HORNBLASTERS 844K Nightmare Edition Train Horn Kit Installation Guide
- June 10, 2024
- HORNBLASTERS
Table of Contents
- HORNBLASTERS 844K Nightmare Edition Train Horn Kit
- Product Information
- Contents of the Kit
- Recommended Tools and Add-ons
- Safety Tips and Important Information
- Product Usage Instructions
- HORNBLASTERS SHOCKER 2-GALLON KIT CONTENTS
- Safety Tips and Important Information
- Tools + Addons
- Preparing For the Install
- Preparing the Air Compressor
- Recommended Tank Assembly
- 8 GALLON SHOCKER XL INSTALLATION MANUAL
- Maintenance / Tips (Do not throw this away!)
- Troubleshooting
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
- 10-32 Bolt Size (Any 10mm machine screw will work)
HORNBLASTERS 844K Nightmare Edition Train Horn Kit
Product Information
Horn blasters Shocker 2-Gallon Kit
The Horn blasters Shocker 2-Gallon Kit is a conductor’s special installation manual for a train horn system. The kit includes a PS-150H pressure switch, horn, valve, and all necessary fittings for installation. The system is designed for use with a 12-volt power source.
Contents of the Kit
- PS-150H Pressure Switch
- Horn
- Valve
- All necessary fittings for installation
Recommended Tools and Add-ons
- Adjustable wrench (1-2)
- 5-gallon air tank
- Additional air hose
- Pressure gauge
Safety Tips and Important Information
It is important to read the safety instructions and follow them carefully to prevent any risk of electric shock or injury. Always make sure to regularly change filters and drain moisture from the tank to ensure the longevity of your system.
Product Usage Instructions
- Install the PS-150H pressure switch onto the air tank using the provided fittings.
- Connect the horn to the valve and install them onto the air tank using the provided fittings.
- Connect the power source to the pressure switch and valve.
- Fill the air tank with compressed air using an air compressor.
- Test the system by pressing the horn button to ensure proper function.
Note: It is important to always wear hearing protection when using the
horn system to avoid any potential hearing damage.
WARNING: To ensure the longevity of your system, reading and following
these instructions are recommended. Make sure to change filters and to drain
the moisture from your tank on a regular basis.
HORNBLASTERS SHOCKER 2-GALLON KIT CONTENTS
- Dual Air Compressors (DC-1NM)
- Horn Blasters 8-Gallon Air Tank
- Horn Blasters Shocker XL Horns
- 17′ 1/2″ Airline
- 10′ 5/16″ Airline
- Tank Fitting Kit
- Air Filter Relocation Kit (in compressor box)
- 1/2″ Electric Solenoid Valve
- Ear Plugs
- Air line Cutter
- Horn Blasters Universal Wiring Kit
- PS-150H Pressure Switch
Identifying Fittings
The diameter of the thread ( X ) will indicate what size thread fitting
has. If you’re not sure which fittings are 1/2″, 3/8″, or 1/4″, measure the
thread on each fitting and match it up with the values below.
Safety Tips and Important Information
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Caution: To prevent the risk of electric shock or electrocution:
- Do not disassemble any electrical components of this horn kit (air compressor air valve pressure switch).
- Do not attempt repairs or modifications of any Please refer to qualified service agencies for all service and repairs.
- Do not operate any component where it can fall or be submerged into water or any kind of
- Do not reach for any component that has fallen or been submerged into water or any kind of
- Use the included components with 12 volt DC systems
- Do not leave the air system unattended during
WARNING: To prevent injury:
- Never allow children to operate the compressor or air Use close supervision when operating this equipment near children or animals.
- The air compressor will become very HOT during and immediately after Do not touch any part of the compressor with your bare hands during or immediately after use.
- Do not use this product near open flames or explosive materials or where aerosol products are being used
- Do not operate this product where oxygen is being administrated
- Do not pump anything other than atmospheric air
- Never use this product while sleepy or drowsy
- Do not use any tools or attachments with the supplied air source unit without first determining maximum air pressure for that tool or attachment.
