1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Wiring up an air horn

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by krausternet, Sep 15, 2020.

  1. krausternet

    krausternet Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2011
    137
    24
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Prius 2013. I'm considering buying an air horn to get some serious 150db loudness when on the road. But I want to keep the regular horn also hooked up to make the standard alarm sound that happens when I accidentally sit on my key fob and trigger it and it starts going off in my garage or any other short sounds while not driving. Is that possible?
     
  2. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2014
    1,243
    1,044
    1
    Location:
    Keystone State
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Separate circuit/switch for the airhorn?
     
    MexicanChip likes this.
  3. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,790
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Yes. You NEED a relay to drive the air horn.

    And if you want to retain the stock horn, you need a separate new SWITCH for the new horn too.

    Louder OEM type horns are available that should be "plug and play".......but won't quite sound like a train horn.
     
    MexicanChip likes this.
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,915
    16,216
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2018
    6,426
    3,413
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    WHY would that make me happy?
     
  6. SnowMexicanuck

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2019
    54
    64
    0
    Location:
    Quebec, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    I installed a cheap two flutes one on mine and I went for a seperate circuit. Fused at the 12V cable (nut) in the fuse box going to a relay and a ground wire going inside to a momentary switch I stole from a led strip I had that came with those Try Me switch. I originally had it instead of the horn on my Camorolla, but I indeed bumped the panic button a couple of times, so I decided to wire it on its own in the Prius.
     
  7. krausternet

    krausternet Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2011
    137
    24
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I guess this is where a small toggle switch could go.
    [​IMG]
     
    #7 krausternet, Sep 17, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2020
    MexicanChip and ASRDogman like this.
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,915
    16,216
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Toggle?

    [​IMG]

    If you've forgotten, I probably don't know the answer. Did you follow the link to what you wrote at the time?
     
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2018
    6,426
    3,413
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Nooooo,,, it's not worth the effort.... and it's not important.... :)


     
  10. krausternet

    krausternet Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2011
    137
    24
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    ahh, where would one find one of those? That is really cool. Did you make it?
     
  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2008
    24,915
    16,216
    0
    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    The blue text is a link. :)

    They are fairly low-current switches (3 amps or so?), so you will probably still have a relay involved. The switches are push-on, push-off, but are easy to disassemble. I bought one to remote-control my inverter, which expects just a momentary pushbutton (the inverter itself turns on with one push, off with the next). I just opened the switch up and found the little spring that does the push-on latching action, and bent it out of the way. Presto, a momentary pushbutton.

    That might be what you'd want for a horn too.

    Years ago, my dad bought mom a first-gen Honda Civic, and a big ol' aftermarket alternating-tones horn to make up for any perceived inadequacy of its dimensions, and installed that horn with a toggle switch. The toggle was right where mom was always snagging it with a purse strap just getting out of the car, and the horn would be blasting away until she could clamber back in and turn it off.

    The green in the picture is the color from the LEDs inside. Like the car's original switches, the markings are white when not lighted from behind, so that matches ok. The color of green does not really match the car's dash illumination. One day I might stir some blue pigment into some clear PlastiDip and blob a bit of it on the LEDs inside the switch.