Hi. Both my horn and wiper pump in my 1992 legacy don't work right. The components themselves work, but hitting the switch doesn't get them power. Are there relays for these guys? I've checked all fuses and they are okay. I still need to check relays if there are any. I've been checking the forums and it seems a lot of people have issues with their "clock spring". I don't specifically know what that is, but could that be my issue? When mentioning the clock spring a lot of people say their cruise control is effected too. I don't have cruise control so I can't factor that into the diagnosis. What do you think? There are a few relays deep under the dash I want to look at today. Thanks.

it's probably the clock spring in the steering column. it transfers the wiring from the stationary column to the rotating steering wheel. it's not a hard job, but you have to decide to go new or used. i went used with no issues so far, a year.

 

there is a good write up on it if you do a search. i would search "clockspring" or "clock spring".

You think that will solve the wiper pump as well? Any second opinions?

If you put power to the wiper pump and it sprays, and if you check for volts and ground at the plug to the pump and that is bad start tracing back. I too bet its the clock spring but you need to find a wiring diagram for the year of car and verify more before dropping the money on it.

For the washer pump problem check to see if power is getting to it. Power is supplied directly to the motor using the same fuse the wiper motor uses. If you don't see power getting to the plug of the washer motor then the power wire has a break in it somewhere. If you do have power there then there is a problem with the connection to the switch which supplies the ground return for the circuit. The wire color may be light green/red running back to the switch. You should be able to ground that lead to verify connection to the pump and turn it on.

 

There may be a horn relay involved in the horn circuit. If so I would verify it is working. You should have at least a test light probe to verify power with when working on these issues.

So I'm trying to figure this out still and I think I may have created another problem... Electrical issues aren't my specialty I guess. I bought a multimeter and probed the terminal of the wiper pump, pulled the wiper/washer switch and it read a fluctuating voltage of around 0.15 volts. I'm sure I have it set on the right range because the car battery was reading 12.10 or so. I doubt the 0.15V at the wiper pump wire terminal is sufficient power, correct? So does that mean I have a break in the wire somewhere, like Cougar suggested?

 

Also, while screwing around with relays under the dash, I pulled out a relay that was for the radiator fan I guess. Now when the car is in accessory I hear some clicks every few seconds, definitely coming from the relay and also closer to the radiator fan. The radiator fan now continues to turn off and on in those few second bursts. Did I mess up the relay? When you pull or place a relay, does the car have to be off, no accessory or anything?

 

I'm about to take it to a mechanic, but I'd rather not since I'm cheap and I like doing things myself, but like I said, I don't know much about electrical issues. I'm learning though!

unplug the green connectors under the dash. they are used for diagnosing only .

The low voltage reading you saw does mean that there is break in the wire connection to power. You should see about the same voltage that the battery is at when things are good. Sometimes connection pins get dirty and can cause that kind of thing to happen. By pulling the connector apart and reconnnecting it usually fixes that. I assume you have verified that all the fuses are ok before digging deeper into the trouble.

Yeah, I checked fuses. I was wondering about good connections at the terminal. The terminals have what I can only assume is anti-corrosion grease on them. They are smothered in a whitish brown grease. Both the horn and wiper pump terminals.