| I have recently become the proud owner of a brand new MX5i in Mica Blue metallic and I love everything about the car, except... the horn! It's terrible! It sounds so tinny and cheap and infact, I'm embarrassed to use it! Can anyone suggest a more "beefy" sounding horn that I could install? (11/99) |
| All 5 horns sound terrible and do not sound like they are supposed
to be on the car. Many people on the list replace the original horn
with air horns. Halfords sell air horns at around £15 which are
easy to install !! Installation: You will need a 10 or 12mm (can't remember) spanner. A length of metal to make a bracket out of (I used that aluminium stuff designed for stereos!) Some wire and connectors and some time. I mounted everything on the two brackets. One with the air horns on and the other with the compressor. I found the tricky bit to be feeding the whole lot in through the mouth, it goes in ok but then trying to line up the bracket on the original mounting and plug in the wires aaaaaaah! ;o) (11/99) |
| Check out http://miata.net/garage/horn.htm for some pictures and someone else's ideas. (11/99) |
| I've got a mk1 and when I installed them I used the existing wires and just beefed up the fuse in the fuse box to a 30amp fuse as when you pressed the horn and pushed on the brake peddle the fuse blew !!!! These instructions are for the MK1 and I would suggest you ask the list if there are any changes to these instructions for the MK2 (11/99) |
| After spending most of Sunday cruising around in my new '5', I spent the last 45 minutes home, with a bag on my head (obviously with cut outs ! ) the reason,... I actually tried to use the horn ! What an embarrassment !!! It was a beep, no more. Needless to say, I am going to change it. I haven't looked at any tech spec yet, But I will be looking to change it for another piezo electric type, (not air horns !) I was considering 91-95 twin tone, horns from the Ford Sierra, for those of you who aren't aware, these are loud are sound good, Go and cut a ford driver, in one, up on the way home, You will see what they sound like for yourselves. My question is : Has anyone, changed their horn, and if so what to ? Are there any electrical reasons why the horn has to be retained ? (11/99) |
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On my California, I have replaced the standard horn with Crazy Red Italian airhorns which are the business. I reckon there are only two reasons not to have airhorns....first that they are too loud for you (unlikely as this is what you are complaining about) or second, you know that there is a short delay while the compressor spins and that is a concern for some. To get round this, some people leave the original horn attached as well and it sounds first. (don't know what it sounds like !!) In either case you need to uprate the fuse for the horn (on the brake lights circuit IIRC). By the way, on my first 5, one of the two piezo horns did not function...a fact I didn't learn until I bought the second 5. Turns out that US Miatas only have one (hence the confusing instructions with the CRI kit). Not sure how much of this applies to a Mk II.(11/99) |
| Went to Halfords on Friday and bought an Air Horn kit for 15 pounds...best 15 quid I've spent in a long time. It was really easy to fit (took about half an hour) and the horns now sound absolutely brilliant - well, a lot better than the standard electric ones! At least I'm not embarrassed to use the horn now. (12/99) |
| Trying to change my horn with a new one I just bought. Where is the original one located under the hood. I think I will have trouble finding it. (12/99) |
| Just in front of the radiator - bracket screwed to the same strip that the bonnet lock is on. Might be underneath a cover if it's a later car. Or someone might have moved it. Get someone to sound the horn while you follow the noise. BTW - there might be two - one either side. (12/99) |
| I found the horn, forgot to tell you car is an MK2 so two horns replaced with two bigger ones, nice sound definitely louder. (cost 14 GBP over here) (12/99) |
| Well wonders never cease, but I managed to get my horns working this lunch time. If you know me, you'll know this is an incredible fluke of biblical proportions! Anyway, it all worked first time, my girlfriend nearly dropped to the floor when she realised they worked! JUst one thing bothers me... when the ignition is turned off and I press the horn, all I hear is a ticking (sounds like the relay) and no horns, is this ok? Also I didnt know where to take the live 12v feed from or which wire to splice into, so I erm... connected them upto the Blue Live Feed connector that lives on the right side of the engine bay...is this ok or am I likely to fry my car...I have put a 30amp fuse in it as per the instructions...and it does seem to work ok! (2/00) |
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connected them upto the Blue Live Feed connector that lives on the right side of the engine bay That connection is only live with the ignition on. So with it off, you fire up the relay but not the horns. It is also run through the wiper fuse, which is 20 A, so it may not be enough under some circumstances (like high wiper speed maybe). The 20A fuse will blow before your 30 A one. I'm a bit puzzled, though. There is already a horn relay as standard, so why didn't you just use the existing wire? Now the possible problem with that is that it's on the same fuse as the stoplights (fuse marked "stop" in the aux fusebox) and it's only 10A. I would use the existing wire and put a 30A fuse in the stop position in the fuse box. At your own risk! (2/00) |
