I have a 1991 May build RX-7 convertible. The car is equipped with an airbag. My car gives me the 5 beep warning code. It use to just beep when it was driven in the rain. Then it started beeping the 5 beep code non-stop. Later it progressed into beeping only when the ignition is first turned on and then about once every hour. I have included pictures of the breakdown of the wheel so you can see for yourself. What I thought was the steering angle sensor I now believe is the turn signal cancel switch. I have no idea where the sensor is! The final picture of the column shows the white piece but this seems to be just solid plastic that holds the stalks. The first piece removed is a clock spring and it is for the horn and airbag. Can anybody help me?

 

I see alignment marks on the third pic. at 12 o'clock. They're a bit off. Try adjusting the wheel on the splines and tie rod ends so the marks are dead on when driving straight. Having said that, I'm not sure how accurate you have to align these to (how many degrees) without checking the FSM.

 

The marks are fine. The marks are lined up and the steering wheel can only go together one way. But where is the steering angle sensor? I can't find anything in the FSM either for my car.

 

The part with the arrow is one half of the steering sensor. The part it turns relative to on the other side is the other half. There must be wires going to it with something like a magnet. The half that spins with the wheel has to have some tabs or something to keep it aligned with the wheel. You may just have a broken wire or connection between it and the P/S computer. More pics of the back of the assy. with yellow sticker may help.

 

Here are a few more pics of the clock spring and other bits. I thought I found what functioned as the sensor as the 4th wire that runs to the outside of the clock spring afte4r what you said but it is indeed just a ground on both sides. The other 3 wires are one red for the horn and 2 wires that go to the air bag. The turn cancel has three wires that go to it. The turn cancel only opens and closes circuits so it could indicate if the wheel has been turned alot but it won't offer any sort of fine data so I doubt it acts as the angle sensor but I could be wrong if someone knows better. I really would like to resolve this problem so I can put my drivers console back together. I do not think disabling the beeper is an acceptable fix. Most people seem to have this problem when they remove the wheel. Like I said earlier, my problem was only first noticed by me when it was driven in the rain which could be a good indicator that the sensor or some wires may be somewhere that it could get wet. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

This image is from the 1991-1992 part diagram catalog. It shows the convertible of the top and the coupe on the bottom. Beyond that it is not to helpful.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mazda...2em118Q2el1247

This ebay auction shows a pretty good photo of the clock spring. I asked the seller if they know where the sensor is located and if they have one for sale. Maybe if they have dismantled an entire car they will know where the sensor is.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=160200164620

Yes, we have the steering angle sensor for the 90-91 Convertible. Take a look at ebay item number 160200164620 in our ebay store. It is located just behind the clock spring. - 915 racing

I am going to give them a call and see if they are certain. I suppose both switched could be built into one but when I check the sensor it did not seem to be of variable resistance.

 

Shawn at 915 Racing turned out to be pretty helpful. I think it was a bit of a challenge but what it seems is that the beeps are for the airbag warning system. The Convertible with the airbag has no steering angle sensor only a turn signal cancel. He also told me that Mazda Made a FSM for every year and the S5 one that is onlie is for 1989 and that is why it does not have anything on the airbag. I need to get my hands on a 1991 or atleast a 1990 or 1993 FSM to fix the problem with the airbag.

How about some type of revision to the FAQ's?

I keep hearing a beep beep beep
Probably the power steering computer telling you there is a problem with the system. The number of beeps before pausing will indicate the problem.
1-beep, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of speed sensor signal:
In case broken wires or short circuits occur to sensors or harnesses, the buzzer sounds 60-seconds after the engine speed signal of 2200 rpm continues for 18-seconds.
2-beeps, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of engine speed signal:
The buzzer sounds twice and repeats when the vehicle speed signal is missing input and/or no engine speed signal is found (short circuit, broken wire, etc.)
3-beeps, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of stepping motor signal:
The buzzer sounds when there are broken wires or short circuits in coils or harnesses.
4-beeps, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of the power steering microcomputer:
The buzzer sounds 4 and repeats when there are circuit troubles other than with the micro computer.
5-beeps, pause, repeat - in case abnormality of steering sensor signal: Steering sensor is mis-aligned or failed or steering wheel has been improperly installed.

 

why how is it wrong?

It says:
But you think your problem was with the air bag. Didn't you notice the SRS warning light on? Normally the Airbag will give you two sets or warnings. Such as 5 beeps followed by one beep.

The airbag warning is coming from the CPU, while the power steering beeps come from the power steering computer...

One of them is in the kick panel and one is in the dashboard.

 

Obviously if you already know about this you can tell them apart but if you are reading the FAQ then you probally don't. I don't think you necessarily should list all the fault coulds for the airbag but I think you should at least mention the airbag in that area.

My car beeps 5 times pauses then beeps 5 times. The airbag light does not light up. I believe it use to work so it is either not lit to indicate a problem or this is how it functions during a fault.

 

I was messing around under the dash and what I found was sparks! That's righ, sparks. When I touched the airbag computer it shot out a spark or 2. It turns out that the cases are made of a brittle plastic which is slid onto a metal bracket under the dash. So the plastic broke on the inside of the case and this allowed the case to tilt over enough that the metal bracket could touch the back side of the circuit board. Well, I did not blow any fuses and the airbag did not detonate. I moved the computer case elsewhere away from the metal. Now when I start the car, I no longer get the immediate 5 beep warning but the warning will still go off after about 45 minutes of driving. I do not know if this change was caused by me removing a short or if something changed when the case sparked out. I just replaced the bulb for the airbag warning light but have not driven the car yet to see what the light will do.

I figure the '7' in RX-7 is an upside down 'L' and it stands for Lemon. My RX-Lemon just can't get right.

 

OK I installed the new airbag light bulb and the thing does something different then before. The car no longer beeps but instead it now flashes the airbag warning light. It blinks 6 times, pauses, and repeats. Sometimes it does it when you turn the car on and sometimes it does it after 30 minutes. I have no idea what this means because I don't have an FSM for an airbag car yet.

 

I got a used 1991 Workshop Manual today. For 6 flashes it says, "Faulty Air Bag Module or poor connection of clock spring connector." There is a flow chart which I plan to follow but I bet it is the air bag module. Anybody have one they don't need?

 

Yeah, mine started beeping after I took my airbag warning light out too. I've been pretty lazy and haven't looked into fixing it the right way but the flashing light was annoying and the beeping is annoying. Maybe I'll throw the bulb back in for the flashing and alternate. Eventually I'll fix it. I have the 1990 FSM and mazda techline to help but really don't feel like fixing it at the moment.

 

You could just disconnect the module that makes the beeping noise. It is under the dash but I am not sure which one it is. Mine are all blue. I would disconnect the blue and orange connectors to the airbag first though. You can do that behind the airbag or under the dash. I need to sell my car so I think any buyer would like this to work because people like airbags for some reason.

 

I found out why the clock spring was showing that it was shorted. There is some sort of spring loaded contact that touches both the pins when the wire is disconnected. This must be some sort of spark supressor.

I did all the other test in the FSM and everything passed so the final conclusion is to replace the Airbag module which I assume is the same as the Airbag Diagnostic Module. Anybody have a spare?

 

Oh man.

I'd rid of the airbag, could you imagin it malfunctioning and going off in your face?

2 cents

 

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Ah, its not really a steering angle sensor he is having issues with, it is the clock spring assembly for the SRS/air bag.

 

Finished! I installed a used airbag module (Diagnostic computer) today and the error message is gone. No more beeping, No more flashing. Hooray!

I do wonder if it is some sort of water leak that caused this issue.