Buzzers gone wild
 

Need help... last 2 mornings I get in the car to start it and as soon as the key is turned the buzzer stays on. I checked the coolant and all is good. Take my infiniti to work thinking I'll look into the 7 when I get home. I get home turn the key and now it doesnt buzz... Woke up this am and it was buzzin again... got back from church tonight and it's not buzzin again (think I might need to perform an exorcism) any ideas? Possible condensation? I have another temp sensor that is degree specific... can I just diconnect this thing if its only for temp? Any help appreciated.

Maybe when it sounds your door is open and when not is closed? ;)

Take your radiator cap off and check the level before you start the engine. If it goes off, add coolant and see if it quits. That same buzzer is for low oil too, check your oil level.

yeah but wouldn't the light turn on as well if it was low level oil?

hahaha love the signature trochoid!

Search forum for "oscillator". Remove it and your troubles fade away...

Yeah, I got tired of looking up the link and posting it all the time. Took me the longest time to figure out how to get it to attach ro my posts. I need to find a book tittled "Internet for Retards", the one for Dummies was too advanced for me. lol

Yes, the low oil level light should come on, if it's not burnt out.

That has to be one of the most ignorant suggestions I have read in weeks. Have some common sense man, the buzzers are there for a reason, to protect the engine.

While the irritation of the buzzer may fade away, there is a strong chance the engine will too. Are you willing to take responsibility for toasted engines belonging to those who took your advice?

Fixing a problem is just that, fixing it. You're approach amounts to throwing out the baby with the bath water because the water is dirty.

Yeah. I got another solution. Turn up the volume of the stereo until you don't hear any buzzing ;)

I agree. My radiator is full, as is my overflow tank, and my "add coolant" light comes on intermittantly. Make sure that your fluids are FULL and don't worry about the idiot lights or buzzers. Sensors can go bad, your eyes can't. Trust your eyes and all will be good.

Darn thing did it again this am. I checked the coolant (reserve and rad), and the oil and both are fine. I disconected the top sensor on the radiator and the coolant light lit up on the dash... with the buzz continuing. There are no other warning lights lit when the buzzer is buzzing (and no the door isn't open). The wierd thing is that when I get home today I bet I'll try it again and it will not buzz as it did the last 2 afternoons. If it is gone when I get home I'm going to pull it into the garage tonight so that it's not subject to the morning moisture and see what happens tomorrow a.m..

I definately don't want to just disconnect the buzzer because it's going off for a reason (valid or not). I just put that engine in about a month ago (60K on it) and I would like to baby it and have that sensor working just in case 1 day I do have low oil or coolant.

Any other suggestions please let me know otherwise I'll post back after tonights test. Thanks.

I had a similiar problem in my 2nd gen. Turned out I had a tiny coolant leak where the heater hose attached to the heater core at the firewall. All it takes is a small leak and the overflow tank refilling the radiator to exhibit the same problem you have.

my redline buzzer has done the same thing maybe 5 times since I have had the car and I have no clue why, just get in start it up and the buzzer stays on for some reason, also my tach wouldn't go past 1,600 rpms while the buzzer was going off but my engine would rev just fine.

I think that condensation is getting into your oscillator. My 7 did this one time after I took it to the car wash. I am guessing that water leaked in through the driver headlight bucket and somehow got down into the mess of wires around the oscillator. I had mine mounted right next to the driver's side headlight motor at the time. When I turned the key to start her up, the car kept buzzing for no reason like you describe. Later in the day after everything was dried out, the buzzer finally shut up. It never did it again so I am 100% sure that it was the water that got in it from the car wash. This makes sense from what you're saying too. Check out your oscillator, or see if you can take it out and dry it out somehow.

My 2nd gen did this. The problem was the radiator was about a millimeter below totally full. The sensor was very fussy. Your problem could occurring when the car is cold, and when it gets warm there is more expansion and pressure thus satisfying the buzzer. On my second gen there was two places to add coolant, one on the rad and one at a slightly higher elevation coming from the rad hose closer to the engine. I would fill the radiator as full as possible, then open the higher one and put some more water in there. That kept it happy.

Eventually the buzzer was sounding sick and shorting out, but everything was fine. I took the buzzer off all together (but I don't suggest it) cause you won't get buzzer warnings any kind if something serious actually goes wrong. Then again, if it is always going off it is crying wolf already, and chances are even if something was wrong it would be dismissed thinking it was a false alarm.

Ignorant my ass. Don’t give me crap, moron.

Based on his description that the coolant level was fine and the buzz was intermittent, seemingly associated with morning condensation, my suggestion to investigate the oscillator was perfectly fine. Due to humidity/condensation/rain, I had exactly the same issue until I found some of the threads that I referred him to. Paying attention to warning lights, along with occasionally checking fluid levels and the overall health of your cooling and oiling systems, gives you plenty of feedback if there are potential issues.

I stand by my suggestion. You need to relax.

Ok but are the sensors at the doors working properly? sometimes I had my passanger door switch not operating properly and the buzzer would go on randomly. Next time it does it, open each door alternatively and with your finger push in the switch. If it stops then you got the culprit.

Oh yeah! and mine would go off more frequently after it rained.

Now now now. Let's keep that bad temper and name-calling beast under control.

I think he means if you can not repair a broken/malfunctioning component, it is the Epitome of an Ignorant Solution to simply remove the part, and not replacing it with one that functions correctly. Hopefully that is not what you intend to suggest as a "solution."

