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.

Some earlier posts on the "horrible screeching noise", all quite civilized.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=screeching
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=screeching
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=screeching
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ght=screeching

All that said, at some point I didn't remove the oscillator, but did pull the connector to disable it (easier as you don't even need to remove dash :) ) after I couldn't make the door switches work properly. However I'm used to check my instruments a lot and would immediately notice if a warning light came on, without need for the buzzer. And even if the lights would fail, a drop in oil pressure or raise in water temp would indicate a possible low level coolant and oil. But for those who are not constantly alert of gauges and such the buzzer can save lives, I mean engines.

I tried everything I could think of to dry/isolate mine before I finally gave up and removed it. It may add to the risk factor, but I religously watch my gauges and you will still have the idiot lights if anything goes wrong. Perhaps the "correct" thing to do would be replace the oscillator, but I tend to remove whatever doesn't absolutely have to be there anyway. Whatever your opinion on this is, your issue is still most likely related to the oscillator. To confirm this, just unplug it for a minute and see if the incredibly irritating noise goes away. Then plug it back in and correct it the right way if possible. Good luck.

Ahh, the classic newbie insult. Ouch! Thanks Jack, you made me laugh.

And trochoid, I overreacted a bit, but realize that my effort to simply give the guy something to investigate immediately became the target of your insult. Disagreement is fine, but I would have responded to a civilized discussion in a civilized manner.

rx7learner, sorry this thread has gotten so crazy. I know that you just want information.

I'll say it again nice and calmly because I think that this may your problem... Take a look at the suggested threads and decide for yourself. Others have given their advice against removing the oscillator. I disagree; it was the best remedy for my very similar buzzing issue.

Try unplugging the thing for a short time and see if your issue goes away. Someone might have mentioned it - it is a roughly 4.5"x1.5"x1.5" black component that is located just fore of the battery. Mine had barely legible white lettering on it identifying it as the oscillator.

If you choose to remove it, do the following and you, like millions of other car owners without buzzers, will have a very high degree of security about the health of your engine.

1. Make sure your oil and cooling systems are in a state of good repair.
2. Regularly check for leaks and proper fluid levels. Perform required maintenance.
3. When driving, use your senses and know your car. Pay attention to unusual noises, smells, vibrations, warning lights, gage readings, etc.

Doesn't sound like rocket science does it? That's because it isn't. People do it every day. I almost can't believe I wrote it up.

Just my opinion. Good luck.

Is it not more Ignorant to simply remove or disable a Component rather than properly diagnose and correct the underlying Problem?

(Ignorant, as a Course of Action)

Not necessarily. This forum is full of people removing 20+YO, no-longer-functioning things from their car - devising workarounds or totally eliminating them. Do we always fully repair our AC systems, PS systems, emission systems, stock exhausts, heat shields, etc? No, we understand the underlying problems, but we often choose to toss them out in favor of cheaper, lighter, more simplified solutions.

I know, I know, without the buzzer, the future of your engine is in grave danger and so on. But on this one, I happen to side with Kentetsu, above (although after today he might not like me aligning myself with him).

Bottom line on the question of oscillator removal... 1.) find a junk oscillator and potentially have the same issue in the near future, 2.) try to find a new one and if it's even available, spend big bucks to get it, or 3.) eliminate it, maintain your car, and move on.

Again, just my opinion.

XLNDRVR, you are redeeming yourself with a more thorough explaination. I personally have never had a problem with a faulty oscillator but I can understand how moisture and corrosion could cause false alarms.

Had you posted your experience in your 1st post, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I look at the warning buzzer as an adjunct to the gauges and none of us would intentionally remove the gauges, so why remove the buzzer? It is there to give us a precursor warning before the gauges do and will quickly get one's attention if they are not carefully monitoring the gauges. I know the buzzer has helped save my 2nd gen when I had that pinhole leak that took forever to find. Everytime I thought I had it fixed, it let me know that I had not.

Notveryhappyjack, while I appreciate you coming to my defense, name calling does not belong in the 1st gen forum. In the past year or so we have achieved a level civility that some of the other sub-forums can only wish they had and I make my best efforts to maintain that civility.

so...., let's all chill, get over it and be happy. Solutions for the buzzer problem have been cussed and discussed, options presented. While I still strongly believe a working oscillator needs to remain in the car, the final choice is up to the owner. I personally make sure mine is operational. I monitor my gauges as best I can, but I'm realistic enough about myself to know that I don't alway check them as often as I could. And fwiw, all of my gauges are aftermarket except the speedo and tach.

In my first post, when I originally suggested doing a forum search, I was doing exactly that, referring him to my and others' experiences. Among others, the thread "Fricken buzzer!!!", from over a year ago, notes these experiences. I didn't feel the need to rehash, just to refer.

I completely agree with being civil and treating each other well. No hard feelings, here.

Awww let's all have a :grouphug:

BTW... Buzzer did not sound after parking in the garage... So as many suggested.... yes moisture related...

Yes I think that's why simply unplugging it for a while then plugging it back in can fix the problem. But cleaning it up in the mean time is a good idea. The main thing is unplugging it, after checking all your critical fluid levels, is the right approach to diagnosing the problem and providing a temporary fix so that you can drive the car again. I actually had to quit driving mine for a few weeks, the screech was so bad and I think it did permanent damage to my dog's ears, they still won't get in the car. Glad you got it figured out, hope we were of some help or amusement, at least.

Ray

Maybe you should just spray it up with some undercoating to help seal it up? Just a thought...

Mine was such a corroded mess inside that I would have been surprised if it actually did anything useful, even after cleaning it out. If you do rehab it, definitely seal it up. If I'd kept mine, I'd have considered relocating it, slightly, to a more accessible place for future access.

Here's a quesion about the ocillator. Does it actually make that god awful screech or does it just act as a control switch for some other ugly noise maker that lives up under the dash someplace?

On the couple of occasions that I've had trouble with mine (invariably in wet weather), the screech doesn't seem to be coming from the ocisllator but instead seems to be eminating from up under the dash somewhere. But the screech is so loud and piercing that you can't locate it by ear and I haven't been able to find it by feel reaching around for vibrations.

And here's another question, is the oscilator noise really the same noise as the warning buzzer noise? I don't think so. The buzzer noise, either from leaving the lights on, key in the ignition or overrevving, is actually a civilized, albeit annoying sound. A buzzing sound. The occillator screech is something else that could not possibly have been intentionally designed, a little like someone dragging their finger nails over a very long chalk board, only worse.

From what I've heard, the Mazda enigineers themselves don't really know what the ocilator does, they just put it in to meet import requirements back in the early '80s.

Despite a number of posts on the subject and lot's of suggestions on how to fix it, nobody has explained what it does. Anybody know?

Ray

back from the grave, well this problem happend to me again yesterday before work and I took a video, anyone know whats up with my car ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWMffAKa1q0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUk40l9Ibaw

Did you try unplugging the oscillator?

I don't know what an oscilator is ? I still want the redline buzzer to work, I redline the engine more often then this problem happends :)

You should probably start at the beginning of this thread and read through it. I believe that this information has already been stated, but here you go.

The oscillator does not trigger the redline buzzer.

It is a small black box (looks like a relay) located on the frame in front of the battery, next to the radiator, and has a plug with a few wires going into the bottom of it.

The redline buzzer is a unit on the backside of the tach, with a tiny speaker. Unplugging the oscillator should have no effect on the redline buzzer. As to where the oscillator noise emminates from, I don't know and am curious as to it's location myself.