Jim,
Thanks for posting back with the good news. Good job!!
When I got my 1987 XJ6 Vdp in 2008 the horns didn't work. The PO
pointed this out to me and said that he and his shop had tried everything
they could to fix the problem but couldn’t. He also pointed out the recently
installed new horns which didn’t work (and were held on with a makeshift
bracket), and the old horns in a box in the trunk, which he said also didn’t
work. Armed with the S57 Electrical Guide and a multi-meter I started work.
I first determined that all four horns did in fact work by hooking
them up one by one directly to a spare car battery. Using my multimeter and
the S57 drawings I checked the wires at the horn relay and everything seemed
to work properly when the horn pad was depressed. Then while tracing the
wiring from the horn relay forward to the horns I found a very unusual
combination of original wires, new wires taped together and additional wires
connected with quick splices. Since I couldn’t figure out what wire was
going where, I went to my 1985 VdP parts car and removed the original wiring
from the horn relay going forward to the horns and the horn bracket. After
about 30 minutes of work I had the two original horns installed properly on
the correct bracket and working properly, two new horns on the shelf as
spares and a box of old wires and makeshift brackets to throw away.
Your post is further proof that there is always a solution to these
problems once you find the problem. Sometimes you may find it by close
visual inspections and disassembly, sometimes sound trouble shooting will
find the problem, and other times it’s just plain luck. Thanks for adding
to the collective knowledge. Good job!!
Regards,
Paul M. Novak
1990 XJ-S Classic Collection convertible
1987 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1985 XJ6 Vanden Plas (parts)
1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1969 E-Type FHC
1957 MK VIII Saloon
Ramona, CA
P.M.Novak7@gmail.com-----Original Message-----
From: owner-xj@jag-lovers.org [mailto:owner-xj@jag-lovers.org] On Behalf Of
James Mc Arthur
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 7:56 AM
To: Frank Andersen
Cc: xj@jag-lovers.org
Subject: [xj] Horns inoperative updated
Hello Frank and to the list! Well, of course the jobber had no direct
replacements for a horn relay so we went looking through boxes. We found a 5
terminal relay with the 30/85/86/87/87A designation and I whooped “eureka”.
Got home and looked at both of the relays and said “well, s**t, how do I
know where to slide on the spades?”. I love old toothbrushes! Buried under
all of the crud, and with the help of bi-focals, I found that the terminals
were numbered. I said “there is a Jaguar God!”. After sketching the
connections on a notepad, back out to the Jag. 30/85/86/87 slipped
on…NO PROBLEM. And believe it or not, we have horns again. Another
triumph in the battle to keep the old girl on the road and legal! As a
footnote, the relay I used was a BWD R3112. An added bonus is if I shave off
the first landing of the mounting slots, the relay will be held in place as
the original one. I love you guys!
Best Regards…Jim McArthur/ Willow Grove, Pa./ 1986 XJ6 (which also
happens to be the plate number) 
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