Bad Boy WoLo air horn install on Val the 97 Valkyrie

[dan filipi]

Or you could wire it for a 20 amp fuse :doh:

 

[desertrefugee]

maybe when it cools down...

 

[Denver]

They do get you noticed :hihihi:

 

[Ansimp]

Denver » Mon Jun 26, 2017 4:50 am[/url]":1fxor0l5]
They do get you noticed :hihihi:

+1 :good:

 

[mcgovern61]

My Stebil horn came with a 20 amp fuse and 14 gauge wire from the battery to the horn.

 

[Denver]

What about the relay????

 

[Ansimp]

Denver » Fri Jun 30, 2017 1:28 am[/url]":v60p9qhb]
What about the relay????

Who's relay Denver?

 

[Ansimp]

Just realised that I hadn't updated since changing my fuse up to a 20amp one. Since doing that I haven't blown another fuse so maybe it just uses more than 15amps sometimes which caused the first fuse to blow (15a).

 

[Denver]

Mine all had one in the package the horn came in with a warning not to install the horn without it.

 

[desertrefugee]

I've only blown one 15A fuse - and I'm not emotionally attached to the 15 amp threshold. I actually wired the service circuit with 14AWG wire, so it is fully capable of carrying even more than 20A (up to 32A by the book), but that'd be pushing it. It's important to remember (and I feel compelled to point out) that the fuse selection is dependent on the circuit wiring. That's what the fuse is doing, preventing the wiring from a meltdown. If you're using 18AWG or smaller, you should go no higher than 15A for the fuse.

 

[Ansimp]

Well the Bad Boy has just only been bad. I thought maybe my new helmet has too good of insulation or maybe my hearing is just getting worse. I finally decided to check it out yesterday and unfortunately I didn’t visually document it because I was supposed to be doing something else. I ended up cracking the plastic shroud horn assemble so I could work the compressor part out of its housing. I ended up lubricating the self entering bushes and shining up the commutator as well as using my shop compressor to blow air through the horns/trumpets. The instructions say to mount the horn assembly vertically and mine is mounted horizontally onto the center stand crossmember. To finally get the horn working reasonably well I kept filling the intake with silicon spray(and some synthetic chain lube but that was too thick) and running it until it sounded good and all the junk came out of the compressor assembly. I repeated this process a few times while reassembling to test the actual out come. It is now reinstalled and working reasonably well but who knows for how long? I love this horn when it is working correctly but I wonder if their are better quality ones or maybe mine was some sort of cheap knock off.

 

[Denver]

The three on mine came from Harbor Freight & work great.

Their available from several stores, but with the coupon, not much choice in the matter.

 

[mcgovern61]

I have the Stebil Nautilus horn that is similar to the Wolo Big Boy, but many more dollars. I have been using it for almost 10 years with no issues.

 

[Ansimp]

mcgovern61 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:26 am[/url]":1f1v8mrf]
I have the Stebil Nautilus horn that is similar to the Wolo Big Boy, but many more dollars. I have been using it for almost 10 years with no issues.

I thought that might be the case Gerry. My only problem now is the normal conundrum, “Does a current one have the same quality as your 10 year old one?” Only time will tell. The worst part is that the brushes weren’t even bedded in properly and in very poor alignment. Also this horn would not have done one minutes worth of total operation since installed. :head bang:

 

[Denver]

You did install the relay didn't you?

 

[desertrefugee]

Sheesh, Tony. My Wolo has been trouble free, but it is mounted up high and behind the motor, so it's protected. I would think perhaps position AND orientation might have contributed to your failure.

 

[AApple]

The Stebil I put on the 1100 has been a problem if I don't use it often. I found that I need to spray some lubricant(Zep45 for me) up into the air intake hose every now and then to keep it from corroding, or whatever is happening to keep it from blasting properly. Once sprayed, it works great for another year, but I had to actually blast it for a few seconds every now and then just to keep it operating. :builder:

 

[desertrefugee]

It occurred to me that I hadn’t operated my Wolo Bad Boy in a while. You guys had me spooked, so I went out to the shop and laid into it. It works fine. Loud as heck inside the shop I might add…

 

[Ansimp]

Denver » Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:03 am[/url]":3upisfyb]
You did install the relay didn't you?

:whistling: I am an Auto Electrician. :yes:

 

[Ansimp]

:thanks: for the input Guys. Next time it plays up I will probably shim the armature so that the brushes make full contact with the comm. I am sure the main issue is the lubrication of the vanes in the compressor end and lack of use.