Today (8/12/00) I Worked out a way to make my horn grounding system better. One of the little things, that has always annoyed me was my horn. EVERYTHING, was in great shape ('cause I replaced it all), but I still only had a horn that worked intermittently. I found out with a multimeter, that this problem, was because *sometimes* my steering column would have a good ground (letting the horn work), and *sometimes* it wouldn't have a good ground (causing the horn not to work). I couldn't find anything in any of my manuals that said HOW the steering column was grounded. I had heard that some had some kind of brush system in them, and in others some sort of wire. I removed EVERYTHING to figure this out. I took out the steering column, the steering column tube, and everything else that comes with that (steering wheel, wiper/blinker switches, ignition switch etc.) I found NO wire, and I also found NO set of brushes. After further inspection, I found that the bearings inside were even 'insulated' (the reason: so that there would be no electrical arching inside the bearings, causing pitting, which overtime could damage the bearings). My conclusion is that VW designed the ground to go: through the steering column, into the steering shaft, and into the steering box (where it would be grounded, since the steering box is mounted to the frame of the car.) This is a VERY weird design. If you have a loose gearbox (like me), or a ton of oil/grease in the gearbox/steering shaft, it wont make very good contact, causing the horn to be intermittent in its operation. I decided I would modify this system, and make it 100 times better! My "plan" consisted of machining a brass collar that would go around the steering column, and then attaching a brush system to the steering tube, so that the steering column would always be grounded (the steering tube is grounded well, so all I need to do is "transfer the ground" from the tube, to the column, VIA the brush, and collar.)
Here's what I started out with... A couple blocks of brass.
First I took some measurements of how thick the steering column was (so I'd know how large to machine the hole), and then I took some measurements for how thick I wanted to make the collars (it will need to fit inside the steering tube). I went down to the machine shop, and slapped these in the lathe, and was able to make 3 sets of "collars" (in case I mess some up). One is missing because I already sawed it off.
After I sawed one off, and got the burrs off, I drilled a couple holes in each one (in opposite corners). I used flathead screws to attach them (and I countersunk them). I lined them up on the steering column, and drilled the holes, and then tapped them. Then I attached the collars. I only used 2 very small flathead screws in each one (4 total), so that I wouldn't weaken the steering column.
The next thing to do, is to mount a brush on the steering tube in such a way that the brush itself will contact my brass collar. First I had to go find a brush that would suit my needs... Turned out to be a router brush.
This is what I came up with, from a blank, flat, piece of brass... It fits the brass around the brush perfectly.
Here is how I mounted the brush... It had a 'sleeve' around it, so I decided I would either weld, braze, or solder the brush mount, to the brush housing. I didn't want to melt the plastic/ceramic housing, so I decided that welding was out of the picture. I figured solder would do a very good job, but I knew my solder gun couldn't heat up that chunk of brass... So, I used my Oxy-Acetylene Torch, and soldered it. It came out pretty well, and is VERY strong.
The next thing to do, was install the whole unit on my steering tube. I drilled one hole that the brush would fit into, and drilled and tapped two other small holes, to mount the unit. Works very well, as you can see here. By-the-way, The brush unit, is in a very accessible place (from the drivers compartment), so replacing the brush WILL NOT be a problem (I bought 4 extras; they are very easy to come by). The brush assembly doesn't get in the way of your knees, and it is not an eyesore. Its far enough behind the dash/wires, that you cant see it/bang into it, but gaining access to it, is as easy as kneeling next to the car, and reaching up there. On the other hand, replacing the machined collar, that goes around the steering column would be a harder task (you'd have to yank the gas tank)... I made sure to use a relatively hard brass, so that the brush would wear out, before the collar.
Oh, and YES, I DID check the continuity between the steering column, and the spot where the tube mounts to the body. (you can see the holes for the hex screws in the above pic). Everything checked out O.K., and it is ready to go!
STAY TUNED FOR PART 6!!
