DIY Horn Upgrade Mod - Updated Jan 12

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OrientExpress said:
If you replace your stock horn with one(s) that don't use their case as ground, it does not matter which connector on the horn is the + or the - connection.

Yup, good bit of knowledge. Alas, not only do my new horns have a case ground, but I doubled-down. I'm a huge fan of good ground, and proper connections. I made good and sure that I had this thing robustly wired incorrectly. It's why I buy my fuses in bulk.

Best part of the project is when my wife strolled through the garage and asked if I figured it out (yes, in THAT tone with THAT expression). I just happened to have my hand on the horn button. Moments later, she landed like a cat back on earth.

I now give good horn.
 
I was prepared to upgrade my horn like the RAV4 EV people did. To my delight, my "B" has a real horn. It is a simple mod that I did to both my Leaf's but Mercedes Benz already had a real horn! No meep for me.
 
That's not a Rav4 horn mod! This is: http://evnut.com/rav_horns.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Youngsters these days...
 
I have a 2012 Leaf. I have removed the bottom liner, and now there is a plastic part still blocking access the horn area.
I have removed the bolts and plastic plugs attaching it and I still can't remove it. From reading other post no one
mentioned anything about this part, they all just removed the bottom liner and got access to the horn area. Was this
something unique to the 2012 models ? Any idea how to remove it ?

At this point I'm going to try and get replace it from the top. I can see it but not sure about being able to get the bolts that
hold the horn. When I can figure out how to remove the bottom plastic part I will go at it again.

Joe
 
eeyore124 said:
At this point I'm going to try and get replace it from the top. I can see it but not sure about being able to get the bolts that
hold the horn. When I can figure out how to remove the bottom plastic part I will go at it again.
Joe

AFAIK, the 2011/12 models are probably easier to do thru the top (that's what I did). Small hands help, but patience is a virtue.
 
Stanton said:
eeyore124 said:
At this point I'm going to try and get replace it from the top. I can see it but not sure about being able to get the bolts that
hold the horn. When I can figure out how to remove the bottom plastic part I will go at it again.
Joe

AFAIK, the 2011/12 models are probably easier to do thru the top (that's what I did). Small hands help, but patience is a virtue.
I did my 2012 from the top. I did my 2013 Leaf from the bottom. The year matters.
 
Yes I just finished replacing the horn, I did it from the top. It's tight from the top but very doable.
Now I have a horn that can actually be heard :D

Anyone that has a 2012 Leaf don't even try from the bottom.

Joe
 
eeyore124 said:
Yes I just finished replacing the horn, I did it from the top. It's tight from the top but very doable.
Now I have a horn that can actually be heard :D

Anyone that has a 2012 Leaf don't even try from the bottom.

Joe

I wish I would have seen this before taking the underside of my 2012 apart...... Got mine replaced from the top.
 
I have a 2015, and doing it from underneath was the only way to go. I used an aluminum repair bar from ace and a WOLO BAD BOY horn from Harborfreight. Works great after 6 months of use...
 
Hi there,

I've tried following the instructions for an European 2014 model (Tekna) and went underneath.

However, I stumbled into the new honeycomb element and couldn't find an easy way to remove it. It seems to be very well attached to the bumper and front cross member.

That's when I tried to go from above and, to my surprise, it was much easier!
The cooling reservoir (?) is no longer in the original position. It is now on the other side of the car. Here's a picture (sorry for the low quality and light!):

20160228_181926.jpg


After removing the plastic covers (hold by lots of plastic bits), you can find another plastic cover which can easily be removed after removing two plastic nails at the front and pressing the two buttons at the back (marked in red in the next picture):

20160228_181917.jpg


Then, you have clear access to the horn:

20160301_102041.jpg


The picture shows the new horn installed.
Mine is still not working because I'm figuring out the wiring (I'm waiting for a multimeter so I don't blow any fuse). Apparently, you need to use both wires from the OEM horn and I was trying to use the ground from the chassis and horn bracket (without success).

There two other curious facts:

1 - There are actually two horns on this Leaf! Even after disconnecting this first horn, I could still honk it. There's another one on the other side of the car and the access is about the same. The one I replaced seems to be the "low" tone while the other one, on the right-hand side of the car, seems to be the "high" tone.

2 - The OEM horns are "tunable", using a philips screwdriver:

20160301_103734.jpg


I'm not sure if we can simply tune down the standard horns to improve the sound, instead of replacing them altogether.

I hope this helps other owners with more recent models.
 
Good update. The side horn is used for the alarm, but if Nissan finally took my recommendation to config the US version with the "country" horn, then all the better. On the JDM version of the LEAF there are two buttons for the horn, one just honks the "city or Polite" horn and the other honks both the city horn and another one for a louder sound.

And yes, you must use the wired ground for the horn to work.

BTW, your photos are not showing up on your post, but if you right click on the icon, they are visible on your photosharing site.
 
Thanks for pointing it out, OrientExpress. I've just changed the photosharing provider and the images should now load correctly.

Just to complete, my car does not have an alarm but still has the 2 horns. I haven't tried honking the horn in the different "zones" or steering wheel buttons, but that would be a neat feature.
 
sundays said:
my car does not have an alarm but still has the 2 horns.

All LEAFs have alarms with that horn buried up in the fender well, but if that alarm horn is also being used as a second regular horn would be interesting to verify.
 
Just received Fiamm 74100, will install this weekend. I have a couple of questions:
1) Should the red cover(s) snap onto the horn body, or are they secured when the mounting bracket is bolted on?
2) There's a phillips screw head on the horn body, sloppily covered with a big glop of silicone/rubber sealant. Is this normal?

The package had been opened, I'm just trying to determine if it was a returned item, perhaps modified?

Thanks! This little car is desperate for a real horn! :mrgreen:
 
gncndad said:
2) There's a phillips screw head on the horn body, sloppily covered with a big glop of silicone/rubber sealant. Is this normal?

For setting the frequency of the horn, I think. Normally you'd leave this alone, thus the goop. Not sure if it's meant to discourage you, or keep the screw from turning on its own, or both. :)
 
It's the sloppiness of the goop that concerns me. One horn, the screw is exposed, the other has the goop smashed/spread, all very sloppy.

Wonder if I should just return it, ask for a replacement???
 
It's the sloppiness of the "goop" that concerns me. One horn, the screw is exposed, the other, the goop is mashed/spread out, all very sloppy.

My fear is someone messed with the horn, possibly damaging it, and returned it. Seller maybe didn't notice?...OR...are all of them like this?
 
2015: Just installed my Fiamm 74100. To confirm: With the Level 3 charger installed, there's no way to install the horn from the top. The extra cable, plus what I believe is additional directional ducting for the radiator, means just too much hardware in the way.
Also to confirm: The 74100 isn't really louder, just more substantial. The OEM, while weenie in sound, is actually quite loud!
Very happy about the upgrade. Thanks for a valuable thread.
 
The sealant on the screw of the horn is put on at the factory. DO NOT MESS WITH IT>>> When they make it, they find the optimal tension with a membrane that will vibrate correctly. Like turning a guitar string, which should not be adjusted. Don't be so fearful!!!
 
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