Annoying horn problem

[Alibi]

89 LeSabre, old-school tilt column with GN-style wheel and floor shift

My horn has been giving me fits lately. For a while, it would only work when I pressed realy hard. Then, it started to randomly honk on its own, especially when turning or when going over bumps. Temporarily I have disconnected the power to the horns in the engine bay, but I can still hear the relay open and shut when the horn is engaged.

I took apart the column and I found out that the inner round plastic horn ring was cracked. So, I replaced that, got my button back on the column and I could hear the relay clicking intermittently. Sometimes it would work if I hit the horn button, sometimes I would get nothing, and other times it would be super sensitive to just a light touch.

There is some light surface rust on the backside of the horn button, would that cause this wierd intermittent horn problem? Or is there something else in the column that I need to inspect? Is there a contact that gets shorted out easily? I had to replace the column recently and the old column did not give me fits so I saved all the internal parts that I could (for spares).

Please leave me some suggestions.... no horn is really making me jumpy (especially since some idiot in an SUV almost creamed me a few days ago). I really don't want to rig up a makeshift horn button.

[maxwedge]

I'd be looking at the horn pad itself, I've seen this happen as temp changes cause the vinyl covering to contract and make contact.

[Bassasasin]

Find the wire and test it out... disconnect or temp cut it.. Divide and conquer.

Bass

[1955Joe]

I had this same exact horn problem on a 1989 Chevy Caprice. When it got really bad the steering wheel would not lock when the key was in lock position. The C shaped "retaining ring" had slipped out of the groove it was supposed to be in. After the steering wheel is off, there is a plastic cover, then the retaining ring is there holding down the metal plate that locks the steering wheel.

[wrightz28]

Horn's not working? That blows

Alright, all joking aside, it has to be either something metallic is making a ground path between the button and ring or there's a chaff in the wire somewhere.

[Alibi]

I removed the steering wheel yesterday and I discovered that I didn't replace the plastic ring that sits on top the lock plate. I just now found it so I'm going to stick it on there and see what happens. If that doesn't work, then I'm just going to remove the old wire and solder in a new one

Thanks for the ideas thus far