Question about Altette horn

[Akumar]

Dear fellow enthusiasts,

I am curious how to distinguish an original Altette horn from a replica. Are there any markings different on original horns?

Thanks

[Roger Gwynn]

Not easy as the copies are really quite good. The originals will have a small triangle of Tufnol attached to the terminals with a month and year of manufacture impressed. There are of course modern copies made with 'Lucas' on them that are officially sanctioned by the trade mark owner and so are genuine. Non-Lucas ones now have only 'Altette' stamped on the rim but not 'Lucas', older copies have both.

[MGriffin]

I’ve restored quite a few genuine altettes and bought many parts from Taff over the years, the Lucas horn guru now no longer. The repro ones on the market now have the wrong shaped acorn nuts aswell as the centre nut! The threads on some of the studs is BSF not BA aswell. Also the small 4BA studs should have screw driver slots on one end on the “cutout” housing models with no back fitted adjuster.

[JoeRoyle251]

Hi, Can these be Horns. restored, on mine i have a circuit through the 2 back terminals on the horn. On the Bike i have 6v when button pressed at the horn mount cables so am getting power so cables ok - but nothing happening on the horn? Although a 6V system i have, i tried a12 Volt battery in the shed and got nothing, the horn seems clean inside, no worrying corrosion - but am unsure if the horn is totally “Kaput” or not?
Could anyone kindly advise or is it a new one required - which would be a shame as i’m trying to fix stuff
Any ideas most welcome and hope photos help
Joe

[will_curry]

Is there continuity between the two terminals? If not, the striker attached to
the diaphram may need to be adjusted to allow the contacts to close. If there's
no continuity even with the contacts shorted together there may be a fault with the
coil which can be difficult to fix without replacing the coil.

Once you get continuity the horn should at least make a noise and can then
be 'tuned'.

[paul.jameson]

There are 2 adjustment screws. One is the black screw head in your top photo. The other is under the centre nut on the tone disc. You may need to clean the contacts with emery or similar but if you do, be careful to remove any debris from between the points afterwards.

[JoeRoyle251]

I do have continuity between the two terminals - next step, tomorrow, I’ll try to clean the contacts. Ill post once i try - Thanks guys much appreciated

[will_curry]

If you're a club member you'll find the Lucas instructions in the document repository of the Members' Section
under 'Miscellaneous'.

[Chris Sealy]

Hi Joe. This is a horn made by, Clear Hooters. There should be some info stamped on to the fibre insulation next to the terminals, on the outside. Voltage; model, and manufacturers name. Yours appears to have been sprayed internally with silver paint. More worrying, is what looks like epoxy glue, and burning, on the back of the terminals. If you have continuity through the coil, then it should produce a strong magnetic field when energised. You can test for this by simply putting a steel washer, or whatever near to it, and see if it grabs it when you connect a battery. I have attached a picture of my, not nearly so shiny, Clear Hooters HF 500.

[JoeRoyle251]

Thanks Will_curry, got that great stuff

Hey Chris it seems the burnt out white wire as lost all conductivity, it leads right into the coil, is that easy to. Replace, it look riveted in place - does that mean I need to buy as it seems a lot of effort and it may just end up in pieces

Is there anywhere I can send it get refurbed? I have found „taffthehorn“ but he is sadly ill I believe (I wish him well)

Sorry for keep asking with only limited skills and tools