2000 Ram 1500 horn blows when trying to jump start...

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rockinH5

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1999
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Went to use the truck this morning and had no power at all. Battery and terminals were all replaced about two months ago and have been working great .

Was going to try and jump it with a battery charger, but after a few seconds, the battery charger started smoking inside and noticed the humming it makes was much louder than normal. Promptly disconnected it and tried to jump it with battery cables and every time I tried to hook them up, the horn would start blowing.

I'm not sure how to diagnose this one, but I'm wondering if the horn is actually the security system going off?

Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot this and could this be a relay or something?
 

MagSport

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5.9
Went to use the truck this morning and had no power at all. Battery and terminals were all replaced about two months ago and have been working great .



Was going to try and jump it with a battery charger, but after a few seconds, the battery charger started smoking inside and noticed the humming it makes was much louder than normal. Promptly disconnected it and tried to jump it with battery cables and every time I tried to hook them up, the horn would start blowing.



I'm not sure how to diagnose this one, but I'm wondering if the horn is actually the security system going off?



Any thoughts on how to troubleshoot this and could this be a relay or something?


Try removing the relay for the security system in the fuse block and try.
But IMO it sounds like something got fried and the horn circuit got involved with it. So every time theirs power to the battery the horn is powered. When you remove the relay make sure there isn't any burnt wires or strange smell coming from around the fuse box.


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Rlaf75

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When you hook the jumper cables up have your remote handy so you can hear the horn you can disarm the alarm. Try that and see what happens. I know the aftermarket alarms will do this when the dead battery in the vehicle get jump started are recharged.
 
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rockinH5

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Thanks for the feedback. I had the battery tested and charged and I'm about to go hook it back up and see what happens. If it is a short somewhere involving the battery, does that narrow down where I should start looking? I pulled the security relay and it looked good and the fuse box looked good as well. There is some brake coating the conduit coming from the bottom of the fuse box. Could this be an issue?
 

MagSport

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I doubt brake fluid would affect anything unless it got in the fuse box. If it's a short for the battery and there isn't any sign of charred wire or smell around the fuse box, look in the cab under the kick panel under the steering column and look for signs of a short there. Otherwise trace the horn circuit to find the short since that is being affected.


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