65 Dart Horn Problems

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This is the backside of my steering wheel. I need to remove the ring (B) without damaging the horn contact plate (A). Do you know where I can get THE tool made for this? I'm in San Bernardino if you know a guy who can do it.
Thanks,
Vance

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Ok, I found brush on electrical tape at NAPA. Picking it up after work, and I'll take that damned ring off for the third time. If this doesn't work I'll threaten to leave it broken. But then I'll try something else.
 
It could be shorting out somewhere on the column itself or the turn signal assembly.

Exactly. What’s the meter read with it back together. In unless it’s wobbly, I can’t see how it’s touching after repair. Also if it’s interference fit, would a thin o-ring work? IDK.
 
I don't know the name of the little roller contact that makes contact with the horn contact ring but I'll just call it the roller. The roller when touching ground works; no short in the column. The caulking didn't work, horn grounds immediately when the wheel is tightened down. So I took it all apart and used brush on electrical tape. It insulated the contact ring fine, but wasn't thick enough to allow the contact ring to touch the roller so I took it all back apart. Now the only option I can think of is to find an original plastic gasket thingie or fabricate one out of a sheet of abs or the like.
 
The horn honks just installing the bare steering wheel? No horn ring or contacts mounted on the wheel?
 
I don't know the name of the little roller contact that makes contact with the horn contact ring but I'll just call it the roller. The roller when touching ground works; no short in the column. The caulking didn't work, horn grounds immediately when the wheel is tightened down. So I took it all apart and used brush on electrical tape. It insulated the contact ring fine, but wasn't thick enough to allow the contact ring to touch the roller so I took it all back apart. Now the only option I can think of is to find an original plastic gasket thingie or fabricate one out of a sheet of abs or the like.

Well, now that the paint on electric tape has eliminated the short, use a rubber o-ring as one of the other posters recommended to make up the gap. the roller is spring loaded to provide contact tension so you should have a little leeway with the o-ring thickness. This has been a difficult problem to correct !! Looking forward to seeing what works to fix it.
 
It's fixed! I scraped off all the old liquid electrical tape and started over. I used actual electrical tape one the top side of the ring in the recessed area where it touches the retaining ring. I cut a piece of very thick plastic out of an old trash bin and used a forstner bit to cut the inner hole and a jigsaw to cut the outer circle making a ring to go under the contact ring. Many thanks to all who helped me here.

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I tested the horn contact plate and found it has continuity with the top side of the wheel so it definitely needs to be removed and re-caulked. But, after looking at the retaining ring I really don't think there's any way I'm going to be able to remove and reinstall it. I'm sure another steering wheel would be pricey but I'll just keep my eyes open for one.

Removing the retaining ring isn't difficult. It's putting it back on that's a *****. I destroyed a spare OEM steering wheel trying. Waiting to figure out a technique to slightly stretch the ring before trying to reinstall it on my other steering wheel.

I've also got two of the Grant aftermarket wheels, both have the same constant horn problem. Reading through the thread to see what y'all figured out.
 
That looks like it could be my problem - so how did you fix it?

OK, I looked at that problem - and on my new turn signal switch there was a washer that went between the bolt and the switch plastic part. I removed the washer, and ground down the top of the bolt,

AND IT WORKED. Now my horn works. At least with a Grant aftermarket steering wheel installed.

That means I've got as long as it takes to restore my OEM wheel to figure out how to put that retaining ring back on.
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A good pair of ring spreaders will usually do the job. Not the wimpy ones for small snap rings with the holes, this needs to be a heavy duty spreader that is commonly used when building transmissions.
 
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