| Just been out in the car (lovely day) and I've discovered my Crazy Red Airhorns are not working. The compressor is spinning but no sound. Anybody got any ideas ?? Maybe my trumpets need cleaned (ooh err !!) (2/00) |
| .. is it blowing still .. air pumps can seize in the salt atmosphere .. mostly all Al parts that just Luv the salt ...(2/00) |
| Being totally ignorant of anything electrical I am hoping someone can help. The Wife bought me some air horns as the '5's are a bit apologetic. The compressor needs a 12v live feed. I have looked in the fuse box (rear of engine compartment at left side) but can only see fuses and what I think are relays (?) nowhere does there seem to be anything that I can connect a wire to. All the wires under the box are taped very tightly. The car is a '97 1.8iS bought from a Mazda Main dealer (4/00) |
| Look in the fuse box again, under a little cover on the side, you will see a thick wire fastened underneath a nut. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY, then undo the nut and add a new takeoff under there using another eye. This will provide more than enough juice for a horn compressor. Don't forget to wire them through a relay though - this feed providing power for the horns, your original horn circuit providing the switching feed for the relay. Clear as mud? (4/00) |
| This is also useful to me, I can feed my front fogs from here :) all I need to do now is tap into the lighting feed & use to feed the relay trigger via the dash switch. Does this sound sensible ? (4/00) |
| When I fitted my CRI airhorns, the only juice I needed was supplied via the original horn wiring albeit with an uprated fuse. Is this a type of compressor that need +12V in addition ?? (4/00) |
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nowhere does there seem to be anything that I can connect a wire to. Stand in front of the car with the bonnet up and there's a blue plug dangling free on the right near the headlight motor. This is for connecting a timing light, but you can connect in for other stuff. I don't know what current is available, but people use it for front fog lights. |
| Blimey, front fogs draw alot more than a timing light. I would think much less than 1A for a timing light, my front fogs will draw 9.1A (55W x 2) (4/00) |
| Thats what my 12v horn is connected to, and it works swimingly! Top tip, make sure when you fit your horn you put the relay facing downwards, so all the water doesnt get into the circuits and stop it working...ha ha... like it did on mine! (4/00) |
| The blue connector is on the same fuse as the wipers - 20A - so there's a fair bit of juice available - less if the wipers are on, especially on fast speed. (4/00) |
| But these types of fuses will take 30A for ages and 40A briefly, if they are anything like normal cartridge fuses. So quick burst on the horn if your wipers are on full! (4/00) |
| . the later cars .. say '94 onwards had a relay built into the wiring .. so you can just throw the air pump on with uprating the fuse. .. earlier 1.6 cars have no relay .. so need one fitted. The relay is on air filter side .. under a black cover up by the bulkhead on the wing inner .. there are 3 slots for relays .. only 2 are filled .. one is the horn relay .. I know 'cause I had an intermittent horn caused by Momo wheel contact. (4/00) |
| Ya don't get no earlier than mine - Sept '89 - and it's got a (original) horn relay. (+ some f***ing useless Halfords horns which are on the way to the bin as soon as some new Mixo's arrive!) (4/00) |
| .. must have moved the relay then .. because the '90 Roadster I played with did not have the relay. (4/00) |
| I have been given some freebie horns (not air but Hella twin tone). Each horn (there are 2, 400Hz and 500Hz) draws 70W ! Seems a bit high ! this means that 11.6A will be drawn on operation ! I think that I need to either up the rating of the fuse or more safely add a relay triggered by the current horn feed, any ideas ? (4/00) |
| Go with the relay - use the same feed you are going to tap for the fogs and then all one trip to the fuse box - then make sure inline fuse in place to protect fuse box! Simple 4 way relay will do trick - +ve to relay switch , horns to switched side of relay then to earth. Horn wire to solenoid side of relay then to earth from other side. (4/00) |
| Italian air horn fan from local parts place peaked at 18A .. and averaged a peak of 12 A when tested... stock Eunos horns rated at 4.6 A each.. stock wiring/relay quite happy with running this compressor, one stock horn and the brake lights with a 20A fuse instead of the 10A original. (4/00) |
| I used the spare live connector behind the headlight and fed it to a relay and used the existing wire from the horn button to the old horns. Put a 20 amp fuse in the live feed and you should be OK. (5/00) |
| Try your brakes and horn together. It you horn stops working then you have blown the fuse. If you tow a trailer then do this with the trailer attached. The same fuse is used by the horn and brake lights. So If you horn stops working then your brake lights will probably not work as well. The fuse is the one marked STOP. On a MK2 it is under the bonnet. On a MK1 it is in the drivers foot well. (5/00) |