Replacing parts is not always stupid, but sometimes done Willy Nilly by ignorant Mechanics who can not find the cause of problems. For everyone, at some point in Trouble-Shooting, a defective component is identified and replaced or repaired.

I am relaxed, and I also didn't call you names.

This same subject and your suggestion has come up before. Disabling the buzzer is ignorant and not a fix for the problem. As fast as a rotary engine can die due to overheating, loss of coolant, the buzzer is a critical safety device for protecting the engine. There have been documented cases of blown coolant hoses on the highway, buzzer went off, yet the engine still overheated by the time the owner could get the car shut down and parked on the shoulder.

If you go back and read your first post, you said nothing about investigating the ocillator, you said remove it, then search. My reply was based on that statement.

Fwiw, I haven't earned the respect I have here in the 1st gen forum by being a moron. If you still think I am, read the thread at the bottom of my sig line and ask around the forum.

Sorry... Didnt mean to start issues over a buzzer. I thank both of you for your help and suggestions however it's up to the person questioning to determine what they feel is the correct path. I have to say XLNDRVR I did understand your post as trochoid did (sorry), but I still don't mind the feedback.

Back to the issue at hand.... Just as suspected... when I got home the buzzer did not go off. Also wanted to clarify that even though the buzzer is buzzing, none of the warning lights remain on. All are lit when I initially turn the key (so the bulbs are functional), however once the car starts all light turn off but the buzzer continues. Seem like others have had similar experiences with moisture. I know the last few a.m.'s my glass has been soaking wet. Tonight I will put it in the garage and post back tomorrow.

Guys... we are all in this together... so dont fight... what happened to all the welcome to the dark side stuff.... Thanks to all...

Calling me ignorant is not name calling? Seems pretty darn close to me. Actually, your comment was, "most ignorant suggestions I have read in weeks." That's nice.

Your recollection is incorrect. Here's exactly what I said:
Originally Posted by XLNDRVR
Search forum for "oscillator". Remove it and your troubles fade away...
Translated, this means search the forum and read up on the issue. If you determine that there is a problem with your oscillator, removing it will resolve the problem.

Your earned respect may be justified, I don't know. I only know of my experience with you, which was one of being immediately discredited when I had a valid suggestion. Your attitude seemed pretty moronic to me. If you had asked me to clarify or expand on my thoughts, that would be a whole different story.

What I get tired of is seeing people provide info or give an opinion only to be jumped on by someone who thinks they have all the answers. Tell me this doesn't happen way too often, here.

You may not agree, but I stand by my suggestion to resolve the buzz if the scenario fits. And BTW, no, I do not recommend replacing the unit with a working one. My last post explains why.

Thanks.

Mine redline buzzer used to that when it was cold outside and the tach would not go past 3K, but after a few minutes of driving the tach would start working right and and the buzzer would go off. I never figured out the problem as summer came really quick here and it didn't do it any more. I need to fix that problem when the motor is out in a week.

FWIW, these details fit my experiences/suggestion.

Sounds like the occilator to me, and contrary to what Trochoid claims, unplugging it does no harm, it just eliminates that god awful high pitched buzzing. I've had this problem on two of my three GSLs, works every time and you can usually plug it back in later on and the buzzing won't come back. It's a little black box up by the driver's side headlight.

As XLN suggests, do a search on "oscillator" (you may want to use some alternative spellings, we aren't real good at spelling around here). You will find some entertaining discussions and real miracle cures for the buzzer issue - just unplug the ocillator and your problems will be solved.

Ray

no need to get so butthurt over being called ignorant, trochoid is a very knowledgeble member and he has helped me out many times so I wouldn't call him a moron...maybe a butthurt newb would

Be less of an annoying newb and hang around the first gen section a little more before you start shit talking with the members that actually have years of experience and know what they are talking about.

I didn't say you were ignorant, the suggestion was. I make a concerted effort not to call members names, unless it's in jest and they know it, because it is not appropriate nor within the the scope of the forum rules.

The 1st gen section is pretty civil compared to the 2nd gen. We seem to be a tighter knit, friendlier group here. I took your post at face value and responded to it. Now you are backtracking and saying I should have interpreted what you were really saying. There is a running joke floating around here that my crystal ball is out for cleaning and polishing and that we are behind on our bill to the psychic friends network. As such, we take what is posted at face value and read between the lines when we can.

While my ignorant comment may have been harsh, and I am sorry you took it personally, the point needed to be made. It is more important to me to protect members and thier cars from bad advice than it is to dance around someone feelings.

Removing the ocillator will kill the buzzer, but we have to brutally honest with ourselves about watching gauges. We all say we do, but in reality we don't view them as often as we think we do. As a side note, an engine that has run low on coolant will not show as rapid of a temperature rise on the gauge as one that is full of coolant. The air surrounding the sensor can not transfer heat as quickly as coolant will. Net result is the engine can overheat and loose a coolant seal long before it shows on the temp gauge. With the buzzer operational, this scenario can be avoided.

If you choose to remove your ocillator, it's your car and your responsibility. I cannot and will not, in good conscious, recommend it to any forum member. Having a working buzzer is one of those nice little safety features that allows the driver to pay more attention to the road and driving, and less time time looking at the dash.

The warning buzzer for low coolant and oil indicates a problem that can lead to a critical engine failure. Disabling the warning device is not dealing with the indicated problem. It's a ghetto fix for those that don't have the patience to deal with the real fault, whether it be a slow leak, bad sensor, wiring fault or a bad ocillator. What ever the problem is, fix it and fix it right. Your engine and budget will be happier.