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Thread: How to Upgrade your Standard Horn (Mazda 3)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    The East Island (Neu Zulund)
    Posts
    714

    Default How to Upgrade your Standard Horn (Mazda 3)

    The Factory Mazda 3 Horn is arse its the first thing that really peeved me about my car!

    What you will need.
    - New 12V Horns any type you like - Narva Fanfares
    * I used these, I believe they didn't sound too Electric or too Airhorn Like
    - A Spanner Set
    - A Socket Set
    - A Screw Driver Set
    - 3 Metres of Wire to be used as +12V Feed ( I usually Used Yellow or Red for this ) - I used 3.5mm or 4mm I cant recall exactly
    - 1/2 Metre of Wire to be used Negative Ground Wire ( I Usally Blue or Black or Green)
    - A Decent Crimping Tool - Like this one
    - Female Spade Crimp Connectors with the Blue Coloured Plastic - they will be the Correct Size (Get a few of these just to be safe)
    - Ring End Crimp Connectors (Blue Coloured Plastic also)
    - 12V Normal Relay Suited for up to 30A - EG - Narva Normal Open 4
    - Inline Blade Fuse Holder & a 15A Blade Fuse - one of these would be fine
    - Soldering Iron and Solder
    - Heat Shrink
    - 1 x M6 Bolt/Capscrew

    For Tidying and Securing purposes
    - Zip Ties
    - Electrical Tape
    - Crinkle Tube


    Step 1: - Remove your Front Bumper (I will not outline this as there are plenty of guides about)

    On the Right hand Side infront of the Wheel Arch you will see your Stock Standard Horn Mounted on a Zinc Steel Bracket (This is how the Horn is Earthed)
    Standard Horn

    The above will be Soon replaced with these below


    I did Install in to the Stock Location with a New 12VFeed & Relay just to be on the Safe Side as the Standard Wire is pretty wimpy in comparison
    Some People Else Where choose to put the new horns mounted on the Impact Bar so they are visable in the front Grille.

    I undid the Centre bolt that held on the existing horn and removed It, Placed the new horn in and hooked the supplied horn bracket over the threaded Section and then fastened it all back up.

    This allowed me to mount the Secondary horn close by and daisy chain the Earths of the individual horns. you can see below I had bent the bracket for Clearances.



    And I had Pre Cut Two Segments of Yellow +'ve Wires and pre crimped the ends that connect to the Horn(s) leave the other Ends Uncrimped untill we put the Relay in place. Once you have Placed your Relay you can Strip the Ends of both Yellow Wires and Crimp Both in Tandem in to a Single Blue Crimp be sure you have enough length for these to reach and plug in securely to Terminal 86 on the Relay

    Directly above where the Two Horns are Suspended there is a Bracket that comes off the Chassis Rail that has an unpopulated Thread. I used that point there in conjunction with a M6 Cap Screw to Secure the Relay conveniently close to the horns!

    Wiring of the Relay


    The Skinny Red Wire with the Silver Stripe that is Dangling in the Picture can also be connected up to Terminal 30 on the Relay this will now be your Trigger Wire



    In the Above Pictures I have Used a Ring Connector (That will fit over one of the Threaded Positive Terminals on the battery) Crimped that to the Inline Blade Connector. soldered a Lenght of Yellow Wire to the Other end of the Blade Fuse connector and then Concealed it all in a Crinkle tube. so it didnt stick out like dogs balls in the engine bay. Connect the Ring Connector to the Positive Terminal Now!.

    Find the best way to run it from inside the battery box and all the way down in to the wheel well, cable tie various sections in place to keep it all in place and tidy. Once successfully at the wheel well Cut wire to the perfect Length Strip and Crimp the End and proceed to Connect to Terminal 85.

    (NB Don't have your fuse in the blade fuse holder yet.. you might electrocute yourself or Arcweld a Spanner to your Chassis rail :-P)

    Last step of the Wiring is to Cut a Short Length of Negative/Earth Wiring no more than 15cms would be required. Crimp a Female Spade to One End and a Ring Connector to the other and connect like in the above photos (see the blue wire as the example) Plug the Female Spade End to Terminal 87. This allows for the Trigger Wire to go to ground and actually Energise the relay switching mechanisim.

    Now Place your 15A Blade Fuse in and Ensure everything is plugged up give your horn a stab... if you have Plugged everything up as stated you should shit yourself at how loud your horn is now and no longer "girly/oxford street" sounding as it once was!

    Just as a reference

    Terminal 30 - Plug the old horn power wire here.
    Terminal 87 - To Chassis Ground

    Terminal 85 - To 12V+ Fused , Sourced straight from battery
    Terminal 86 - To the +'ve of the item/appliance to be powered when relay is switched

    Good Luck with the Re Assembly of everythign else

    Zip Tie anything up you feel is loose and untidy and check all bolts are nice and tight.. and away you go

    BEEP BEEP
    Last edited by Ranton; 10-03-2010 at 07:47 AM. Reason: Edited to Make more informative...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    The East Island (Neu Zulund)
    Posts
    714

    Default Edited Original Post

    Hopefully it makes a bit more sence.. im a terrible writer so if any one feels as tho they can improve on it please let me know

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Age
    52
    Posts
    328

    Default

    Very comprehensive guide, thanks for posting!

  4. #4

    Default

    Hey Ranton, your photos don't seem to be showing up anymore.

    Btw, thanks for writing up the detailed guide.
    Gonna go out and grab some of the stuff today!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    The East Island (Neu Zulund)
    Posts
    714

    Default

    hmm my photobucket got deleted by photo bucket admin...


    that sucks...

    Ill reload the pics to my new one

    (i think i still have them on file... i hope)

  6. #6

    Default

    I've got a Narva triple air-horn set that I need to install at some point.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    The East Island (Neu Zulund)
    Posts
    714

    Default

    ah well if you need a hand dude.. u know where i am..

    its pretty simple...

  8. #8

    Default

    My old man and I got around to fitting the new horn in today.

    Couldn't find a way to get the plastic cover off altogether and we didn't have a way of jacking up the car.
    Damn it was tricky to get to it!
    The rectangular fog-light also caused some trouble when trying to put the horn in place.




    I noticed something strange, are there meant to be staples on the car?


    close up

  9. #9

    Default

    Good write up mate, appreciate it.!!

    Just a quick note for anyone trying this though.

    From your write up i thought the horn was on the drivers side (what i would class as the right hand side) but the horn is on the Left hand side AKA Passenger side. also i wired my new dual horn setup straight to the existing wire from the old horn. This wire currently runs from the OEM horn relay and is fused, so im not too concerned about running a beefier wire and my new horns are working fine and LOUD, waaaay better than the barbie doll horn our cars come with.

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