Where is the horn relay...

[Fran D]

...in an '01 Taurus? I can hear it clicking somewhere under the dash on the driver's side, but I can't get a visual on it. Can anyone help? My Ford factory repair manual doesn't even mention a relay, but I can certainly hear it! It's a real PITA that Ford can't put it in a fuse/relay box like every other OEM.

[shorod]

Why are you trying to locate the relay? If you hear it clicking, the relay is likely working. Does the horn not work, or are you trying to tie in for an alarm/remote start system?

If the latter, there are probably easier places to tap into the horn circuit, especially if you have factory keyless entry.

I don't have the service manual for the 2001 model year, but in 2002 the horn relay is located in the central junction box. Check the wiring diagram for the horn in your service manual. If it's like every other Ford factory service manual, it will show where the relay is located. At a minimum, you can search for the component location or the connector location.

I just checked another source of wiring diagrams and that diagram, for the 2001 model year Taurus, indicates that the relay should be in the central junction box as well.

-Rod

[tripletdaddy]

Maybe he is trying to avoid going through a nasty divorce with his greedy wife and doesn't want her to get a penny or any alimony, so he is disconnecting the horn in her car so when she drives as maniacally as always in heavy rush hour traffic, she will get creamed by a tractor trailer because the guy in front of her, which is you disguised in a wig and different car, wouldn't let her over a lane before the barreling down truck destroys her car. Heh, Heh, Heh.

Sorry, Fran D. Since you didn't say why you needed to pull a perfectly functional horn relay, you kind of left us wondering why you would need to do that. Some of us though have an overactive imagination and always seem to go to the worst and most improbbable possibility. Rod suggested his ideas why. I suggested mine.

[Fran D]

Originally Posted by shorod

Why are you trying to locate the relay? If you hear it clicking, the relay is likely working. Does the horn not work, or are you trying to tie in for an alarm/remote start system?

If the latter, there are probably easier places to tap into the horn circuit, especially if you have factory keyless entry.

I don't have the service manual for the 2001 model year, but in 2002 the horn relay is located in the central junction box. Check the wiring diagram for the horn in your service manual. If it's like every other Ford factory service manual, it will show where the relay is located. At a minimum, you can search for the component location or the connector location.

I just checked another source of wiring diagrams and that diagram, for the 2001 model year Taurus, indicates that the relay should be in the central junction box as well.

-Rod

The horn is working intermittently and I can hear the relay click, so I suspect a blown output on one of the legs since it's a 5 pin relay.

I have a wiring diagram that shows it on the CJB as well, but it's not there. And I can hear the clicking underneath the plastic covering the bottom of the steering column, so I guess I'll need to remove that to find it.

[shorod]

The relay should only be a 4-pin relay, or at least only use 4 pins.

When I went into the component locations portion of the service manual, it states the following for the horn relay, "Parts in Assembly (PIA), to Central Junction Box (CJB), on printed circuit board." This causes me to wonder if the relay is integral to the CJB and not easily replaceable.

Sounds like it might be time to get a helper to press on the horn button while you wriggle under the dash and put the tip of a finger on the CJB to see if you can feel the relay click.

If you're going to be searching around under there for long, you may want to disconnect the horn, which would be a good time to check for power to the horn assembly and to verify the ground at the horn is good.

The horn assembly should be located in the proximity of the LH fender.

-Rod

[Fran D]

It's an SPDT relay, so it would have 5 pins. Regardless, the horn grounds are good (one of the first things I checked) and the fact that I get intermittent sound means that the diaphragm is intact. You may be correct that it is integral to the CJB, but the replacement relays are all blade types, so there must be a socket somewhere to hold it. My diagram (schematic would be too imprecise) shows the relay within the dotted line of the CJB. Then, the next page shows a block view of the CJB with all the assorted fuses and relays, but the horn relay (K33) is nowhere to be found. Go figure. I'll need to disassemble things this weekend.

[shorod]

The wiring diagram shows an SPST relay, and there'd be no need for SPDT as one throw would be a no-connect. Sounds like you're looking at a similar diagram to what I have. The diagram would imply the relay is part of the CJB, it's not until I click on the "Component Locations" button that it mentions it's on the PCB.

I guess Ford didn't learn from the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM) of a few years ago that it is not owner-friendly to use relays soldered onto a PWB and integrate multiple relays into one expensive module. If you manage to find the relay and it is indeed soldered onto the CJB, I know of a few sources for PWB relays in case you don't.

-Rod