BigDogIT

Okay so I finally took a good look at my fuse box to see if I can figure out why the clock doesn't work. It never was a concern before as I plan on throwing it out when I rebuild the interior, but I had some time and no money for mods....Anyway so the little old lady I got my 84 from took out the fuse for the clock, and now I know why. When I plug the fuse in the clock comes back just fine, but then there is a buzzer that will not shut off no matter what I do. I checked the door sensers, I checked the seat belt senser and everything looks fine. The buzzer seems to be behind the dash somewhere, but I don't want to rip everything apart to find it. I think it might be the over rev buzzer, as it sounds the same, but this thing goes off even when the key is out. Anyone have any ideas?

ray green

iTrader: (14)

The little old lady took the clock fuse out because the oscillator was acting up and making a god awful buzzing noise (takingout the fuse also takes out the radio, if you've still got it). Mine was so bad I had to quit driving the car for a few weeks and come back to the problem once I had regained my sanity. Look up by the left front headlight. There is a little black box marked "Oscillator". Unplug it, the noise should go away. Then plug it back in, if you're lucky, like I was, the noise (a terrible, screeching buzzing noise that seems to come from nowhere under the dash) will still be gone.

Ray

BigDogIT

OKay my immidiate response is what the hell is an ocsillator, but upon greater reflection and deeper thought, i think Gawd could it really be that easy? I will try it out before i jet for home and post update. BTW i was sort of wondering why the radio would turn on, well the lights come on anyway, but no noise of any kind comes out of it. I figured the lack of static meant it was toast.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Just as Ray said, it is probably the oscillator. It is next to the drivers headlight. Take out the battery, and you should see it. Basically, what it does is turns on a buzzer if the coolant or oil levels are low. If you unplug it, the warning lights will still work. You just won't get the buzzer at the same time. If you unplug it and plug it back in, it may work as in Ray's case. Mine doesn't work at all (just the lights). I have tried different oscillators, but I think it is the buzzer that is toast.

XLNDRVR

iTrader: (3)

Mine screeches only when there is extreme humidity. It has for years, but I've been too lazy to track down the source. I'll try your solution. Thanks!

Kentetsu

Yep, it's behind the headlight (driver's sides), in front of the battery, next to the radiator. About a 1x1x1 black cube. Happened to me after washing the engine bay. Unplug it and you'll lose your warning buzzer for coolant level, but the idiot light will still work. I don't miss it one bit...

Kentetsu

LOL, I guess I should've refreshed before I bothered posting redundant information...

BigDogIT

thanks everyone, i'm looking forward to trying this one. Does anyone happen to have a decent schematic of the electrical system? the one in my Haynes manual.....well let's just say it is lacking in detail.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

What year is the car? Some good sites:

http://www.iluvmyrx7.com/

1st gen -> things to read -> manuals

They have all the wiring diagrams (except for '85, but it is the same as '84).

Also, check: http://www.wankel.net/~krwright/cars/rx7/85_manual.html

This is the full factory service manual for 1985. If your car is '84 or '85, this manual is invaluable. You will want sections 50 and 15 for the electrical stuff. If your car is not an '84 or '85, this manual is still a lot of help since many things are the same or similar over the different years.

Kent

BigDogIT

Okay folks time to put on our thinking caps again. Or at least help me find mine. I looked by the headlight and the only box, in fact the only thing with wires coming out of it, did not solve the problem. The box i found only has made in japan on it. It is located on the front of the engine compartment right behind the battery. I came back in to double check the location of the oscillator thingy, but thought an update was in order. My rex is an 85 if that matters. Also from the looks of things the little old lady's husband, who bought the car as a birthday gift I am told, must not of loved her very much because he bought a rex with no optional equipment on it whatsoever. Stripped to the bone, I have the original window sticker to prove it. Again, if that makes any difference.

Thanks for the tips guys, Kent et al, I owe beers all around.

BigDogIT

For future posterity...

I pulled the oscillator, that did not work and to be honest the simptoms didn't really fit that problem exactly anyway. The buzzer goes off constantly as long as I put that fuse in. Even when the keys are out and the engine is off.

I got a tip from LongDuck to look for shorts, burnouts, in the instrument cluster, so that is what I will try this weekend. Everybody say hurray for a weekend spent pulling the dash apart. This one does make sense and it may also explain why the gas gage does not work. And no it is not the intank sender because the need gas idiot light still comes on at an about 3 gallons remaining.