- Never point any air nozzle or air sprayer toward another person or any part of your body
- The included compressor is equipped with an automatic reset thermal protector and can automatically restart after the thermal protector resets. Always cut off power source when thermal protector becomes activated
- Use only in well ventilated areas
- Do not sound the air horn(s) in close proximity to another person’s or your own ear(s).
- Do not fill the included air tank above 150 Doing so may result in death or serious injury.
- Disconnect the battery negative cable before doing Failure to disconnect this terminal can lead to damaged electrical components.
- Use eye protection when operating drills or other power tools during the install
- Ensure the parking brake is engaged before you get underneath the vehicle
- Do not wire the system without the fuse holder
- Do not allow the compressor to run when the vehicle is off
Tools + Addons
Recommended Tools
- 3/8″ Long Socket (Horn Front Mount)
- 1/2″ Long Socket (Horn Rear Mount)
- 1/2″ Wrench
- 9/16″ Wrench (1/4″ NPT Fittings)
- 7/8″ Wrench (4-Way Splitter on Valve)
- 10mm Wrench or Socket (Air Source Mounting)
- 12mm Wrench
- Drill (3/16″ & 7/16″ bits)
- Wire Cutter / Stripper / Crimper
- Adjustable Wrench (1″ – 2″)
Compatible Add-on Kits
(available @
www.HornBlasters.com)
Optional Install Items
(Not required but will make your install easier)
- Fuse Tap – Great for tapping into a key-power source from your fuse-
- Self-Tapping Screw – These can be used for ground points on the pressure switch, compressor, and
- Slotted Angle Iron – Can be used to mount the horns without making a
- Cable Ties – Used to keep your air line looking clean and
- Heat Shrink Tubing – Can be used over the terminal connectors to better seal them up against the
- 1″ Adjustable Wrench – Makes it easier to get the brass fittings into the You can use one wrench for all the fittings on the system.
- Loctite 545 Thread Sealant – Can be used instead of Teflon to seal
Preparing For the Install
Recommended Install Locations for Your Car (Compressor)
- The trunk of your car/sedan/SUV is a great spot for this air source The trunk keeps the compressor out of the weather and is one of the best install locations for the compressor/tank.
- The engine bay can also be used as an install location for the air If you have enough room to mount the air source without getting too close to the engine, this will work just fine. Do not mount the compressor to close to engine If the compressor gets too hot , it will not run
- If you decide to mount the compressor outside the car make sure it won’t get submerged if you go through a large puddle! It can get wet but you cannot submerge the system.
Check out the install photo below. This is a great example of an install in the storage area of a small car.
- The compressors can be plumbed into any port on the tank. They don’t have to be setup as shown to the left.
- The 8-gallon tank can be mounted on it’s side with the four ports on the front face pointing down to the ground.
- The compressors can be mounted upright or on their side.
Recommended Install Locations for the Horns
- These horns will sound their best when facing down towards the ground, or towards the front of the vehicle (these can face forward!) We typically see these mounted behind the front bumper, ahead of the radiator on most vehicles. (see picture below, to the right)
- If you opt to install the horns in the front grille, make sure that the opening at the end of each bell is not blocked or covered. Make sure to leave some room for airflow to your radiator!
Recommended Install Locations for Trucks (Compressor)
- The toolbox is a great location for the Do not use the toolbox as a ground point as it will not be directly connected to the frame of the vehicle.
- Mounting the compressor/tank underneath the bed is a great There’s plenty of room available and mounting the compressor outside will help it run cooler and save space in your bed / toolbox.
- The engine bay is a good spot for the compressor as long as you keep it away from the exhaust manifold and engine block. The engine generates a lot of heat and will keep the compressor from running cool. If the compressor overheats, it will not run until it has cooled off.
