anyone ever put an air horn in your truck? I got bored and bought one with a little compressor. I know where I can mount the horn and the compressor, but I don't know what to do to wire it up. I could wire it in with the existing horn, but I'd like to have leave that alone. What would be the best was to go about wiring it up so that I can have a separate switch for the air horn?

 

I would get a relay and tap into the factory horn wire as your "switched" wire, and use a constant 12v wire as your power source. This way the air compressor would be activated with your factory horn, but would not be drawing it's current through the factory horn wires. You could also mount a switch inline so you could turn off the compressor when you wanted to also.

 

The diesel guys have been doing this for eons. Do the relay hook up to activate your air horns so they don't tax your wiring and electrical system.

 

I guess air horns just go naturally with Powerstrokes, Duramax's, and the Dodge Cummins boys...makes them feel closer to their 18 wheeler diesel buddies!

 

I hooked my air horns up for intruder purposes only. It too used a relay that tap into the aftermarket alarm's speaker wire. The relay will allow you to tap into a hot wire with little power draw on that circuit. The relay just closes the circuit so that the main 12v power picks up the power handling of whatever is being powered.
The only time I ever had a problem with using a relay is when I tried using one on my four wheeler for a reverse light. The wire that I tried tapping into did not have enough power to close the relay's circuit and power the reverse indicator light in the dash. Though I'm sure that our trucks wiring has more voltage going through it than the four wheelers.
Just tap into one of the O.E. horns hot wires. That's of course using the relay still.
Will you be using the factory horns as well?? Or just the air horns?
I think the air horns alone should be good.

Jim

 

I just wired my cheapy airhorns with a relay and a separate push-button switch that I mounted above the airbag off switch.

switch


air horns (nothing special...cheapies I got from JCWhitney)

 

I want to use both horns, but separately. I want to have the air horn on a completely different switch so I can scare the hell out of people.

 

I would show you the aluminum braket I made that thats located behind the grill that holds the horns and compressor, but I incorporated the design!!

Jim

 

That's how mine's set up...if I hit the horn pad, it honks normally, if I push the button, the air horns go off. If I do both at once....it sounds really cool. I could have mounted the air horn switch closer, but I actually put it in the center so my wife could have some fun too when someone cuts us off.

 

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