Horn honks when brake pedal is pressed! D:

[CheeseSteakJim]

Well, two weeks ago when I pulled my car into the garage this wasn't happening, but now after it's finally on the road, it's started happening. I did some minor wiring through the firewall that was required for my electric fan, but that's all to my knowledge that's been changed.

My horn buttons no longer work, and NOTHING else honks the horn except the brake pedal.

Does anyone have the slightest clue where I should start looking? Underneath the dash is a big tightly cobbled mess so I don't even know where to begin, because I can't follow any wiring anywhere.

[interceptor1985]

Um ....You sir have a bad short someplace...I would get a diagram and start hunting....Get very familiar with taking out your dash......Is one of us close to you? I like to work in two's sometimes.....(that way when I screw up I can blame the other guy)lol..jk
Oh and if you try it on your own I recommend putting the small part's like the screw's in a ziploc baggie and labeling them.....I am going to have to do this very same this with my Jeep....(I never taken apart my Jeep before)

[CheeseSteakJim]

I've taken a Town Car dash apart before... it's not something I ever want to do again.

I was hoping there was some miniscule possibility that someone else here had suffered the same issue and would be able to give me some advice or direction.

I drilled through the big rubber plug that seals off the firewall, that that big fat harness goes through behind the steering column. I'm not saying I did, but there's a possibility I may have cut a wire or two open. Does the wiring for the brake lights go through the firewall at all? That wouldn't make sense to me, but this is Ford we're talking about.

[GoodSamaritan]

Hey, CSJ, Does it honk when you are sitting still and touch the brakes or is it only when you decelerate?

Aslo pardon me for not remembering, but what year/model is your car?

[CheeseSteakJim]

Hey, CSJ, Does it honk when you are sitting still and touch the brakes or is it only when you decelerate?

Aslo pardon me for not remembering, but what year/model is your car?

It honks when I'm sitting still. I haven't actually taken it on the road with the horns connected since this started so I don't know about when I'm decelerating.

It's an '88 Town Car.

[85crownHPP]

you sure some one isnt playing a trick on you??? this is a classic old car gag.

[interceptor1985]

OMG i havent LOLed so funcking hard in.....well forever....that shit so funking funny

[86VickyLX]

It honks when I'm sitting still. I haven't actually taken it on the road with the horns connected since this started so I don't know about when I'm decelerating.

It's an '88 Town Car.

I think someone's playing a trick on you. Anyone been in the car beside you?

[CheeseSteakJim]

OMG i havent LOLed so funcking hard in.....well forever....that shit so funking funny

You should've seen how hard I laughed when I discovered it.

This car was locked in my garage both before and after it started doing this. It never left the garage during the timeframe in between. I did some electrical work during that time (installed an automatic fan controller) but nothing that includes the brake lights nor the horn. The only people who have been inside the car during those times are my two brothers, aged 10 and 17, neither of which know the first thing about cars. I only needed them to hold the brake pedal down while I tightened the lugnuts holding the wheel adapters on.

How could I check about this being a trick? I wouldn't think there would be any easy, quick, or inconspicuous way of doing this without me noticing.

[interceptor1985]

perhaps somebody showed them a trick or two????and I hope it's a trick because finding a short IS and will ALWAYS be a pain in the brain.

[CheeseSteakJim]

perhaps somebody showed them a trick or two????and I hope it's a trick because finding a short IS and will ALWAYS be a pain in the brain.

Tell me about it. This car's been giving me electrical bullshit for ages now... although if someone knows whether the brake light circuit runs through the firewall at all, that would mean that more likely than not this is my fault.

[gadget73]

as far as I can tell, the brake light wiring doesn't go under the hood of the car. There really is no wiring in common. The only possible I can come up with, the brake light wiring does run through the multifunction switch in the column. The horn wiring also is in the column. Possible the wiring is somehow shorted there. Thats really the only place that the wires really should be anywhere near each other. Just curious, is the steering column and MF switch original? The early cars (84 and older) had the horn in the MF switch, 85+ doesn't. I have used an 84 switch in my 86 without any problems, but anything is possible.


If it was related to the turn signals I'd say check the grounds up front, I think the horn and front marker lights ground to the same point, but I haven't a clue why the brakes would trip that off. Check it anyway, certainly can't hurt.

[85crownHPP]

is it an old panther?
if its the kind with the horn in the turn signal stalk, a short would make sense becuase like gadget said, the brake light wiring runs through the turn signal switch

[CheeseSteakJim]

It's an '88 Town Car. As far as I know the column and steering wheel are completely original. I bought the car with 95,000 miles on it and it was previously owned by a very old man and lived in a garage for most of its life. I think most of the car is original besides the stuff I've done to it. The car was in a massive accident that required its entire front end to be rebuilt. The car sat through fall and much of winter with an uncovered front end (naked engine and electrical) while I was at boot camp. Because of this I've been dealing with electrical gremlins on and off for a while now.

My EVTM seems to point to the circuits sharing a couple connections (far as I can tell the brake light circuit runs through the multifunction switch then to the rear turn signals), such sharing common plugs, but I don't understand how any of those possibly could've been tampered with except by myself. The car literally sat in place inside a locked garage for nearly a month. When I put it in this issue didn't exist, and it started while it still hadn't moved from its spot.

I have a feeling I must've inadvertently caused this somehow, but I can't imagine how.

[88grandmarq]

there is a horn relay and the intergral cruise control grounds through the relay.
How did you supply power and ground to E-fan you installed. I would double check all the connections and check the horn relay.