Technical Ducato 2001 x230 van clock spring spare parts for the horn.

[amohamad]

Hi all good people.
I own a 2001 ducato x230 2.8 diesel, VIN: ZFA23000006194344 and need to fix few issues before going through the MOT inspection. The horn doesn't seemed to work, checked out by the auto sparky and he found that the clock spring needs to be replaced. Does anyone know where I can get these clock spring replacement? I am in Australia and the vehicle wa privately imported by a motorhome company Trakker Australia. I checked with the dealership and parts distributors and they confirmed that in Australia only models after 2002 wa sold to the public meaning that spare parts for this 2001 ducato maxi is unlikely to be available in Australia. Worst case scenario, is there a way to make modifications to the horn switch? It is activated by pressing the side of the steering wheel. Please help me.

 

[bugsymike]

Hi all good people.
I own a 2001 ducato x230 2.8 diesel, VIN: ZFA23000006194344 and need to fix few issues before going through the MOT inspection. The horn doesn't seemed to work, checked out by the auto sparky and he found that the clock spring needs to be replaced. Does anyone know where I can get these clock spring replacement? I am in Australia and the vehicle wa privately imported by a motorhome company Trakker Australia. I checked with the dealership and parts distributors and they confirmed that in Australia only models after 2002 wa sold to the public meaning that spare parts for this 2001 ducato maxi is unlikely to be available in Australia. Worst case scenario, is there a way to make modifications to the horn switch? It is activated by pressing the side of the steering wheel. Please help me. View attachment 460200

Sounds quite a rare version, short of fitting a later steering wheel and clock spring if viable, if clock spring is for an Airbag operation be very careful.
However if safe to do so I would try and repair original Horn clock spring connection if viable and failing that fit a separate horn switch if your MOT station will accept it.
I used to be an MOT inspector in UK many years ago and we often came across them modified like this and as long as it was easy to get to and worked well we wouldn't fail it.

 

[amohamad]

Sounds quite a rare version, short of fitting a later steering wheel and clock spring if viable, if clock spring is for an Airbag operation be very careful.
However if safe to do so I would try and repair original Horn clock spring connection if viable and failing that fit a separate horn switch if your MOT station will accept it.
I used to be an MOT inspector in UK many years ago and we often came across them modified like this and as long as it was easy to get to and worked well we wouldn't fail it.

Thanks mate. Interesting thoughts, fitting a later steering wheel looks like a good option. I will note that. By the way this particular ducato has no airbags.

 

[bugsymike]

Thanks mate. Interesting thoughts, fitting a later steering wheel looks like a good option. I will note that. By the way this particular ducato has no airbags.

So really quite easy to safely repair original or if all else fails fit a horn switch on dash, though in an emergency it is always easier to hit the steering wheel horn switch.

 

[cid]

Hi there, Just a thought before you go splashing the cash. Have you checked the actual horn. I have a 1996 1.9td x230. I would bet they use the same horn and mine is a sod. I found it by removing the front panel that holds the name badge. The horn is mounted under the off-side (right hand) headlight. Give it a good blast with WD40 or similar and see if that does any good. May take a couple of goes. Also check power when horn is pressed and, if you can, disconnect horn from it's mounting and give a good clean to create a good earth to the van body. If none of this works, buy a new steering wheel but there is so little to go wrong at the steering wheel end that I would suspect the horn itself. best of Luck, Ian.

 

[bugsymike]

Hi there, Just a thought before you go splashing the cash. Have you checked the actual horn. I have a 1996 1.9td x230. I would bet they use the same horn and mine is a sod. I found it by removing the front panel that holds the name badge. The horn is mounted under the off-side (right hand) headlight. Give it a good blast with WD40 or similar and see if that does any good. May take a couple of goes. Also check power when horn is pressed and, if you can, disconnect horn from it's mounting and give a good clean to create a good earth to the van body. If none of this works, buy a new steering wheel but there is so little to go wrong at the steering wheel end that I would suspect the horn itself. best of Luck, Ian.

Good advice , but I think OP had an auto electrician check it out.
As you say often the horn can be an issue, in the old days with the big Lucas twin horns we could often rescue them by revving the engine to get the dynamo extra voltage then at the same time as someone holds the horn button down give the horn a bang with a hammer and then often it would start to work, there was also a screw on them that could be adjusted to tune the sound better.
Sounds brutal but it worked.

 

[cid]

Hi again, I understand OP had an auto electrician look at it but, unless he did the dismantle job that I describe, I don't see how he could do a thorough diagnosis. I have experience of this fault on a similar Fiat vehicle to that owned by the OP. I think the OP would feel rather foolish if he searched high and low for a replacement steering wheel only to find the horn didn't work through old age or neglect. The fault I describe is not an electrical fault but a mechanical one in the horn itself so a good chance an auto electrician wouldn't find it. Also, the part described as " a clock spring" is actually just a copper strip. When the horn is pressed a contact is made with this copper strip creating the required circuit. The mechanics of this are so simple as to be almost fool proof and easy to repair. Have another look at it OP and see what you find. All the Best, Ian

 

[Communicator]

I note that the vehicle has no drivers airbag.

eLearn for my later x244 states in relation to the horn button connections,"If the vehicle has a drivers airbag, then these connections are made via the clock spring.". From this I infer that if no airbag, then no clock spring, so perhaps brushes, which may be worn or dirty. As no airbag, the it shoild be possible to remove the horn push, and confirm.

Typically horns are operated via a relay.
On the x230 I belive that these are located behind the LHS lower dashboard.
If the horn button is pressed when in quiet surrondings, it should be possible to hear the relay click.
A positive result would exonerate the horn button connections.
Unfortunately a negative result would not prove that the wiring is faulty.
If the horn relay can be identified, and removed, a temporary short applied between socket recepicles 30, and 87, should make the horn sound.
If the horn works in the above test, then a wiring, or even a faulty relay, is a possible diagnosis.

 

[cid]

Hi again, I get the impression from Amohamad's OP that he is not an experienced mechanic or electrician so to suggest, even with the best intentions in mind, that he starts short circuiting his van electrics could result in dire consequences. I know the aussies keep beating us at sport but this is taking a very mean revenge. I would always suggest taking the simple approach first. Take the horn off and bench test it giving it a good clean at the same time. Then work backwards from there. However, from my experience of this model Ducato, it will probably be the horn. I would suggest, once it's off, replace it. Hopefully with a set of air horns just for the hell of it! All the Best, Ian.

 

[tommin]

Been there, thought it was my steering wheel, turned out due to lack of use (remember these are 20+ year old vans) the horn had packed in. I bought an off the shelf one and yes it worked. There was an issue on the steering wheel, but that was fixed with cleaning the contact strips and adding a little spacer to ensure contact when horn pressed.

 

[cid]

Hi all, I think, before we go any further on this topic, we really need to hear from the OP as to what they have done. All this speculation has become redundant without an update. Ian.