So my base model '86 decided to start honking all by itself. It seems to only happen when i'm easing into 1st and turning the car left. Anyone heard of anything like this before?

This happened right after:
--My dash light dimmer **** cracked in half (still a mystery to me).
--Dash lights stopped turning on, but the turn-signal lights and 'brights' warning light work (I removed both the broken dimmer **** and the headlight ****, I can still use the headlights if i use my fingertips to rotate the mechanism).
--The add coolant light started coming on and buzzing, even though I filled the radiator correctly (Coolant into radiator, 1/4 to 1/2 in overflow, ran with radiator cap off for a few and then closed it [ I couldn't run the heater because it doesn't work at all]) and made sure my oil is full.
--There is SOMETHING loose somewhere in my steering wheel (I took the little mazda piece of plastic off of the center of the steering wheel, and its not in there). It sounds like a piece of plastic. So when I turn the wheel it sounds like a lego is rolling around in my steering wheel.
--There is a noise that only happens in 4th gear, that I would say sounds like 90% shaking and 10% grinding. It only happens when i'm in 4th and I accelerate hard, and only before 4k rpms, i'd say, and it feels like its coming from the tranny. (Bad mounts?)
--Both outside door handles are broken, so I have a neck-tie tied to my inside door handle, and when I get out, i toss the other end in the back. When I want to get in, I have to open the hatch, pull the tie, and then open the door. Before I figured out the tie trick, I would just climb into the back, and open the door myself. Not too bad, but i'm 6'1", and at the time was pushing 265lbs, and, going to work in slacks and a tie, didn't look too professional lol.
--All of the following and my radio area of the dash is completely f-ed up, things fall off all the time.

With the exception of the doors and radio situation, i'm kinda lost. I am going to check the fuse for the dash light dimmer switch, as it recommends in the FAQ (just so Icemark doesn't beat me up), and I won't bother asking how to get to it, i'll just look in the FSM (so Aaron Cake doesn't beat me up). Does anyone have any ideas what could cause auto-honking/tranny shaking/dummy light buzzing/dimmer **** cracking?

 

It could be what's rattling around in the wheel. If it's metal, it may be bridging the switch to ground.

Failing that, resolder the CPU. I had the same problem years ago which was solved by resoldering all the major connections in the CPU.

 

Well, I have never soldered in my life... How could I get around that??

Thanks for the input though!

 

No questions about it, must be a ghost residing in your car...








But seriously,
Soldering is easy easy, just don't get the cheapest soldering iron you can find.

 

Well then, there is only one thing I can do.....



GHOST RIDE DA WHIP!


Ok, no, but really:
Would that solve the honking problem and the dash lights?

 

my girlfriends late 86-early 87 SE used to do the same thing; honking for no reason even if the car was off key out! same thing with the steering wheel as well! just goto a junk yard and get a new CPU that should solve the horn issue. As for the steering wheel eit6her take yours apart or get a new one

 

Cool, thanks!

Do you think that getting a new cpu will fix my dash light issue as well? Or is that most probably the headlight fuse or w/e...?

 

I'm an idiot, they have nothing to do with each other.

Would it be worth it to scour the pick-n-pulls around here, or should i just get one from mazdatrix?

 

Learn to solder.

http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

 

Thread revived.

I thought i'd tell you all that I took the front of the steering wheel off, and a small, gold colored screw was the culprit for the honking. I think it was touching the horn contacts, and making the horn honk somehow. I took the screw out (well it just sorta fell out), and now there is no honking and no 'lego' noise in my steering wheel.

Anyway, that's the resolution. Thanks for the help though everyone!