*Keep in mind that the air tank has to be close to the compressor. The
leader hose on the compressor is 18″ long
Recommended Install Locations (Horns)
- You can mount these horns in the front bumper similar to a car or underneath the bed as shown
- If you face the horns forward when mounted underneath they may pickup some dirt/dust from the This is normal and will not damage the horn. We suggest using a blowgun to remove excess dirt/dust from each bell semi-annually.
Preparing the Air Compressor
Start by locating the hardware that was packaged with your air compressor. You
should have a set of mounting bolts, two barb fittings, and an air filter
housing. A picture of each is shown to the left for reference.
Let’s start by taking the fitting on the left with the male thread and
inserting it into the compressor inlet. The other fitting (female end) can be
threaded onto the filter housing directly. Your compressor/filter should look
like the image below. At this point, you can use the supplied air line that
was packaged with the compressor to connect the compressor and filter
together.
Filter Placement
You r compressor is fully sealed against the elements. If the compressor is
mounted outside with the air filter on the end of the compressor, the filter
will get wet and water will get pulled into the compressor. To prevent this,
the filter must be relocated to an ENCLOSED AND DRY location. If your
compressor is mounted in the bed of your truck or underneath the bed, the
filter could be relocated into the cab of the vehicle. The filter must be
relocated to an area where it will not be exposed to debris or moisture
If the air filter is not relocated, the compressor will pull in water/dirt
and will stop working properly. 9 out of 10 compressors that fail within the
first year have pulled in water/debris from the intake.
WE DO NOT WARRANTY COMPRESSORS THAT HAVE FAILED DUE TO WATER/DEBRIS BEING
PULLED INTO THE INTAKE/FILTER
Route the air filter up into the bed as shown to the right. This will ensure
the compressor ALWAYS pulls dry clean air.
COMPRESSOR MOUNTING HARDWARE
The Horn Blasters 1NM compressor features four mounting feet
with rubber bushings to isolate the compressor vibration from your vehicle. A
set of four bolts, nuts, and washers was included with the compressor. You can
assemble each foot with the hardware as shown above
Hardware Specifications:
- 1″ Long Bolt (can be longer if needed)
-
10-32 Bolt Size (Any 10mm machine screw will work)
- Stainless Steel
Recommended Tank Assembly
Any of the fittings labeled in white text can be swapped around for
one another. The placement won’t make a difference in functionality.
Make sure to apply Teflon tape to all fittings to ensure a leak-free system.
8 GALLON SHOCKER XL INSTALLATION MANUAL
Connecting the Train Horns to the Steering Wheel
Connecting the Train Horns to a Push Button
Maintenance / Tips (Do not throw this away!)
Once every…
- 2 Weeks
- Drain the air tank of moisture! Do not let the water build-up in the tank longer than 2 weeks. The water can find it’s way into your horns and cause them to sound squeaky or not at all. The water can also find it’s way into your pressure switch and cause it to fail.
- Month
- Check the air filter element for the compressor. If the element is showing signs of dust/dirt build-up, replace it with a new one.
- 2 Months
- Check your air lines and make sure they’re not rubbing against anything. Inspect the horns for damage.
- Check your wiring for corrosion ( especially in the winter time ) If the terminal connectors become oxidized or corroded, the kit could stop working at random in the future.
- 3 Months
- Replace the filter if you haven’t already. Inspect the filter if it was recently replaced.
- Check the tank for leaks. After being installed on your vehicle for some time, the vibration from daily use can cause a small leak to occur at the fittings or air line connections. Spray down with Windex or soapy water to find the leak point.
- Year
- Check your ground connections. If the connection to the frame isn’t that good or comes loose, the compressor or solenoid valve will stop working properly.
- Use a wire brush to clean these up if needed.
- Inspect your mounting hardware for the compressor/tank/horns. Ensure all components are still secured nice and tight
Remove the old filter element from the housing. Insert the new element into
the center so that the white portion of the filter lines up with the plastic
tabs. Replace the cover back over the housing, lining the tabs up on the sides
of the cover. Use a flathead screwdriver to pry the filter housing apart.
