Hi everyone,

First time posting to the forums and I have questions about my 1987 Honda Accord DX.

My first question is regarding the horns. I think I can see them hiding underneath the headlights. They stopped working recently and I wanted to get at them to check the plugs, etc. I have checked the fuse (20A) and it is good, so I assume it's simply some corrosion on the plugs. Am I looking in the right place for these? And just how do you get to them to service the horns with the headlights in the way?

Next question is a two-parter concerning the attached photo. The first is regarding the small open hose in the middle of the picture (this is near the back of the engine with the fire wall to the left). Is this simply a 'breather' tube or should it be connected to something? (it doesn't look thick enough to be a vacuum hose). The second question about this photo is the red wire just above the mystery tube. This wire is spliced into a green wire (that you can't see) that comes from a sensor(?) tucked up under the air filter housing. The odd thing is that this red wire is then fitted past a grommet through the firewall and is just jammed under a 10A fuse in the fuse box inside the car. It's obviously a 'shade tree' modification, but just what exactly is it doing? (is this a known fix for some kind of sensor issue?)

Thanks for any help you can provide about my questions!

 

There is a shop manual you can find on the web for a 1986 accord that should help troubleshooting. The common diy thread on top of the gen tech help forum has some links that may still work. A google search may be quicker to find the pdf.

The horns are mounted somewhere near the front of the radiator support. If access is difficult from the top or bottom of the engine bay, then you likely have to remove the front bumper. Horns are a simple circuit. They need power and ground to sound. Your issue can be the horn, wiring, or the horn switch. Using a volt meter or test light to verify the power and ground to the horn will help you narrow down the problem.

For the hose, find where the other end is connecting. If it is to the transmission, then you are looking at a vent hose. A vent hose would be open like in your picture.

Does your accord have a carburetor or is it fuel injected? The red wire is supplying 12V to the sensor. I'm guessing the green wire somehow lost power to the sensor and this fix was a bypass. To get to original, you'll have to find the original green wire, then trace back to why it is missing 12V. If you can give the wire colors going to the sensor, we may be able to tell you what sensor was repaired.

 

Here's a diagram I finally found of the horn(s) location on the 87 DX. Note only one horn is circled, but I assume the other 'pancake' under the driver side headlight is also a horn (high and low tone?).

I hate to ask, but is the only way to get to these either; A) removing the headlight assemblies or B) the entire bumper? I sure don't see an easy way to get to them. Anyone know?

 

Probably the bumper. I'm not sure if you have to remove the bumper to remove the headlights.

If you remove the front turn signal lens, you may be able to access the horns. It is a longshot, but it may work.