I am considering ripping the buzzer out completely, sinse I am there anyway. Can anyone think of a good reason not to? Do I actually need the buzzer for anything besides testing the limits of my sanity?

ray green

iTrader: (14)

I was going to rip my buzzer out after my dogs would no longer ride in the car with me and I had totally lost my high end hearing, but when I went looking for the damn thing, I couldn't find it. The sound just eminates from "under the dash", and the closer you get to it by sticking your hand or head under there, the more diffuse the source seems to be. If you find it, please let us know where it is.

Also, just one thing before you rip out the dash, the oscillator is IN FRONT OF THE BATTERY, between the battery and the left front headlight. It is a rectangular box about 1 inch square by two inches long, with wire connectors coming out one end. Are you sure this is the one you unplugged? You mentioned above that you found yours "right behind the battery", did you mean "in front of" the battery? Be sure you got the right oscillator!

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Ray

BigDogIT

ray--yep that is where I found the box I unplugged. It is a rectangular box that used to be mounted to the front of the engine compartment, in front of the battery, on the driver's side. To be honest when disconnecting this thing didn't work I looked all over the engine compartment and this is the only little black box I could find. It does have two connectors in it, but it doesn't have the word "oscillator" on. It only says "made in japan" like i didn't know that.

The buzzer for those taking notes is on the back side of the instrument panel. That is why it seems to come from everywhere, I think, because it is high up and hidden.

Does anyone out there have a quick and easy way to get the instrument cluster out? I have found two good threads on the subject. one says I have to take the entire dash apart, the other said i have to take the steering column out. Neither sounds appealing, but I guys gotta do what a guys gotta do.

XLNDRVR

iTrader: (3)

Pop the steering wheel off and take your time carefully removing the cluster trim and instrument cluster. Can't remember, but you might have to take off the steering column shroud, also. It will come out.

Disconnected my ocsillator. The connectors were a severely corroded mess. For what it worth, "MADE IN JAPAN" stood out, but I could barely make out the word "ocsillator". We'll see if it takes care of the issue next time it rains.

BigDogIT

is the oscillator actually good for anything besides making the buzzer go apeshit? or is it one of the components that need not servive the rebuilding process?

XLNDRVR

iTrader: (3)

Several rain storms and humid weeks without a recurrance. Seems to have done the trick.

LongDuck

The 'Oscillator' is actually used to buzz a warning when your coolant or oil level gets low - this is to remind the driver that they need to DO something soon or the car is going to have problems.

Most of the FB's on the roads today have probably had the oscillator corrode in place since it was located right behind the left front headlight binnacle in front of the battery box. Whenever a battery was serviced (add water), some would inevitably drown out the oscillator wiring and cause some serious corrosion in there. Simply disconnecting the oscillator plug from the relay device will prevent the buzzing.

No need to put it back in unless you're not very good at checking your oil and coolant levels. You always have the lights on the dash to remind you, however. HTH,

BigDogIT

thanks for the reply LD. Though it did not solve the problem, I yanked the damn thing out and pitched it in the trash. Next will be to check the intrument cluster for shorts, or the like, but I have decided to hold off on this one until I can get some replacement gauges. I don't want to find out I need to replace the cluster and have no idea where to get a new one.

DARKSIM

I'm having a similar problem to that of BigDogIT's, I believe. I just drove my '87 RX-7 (non-turbo) home last night about half an hour, and as soon as I came to a stop, all the idiot lights lit up and that God-awful buzzer came on. I turned the car off and turned the key back to the Start position, and it did the same thing. I looked for the oscillator in my RX (in front of the battery in the engine compartment, but behind the headlight), but I do not see any little black boxes (except for the spark coil to the side of the battery, which is obviously not it). Is the oscillator located somewhere else in the 2nd gens? Or does someone else know why the buzzer is going apeshit? Thanks.

Cascadia

You might want to check the 2nd generation forum.

Directfreak

iTrader: (2)

Darksim, you need to check the 2nd Gen section.

85RexGSL

when i bought my 1st gen there was a buzzer noise behind my dash, sounded like the rpm shift buzzer, then i found out my ignitor that controlled the tach was bad so i unplugged it and the noise quit, but im running on 1 ignitor cause when i have them both plugged in the car dies after a minute or so of running and start right back up then die again, dont know the problem! might check into that it might be the shift buzzer???

1983GSP

the only thing i can see that is on that circuit is the light on reminder buzzer the seatbelt reminder buzzer and the key reminder buzzer. the dome light is also on that circuit. no warning buzzers. just reminder buzzers. it also looks like the buzzer is in the central processing unit