Fatty's dummies guide on: How to install a Stebel air horn

Stu · Postby **Stu** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:12 pm

AJ wrote:*note for MX5 drivers* if you cut me off, the stebel is about ear level for youse, & it WILL make your ears bleed & your undies go brown

I thought that you had that effect by just talking to someone :mrgreen:

*runs and hides behind ffg*

Veloce · Postby **Veloce** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:26 pm

Finally got around to doing mine yesterday. Well worth the effort. Had cause to use it as a Landcruiser came drifted into my lane :evil:

as the road curved a little. Great horn!

Thanks Andrew

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:59 pm

You're most welcome Rob.
I still haven't used mine in anger ... someone cut me off, please! joking of course

AJ, I'm happy to be able to give you a nice, big horn :shock:

AJ · Postby AJ » Fri Jul 11, 2008 7:36 pm

got to use it in anger today, after an areswipe in a ute decided it was his god given right to push into a space half the length of his vehicle, gleefully jumped on the stebel, & watched as he jumped far enough to bash his head on the roof lining :lol:

cruised a bit further & realised it was getting warm in my airconned cab.......................no aircon, no blower fan......hmmmmmmmmmm.............WTF?.............I used the relay, why would i blow a fuse?

checked it when i got home, & in its infinite wisdom, Isuzu decided to run the windscreen washers, the reverse lights, the blower fan, the horn AND because the aircon isn't allowed to be fitted in Japan, the wise owls that do all these fitments out at Eagle Farm decided that the aircon with its condensor fan should ALSO run off a ....................wait for it..............7.5 amp fuse :shock:

chucked a 15 amp in & she's all good now :mrgreen:

cshaks · Postby **cshaks** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:03 am

AJ wrote::lol:

got to use it in anger today, after an areswipe in a ute decided it was his god given right to push into a space half the length of his vehicle, gleefully jumped on the stebel, & watched as he jumped far enough to bash his head on the roof lining

cruised a bit further & realised it was getting warm in my airconned cab.......................no aircon, no blower fan......hmmmmmmmmmm.............WTF?.............I used the relay, why would i blow a fuse?

checked it when i got home, & in its infinite wisdom, Isuzu decided to run the windscreen washers, the reverse lights, the blower fan, the horn AND because the aircon isn't allowed to be fitted in Japan, the wise owls that do all these fitments out at Eagle Farm decided that the aircon with its condensor fan should ALSO run off a ....................wait for it..............7.5 amp fuse

chucked a 15 amp in & she's all good now

Just a bit confused AJ, is that the fuse that you are only using as a trigger signal for the horn relay?? If that is the case, it is weird that you blew it as it should not change the power of the circuit.
Did you wire the power side of the relay to the battery??
Cheers
Chris

ps The airhorn in my Actros died the other day, so I am reduced to a tiny car horn in a semi...... for the moment.

sliq · Postby **sliq** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:17 am

got to use mine a few times yesterday.. i wouldn't say they were perfectly legitimate, but legitimate enough to warrant giving them a blast..

some idiot P plater coasting a street at 20km/h on a 60km/h busy street.. had a go at him..

there was a jerk off driving a 6 series bmw with car plates \"six 45\"... failed to look in his blind spot when i was doing a drive past him.. gave him a blasting too, and he had the nerve to honk back at me :evil:

i think there was a limit to how many times you're able to press on the horn before it dies.. :?:

i better stop being so trigger happy :oops:

Lokiel · Postby **Lokiel** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:35 pm

After nearly getting reversed into by a 4WD tray-top at Bunnings a few weeks ago because he didn't see me and probably didn't notice my initial frantic horn honking, I decided to get a decent horn. This forum and several others gave me some good ideas. The guy stopped just short of my passenger-side side view mirror, it was the longest 3 seconds of my life.

I've just installed the Stebel Air Horn into my SE which I got from http://www.miatamania.com/Shop/ViewProd ... ortOrder=1 since the A$ is pretty good compared to the US$ and I got a few other goodies too (parts are even cheaper now than from http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/). Shipping was prompt too so I was very happy about that (just as quick as http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/ who are excellent).

Like other SE owners, I struggled to figure out how to access the original horn since the radiator is covered with an aluminium shroud that is pot-rivetted to the front spoiler so have included some annotated photos at photobucket on what needs to be done to install the Air Horn into an SE (aka MazdaSpeed).

Note that it is NOT necessary to remove the front spoiler to access the OEM horn; you do need to undo the 4 bolts connecting the shroud to the front spoiler if you wish to remove the OEM horn completely (why keep unnecessary weight when it's no longer required?). Undoing these front 4 bolts (see slideshow) makes it easier to access the OEM Horn's +ve Blade connector too.

I did not use the included relay and simply connected the Air Horn to the original siren's +ve Blade connector.
The SE has two OEM horns so I still have the passenger-side OEM horn connected (ie. I still have one OEM horn for use when the car's not running).

I also replaced the OEM horn 15A fuse with a 20A fuse, as recommended in the Air Horn kit and by other members of the forum.

This kit did NOT include a mounting bracket and you CANNOT mount the Air Horn onto the existing OEM Horn's bracket because the Intercooler is in the way. Like many others I mounted it behind the Driver's-side fog light. I made a DIY bracket from a 25mmx3mm L-Shaped Aluminium offcut that I had lying around. There was an existing 6mm hole in the chassis and a "nipple" nearby that I used to stabilise the bracket. I had to move my aftermarket car alarm's siren slightly because it was in the way which required me to drill two new holes into the chassis :-(

The complete annotated install can be seen at http://s490.photobucket.com/albums/rr26 ... =slideshow

Now I just can't wait to use my horn in anger :twisted:

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:48 pm

Another group buy beckons methinks :mrgreen:

RawSouth · Postby **RawSouth** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 3:36 pm

A possible silly question, and a little on a tangent...

But is it possible to fit, say, a Mercedes horn?

Now those things are loud!

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:47 pm

Not at all silly. Unless I am wrong, simple answer is yes, as long as it's not a complicated design and it just needs 12v and ground, then should be straighforward.
I was considering installing Holden Statesman horns, but the Stebel is just something else :mrgreen:

NMX516 · Postby **NMX516** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:21 pm

RawSouth wrote:A possible silly question, and a little on a tangent...

But is it possible to fit, say, a Mercedes horn?

Now those things are loud!

Should be ok. I have a Range Rover / Landrover horn here which I intend to fit one day... They are roughly the same size as the MX5 one too, so I'm hoping that I will be able to fit it in the same location and I'll be able to just do a simple swap. They're also very loud :twisted:

RawSouth · Postby **RawSouth** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:24 pm

Id really like a loud, fairly deep horn. The stock one is more suited for saying hello, rather then (puts on best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice) GET OUT OF ZEE WAY!