Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum

General Category => Kaiser Forum => Topic started by: oldpm on March 31, 2012, 10:00:59 PM

Title: My Manhattan has gone dark
Post by: oldpm on March 31, 2012, 10:00:59 PM

Hello All,
I was trying to get the horns on my 54 Manhattan working today.  I had just replaced the wire down through the steering column.  I hooked the other wires to the solenoid.  I did not hook up the horns.
When I pushed the horn button, the solenoid audibly closed.  I then hooked the wires to the horns.
I then tried to honk the horns.  One of them gave a sick bleat and the entire car lost electrical power.
I went through the shop manual and the supplements and I cannot find any fuses or relays to check.
I am at a total loss.  Does anyone have any ideas?  No noise or smoke accompanied the failure.
Thanks, Barry

Title: Re: My Manhattan has gone dark
Post by: kaiserfrazerlibrary on April 01, 2012, 02:46:32 AM

Like any electrical part over 50 years of age, the horns themselves are subject to corrosion and shorting out when contacts fail to properly open and close.  Disconnect the horns and see if power comes back up.  If not, charge the battery and see if everything else (leave the horns disconnected) works OK when the battery comes back up.  Odds are you may have shorted the battery to ground when you tried the horns and may have fried the solenoid as well.

Title: Re: My Manhattan has gone dark
Post by: boatingbill on April 01, 2012, 09:41:24 PM

Turn on the headlights and tell us if the headlights come on at all. If they come on are they dim? If
no lights at all, put a voltmeter across the battery and lets us know what you read.

Title: Re: My Manhattan has gone dark
Post by: oldpm on April 03, 2012, 01:21:11 PM

Thanks for the quick answers!  It indeed was a short to ground.  Cleaned all the major connections and that seemed to clear everything up.  Now all I have to do is hookup and try the horns.
Thanks again,
Barry