For those interested in this part, it is mounted behind the driver's side headlight bucket and looks like a relay over in front of the battery box. It's between the battery box and the headlight assembly, and has 4 wires going into it, with a separate black ground, with it's own connector.

Anyway - reading through the wiring diagram in my manuals, it appears to work with the computer to pass information about water temperature, air temperature and other details, so I think it's important enough to change.

My old one was heavily corroded from battery acid probably splashing onto the connector. Found one at a local Mazda dealer for $56 and they have to special order it for me - should be around a week before it arrives.

Currently, the car seems to run fine without it, but thought I'd give a before and after to help you guys determine if it's truly needed. HTH,

 

LD,

It's responsible for your radiator fluid and oil chimes to get their message to the instrument cluster to "ding". It also has something to do with the choke /check relay but I'm not sure what.

jeryj

 

Hi LongDuck.
I'm afraid I would have to disagree.

The oscillator is simply a circuit that converts the battery 12v DC to a pulse to drive the buzzer at a certain frequency. It operates the buzzer for low oil and low coolant conditions, as jerij mentioned. It has nothing to do with water, temperature or other sensors or signals.

It does have a terminal in common with the CPU (which only controls such mundane tasks as the Ign key reminder buzzer and timing for the wiper motor and washer functions), but that is so the CPU can also sound the dash buzzer with it's own, built-in oscillator. It has nothing to do with the EFI, which is controlled by the E.G.I. and Emissions Control Unit (ECU).

The oscillator's 12v supply comes from the Choke and Check relay. If the alternator fails, the relay would cut power to the 12A choke solenoid and the oscillator (why they bothered, I don't know), while lighting the dash warning light; but otherwise it has nothing to do with the choke(12A) or fast idle(13B).

If the oscillator fails or is removed, the only difference is that the low oil and low coolant buzzer will not sound. (On a side note, I have no idea why they located it where they did; I would have expected it to be under the dash. )

I could scan the relevant areas of the factory wiring diagram, if you would like.

Just a friendly FYI.

-John.

 

Thanks for the update - money's already spent at the dealer, so I'll just wait for it to show up. At least I'm getting closer to 'factory' build...

 

It's not wasted money, though. You need the oscillator if you want to be warned of impending doom, such as a broken oil hose.
(Unless you were to rig a bulb to the sensors, but I'd go with the original equipment, as you have.)

$56.00 is cheap insurance, I'd say.

-John.

 

FJ, that is absolutely why I spent the money and an embarassing number of hours getting mine back to "stock". I will almost always hear that "dinging" BEFORE I see the light. But that's just me.

jeryj

 

good read for anyone who's interested in the ocillator's purpose. i had no idea what it did until today!

 

Me either and i think that lil bastard is the reason why my car has an unusual vibrating buzzing noise when the car is on, im gonna check it out

 

Very interesting, I had always wondered what it did as well. Everything seemed to work fine so I never looked into it that much, but interesting nonetheless
Thanks!

 

just goes to show you that post count does not always mean knowledge count!

 

Sean, i think he just called you out!

 

Yea I know wtf?! I think we're gonna have to duke it out!

 

great info....good post!

 

Mine must be rusted / fried because I don't get a buzzer but the warning lights come on.