Solenoid in series or parallel?

Installation Help & Advice Horn Kits
1

My '08 Dodge Nitro came with two horns, and I don’t know where the horn “toggle” wires are, and how to use them.

Instead, I wanted to replace one of the stock horns with the solenoid.

  1. Is this a bad idea / will it work / will it have too much power?
  2. Should i wire tap it into the horn/speaker circuit in series or parallel?
2

I had that as my first option. basically the factory horn will go off when as well as the train horns. pretty much you need a 12 volt ignition source for the compressor. or if your lazy run it straight to the battery and put in an on/off toggle in between the battery and the compressor so you can turn on and off the compressor. as for the solenoid, I cut into 1 wire from the factory horn and used that for the solenoid. You will want another toggle to activate the train horns, that is if you want to be able to turn them on and off.

3

Almost every car comes with 2 horns. Just scotchlok (speedclip) the valve wire to one of the horns. Ground the other valve wire to the body. You wont hear the stock horns at all. It wont hurt anything. Put a toogle somewhere in line to shut the horn valve off if you need too. But who uses a regular horn anyways.

4

^ That is how my setup is now. I got sick of having the factory horns go off.

5

Edit.

6

Thanks everyone!

I dont yet have an in-car compressor, so i cant rely on air in emergencies.
So i am putting a momentary switch wired right to the battery with a 5 amp fuse near the battery, then connected to solenoid & car frame rails for a ground.

This is ok, right? I bought 18 guage wire for this basic series circuit.

7

hello dapaintballer331

I have dodge nitro I’m from italy.

Now i’m thinking to install a train horns

Bye

to soon

8

make sure to have a shut off from your tank to your horns…ive had my solenoids stick open before and thats when i had my 20 gallon air tank…and that wasent a pretty thing…even on my manual valves i have a ball vavle right before the gw353 valve…just in case my o-rings in the gw353 went out…

9

agree

10

Use a relay to switch between the stock horn and air horn solenoid. This solves the stock horn honking as the same time as the air horn problem. Relays are our friends people. Simple to wire once you understand the concept. Do not be afraid of them!

Just keep in mind the horn ring on some vehicles is duplexed (sends information like Cruise control and wheel stuff thru the same wire) so the horn ring wire would best be broken near the stock horn.

11

hey man the regular horn is nice to give off a friendly toot toot! after you blast and scare the living poop out of someone:D