horns are not vertically mounted & downward facing, are your horns mounted with enough of a downward angle to guarantee that any/all water from road spray, puddles, etc. runs out of them rather than becoming trapped in them?[/li]> [/ul]
My horns are mounted under neath the motor on a skid plate for the oil pan. I have a video posted of the setup. Just look up my previous posts.
They are mounted diagonally towards the rear. The ONLY way I MIGHT get water in the horns is to drive in reverse through some puddles. And even then they are mounted down wares there is no way water can stay in…
What about your supply line from your air tank to your solenoid/valve? Is it connected to a tank port near the top of your air tank (and NOT to one near/on the bottom of your air tank … like one you might use for a drain!) to avoid sending pooled tank water from the tank to the solenoid/horns?
The supply like is on the side of the tank. If the tank was filled with water it would be about 3 inch high of water.
[ul]
[li]What about your compressor – is -IT- mounted in a way that minimizes its exposure to water from road spray, puddles, etc.? I would think low in the engine compartment or low/sideways on the frame rail would be less than ideal – whereas high in the engine compartment, inside the cabin, or above the frame rail (and nowhere near exhaust, fenders, tires) would seem to offer the most protection.[/li]> [/ul]
[ul]
[li]When you moved the compressor out of the engine compartment did you put it near the exhaust system? If so, the air, there, may not be much cooler … and if it’s wet out, then you may be sucking in and compressing what is already hot, moist air.[/li]> [/ul]
The compressor is mounted under the hood, on a spare battery plate. This area is protected by water. When the compressor was moved, it was moved to the frame rail cross member and was mounted up high and in the center. It obviously was in the weather.
I will try and get some picture tomorrow of where everything is out and mounted. Its dark out right now so they wont be too clear…
Can you move the supply line that goes from the tank to the valve/solenoid to some location higher on the tank? 3 inches is probably fine on level ground – but roads are rarely level. So if you’re on an incline that shifts the water closer toward the supply line’s port on the tank … and then you blow the horns … you may be getting water. Similarly, when you stop, any water in the tank will slosh … which could also provide opportunities for water to come out the supply line from the tank.
Think back to when the horns sounded fine versus when they didn’t. Were you on roughly level terrain when they sounded ok? Were you on an incline when they had water coming out … or had you just stopped?
If all of the above does not work and the horns still squack try the following:
Disconnect all horns
Hook up 1 horn at a time and plug off the 3 remaining hoses by either pinching or another means.
Honk each horn individually, this may take a bit of time, which ever horn goes “Squak!” that is your defective horn. In that case give Hornblasters a call and they can send you a replacement horn.
I do not recommend this, since it might and will void the warranty, I am guilty of doing it but… There is an allen screw on the back of the horn on the cap, try tightening the allen screw a TINY bit to the right, then sound the horn, repeat until the horn sounds normal again.
I hope this helps, But like I said, try steps 1, 2, and 3. #4 is a bit iffy, but I kinda got the hang of making them sound normal again. I also Re Tuned some Grovers that I have in a different matter that required a rubber mallet. lol.
I live on level ground. There are no hills near me. The only thing which may cause the water to travel up is me either braking hard or acculturating fast.
Like I said before. I can be stopped or moving, I can blow the horn one time and it will sound fine, then blow it again, and it can sound bad… Some times It sounds fine all day. Sometimes I cant get the horns to sound normal at all.
Here are some pics to show you what I got going on…
First 2 are my compressor locations. They are behind the head light on the drivers side…
Next 2 are the pics of my horns and the slope they are on… Pretty much no way to water to stay in there.
Next 2 are one of my tanks. Other tank is right next to the other. The 1/2 inch hose coming out the side of the tank is the hose that goes to my horns.
I apologize about under the truck being dirty. Havent cleaned it after traveling down a sandy wet road.
I don’t see anything amiss in those photos; the locations all look solid to me.
Thus, I think your next step is to take repeatman’s advice and test to find the defective horn or horns. Hornblasters stands behind their products, so once you find out which one (or several) are doing this, you probably need to contact them.