You can insert the flat end of the screwdriver into seam, where the arrow is.
Troubleshooting
Compressor
The compressor doesn’t turn on.
- Try connecting the compressor to a 12v battery directly.
- Take the red wire to the positive terminal and the black wire to the negative
- Give us a call if the compressor doesn’t If it does, go to the next step.
- Double check the blue wire on the pressure switch.
- If this blue wire is not hooked up or doesn’t have +12v power, the compressor will never ! This blue wire receives a signal from the car to let the system know the car is on. This is to! prevent the system from running when the car is off.
- Make sure the fuse isn’t blown
- If the fuse is blown, this could be due to a short in your Before you put a new one in,! check and ensure your wire is not frayed or exposed anywhere.
The compressor doesn’t fill the tank
- Make sure the drain cock isn’t open
- Refer to page 14. If the drain is open, the tank is not sealed and cannot
- Make sure the valve isn’t open or backward
- If the valve is open, the air from the compressor is escaping through it If the valve! is backward, air will escape through it constantly.
- Check the compressor’s air inlet
- If the plug from the inlet was not removed, the compressor cannot suck in Remove the! filter and remove the plug.
- Make sure to check that you removed the plug from the end of the compressor’s leader ! If the plug is still present, the compressor will not be able to push air out of the hose.
The tank loses pressure after a few hours
- Spray each fitting and air line with soapy water or Windex®.
- The liquid will bubble up anywhere a leak is present. Typically, fittings need to be tightened! further or more Teflon tape needs to be applied to the If you have a leak from the air! line connections, re-cut the lines flush and re-seat them into the PTC fittings.
- Make sure the compressor’s check valve wasn’t overtightened
- If the check valve is overtightened, it will leak back to the compressor and the air will escape! from the filter. This may also lead to a blown fuse.
Horns
The horns won’t honk
- Check the air tank for air pressure. If your air gauge reads O PSI, refer to the steps on page 15 to remedy the lack of air in the tank.
- Check the wiring for the horn solenoid valve. If the valve has a loose ground connection, it will not work properly. Make sure the valve is connected to your activation switch.
- Check the power source for the horn activation. Use a test light or voltmeter to check for +12v on the lead coming from your stock horn wire or power source. Make sure power is coming into and out of the activation switch/button.
The horns don’t sound right
- If your horns start to squeak or sound high-pitched, drain the tank. Moisture buildup in the tank is finding it’s way from the tank into your horns. This causes them to squeak.
- Drain the tank of Disconnect the lines from each horn bell but leave them connected to the 4-way. Let the tank build pressure and then press the horn button. The rush of air through the lines will remove excess moisture.
- Check and ensure the end of each bell isn’t obstructed or blocked. The horns will sound off at a different pitch when the opening of the bell is blocked.
The horn honks on it’s own as soon as it is wired up
- This is a tricky problem to fix and can be confusing to most. On some vehicles, the stock horn receives a constant feed of power from the battery. When the wheel is pressed, a switch inside the steering wheel creates the ground for the horn circuit and the horn honks. When you wire your OEM horn wire to our valve, the valve ground completes the circuit and causes the constant honk.
- We can fix this problem by following these steps:
- Disconnect the valve ground from the
- Splice from the OEM horn NEGATIVE lead and route this to the toggle
- Connect the opposite lead of the toggle to the black wire on the
- This makes it so that the valve is actuated from the negative side of the OEM If you have trouble with this, give our team a call @ (877)-2O9-8179.
- Make sure the valve isn’t connected to a constant power source. If the valve is receiving power constantly, it will stay open.
It sounds like the horns are going off at different times
- Check the length’s of each air line from the 4-way splitter to each bell. If these lines are not equal length, the horns will sound off at different times. This is not ideal.
- Check and ensure each air line is secure in the elbow If one line is loose or disconnected, the other horns will sound muffled due to the loss of air pressure.
Can’t find your issue listed above? Give our team a call @ (877)-209-8179 or shoot us an email to sales@hornblasters.com