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Sun Mar 12, 2017 1:08 pm

hi

1970 beetle, trying to get the key buzzer to work. I checked the driver's side door contact switch, all 4 wires are there and are connected . The gray wire from the ignition is connected to a brown wire which is connected to the door switch. I dont get any sound when the door is open and key is in ignition. When I ground the lead from the buzzer it buzzes, but when i connect it to the door contact switch and put key in the ignition and open the door ...no sound. Any suggestion ? thnk you kindly in advance

Sun Mar 12, 2017 1:15 pm

Your lucky!

Sounds like your switch may need a good cleaning.

Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:12 pm

Does your dome light work off that same switch?

Sun Mar 12, 2017 2:40 pm

On the driver side there's a circuit for the buzzer, and a circuit for the dome light, they are independent. On my 1970, I have the dome light part working, not the buzzer part because that circuit doesn't work.

I seem to have found that the driver side one with dual circuit is no longer available.

Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:13 pm

The dome light works and when I switch the terminals on the switch the light woke where the buzzer wires are. This tells me the switch is good. It seems that the key in the ignition isn't grounding the buzzer circuit. I don't know why ??

Mon Mar 13, 2017 4:38 am

That wire that connects the ignition to the buzzer is like no other wire on the car. It looks like a piece of thin tape, but with the little wire running through the middle. Mine is still in place, but the "tape" is torn in several places, and I wonder of it still conducts. I still have my buzzer and have thought about installing it. My driver-side switch has only one circuit (for the dome light). The two circuit switches appear in the usual catalogs, but I've never tried to order. Surprised to learn that they might not be available.

Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:13 am

I updated the ignition switch so that wire is now gray , but still no buzzing ???

Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:23 am

call it a win. Those buzzers are annoying as hell, the day it grounds out and goes off continuously you will curse the day you fixed it. Rip it out and kill it with fire. Dome light working is good enough news. #blessed

Mon Mar 13, 2017 3:07 pm

IIRC, when the key is inserted into the ignition a small "pin" extends down into the top of the ignition switch (electrical). This either closes two contacts or is itself the path to ground. The result is the grey wire from the ignition switch becomes grounded. If you are saying that when you have the key in the ignition the grey wire in the ignition switch is NOT grounded, then your ignition switch or key housing is bad. I can imagine that over time the contact inside the ignition switch could become weak and no longer remain in contact. You'd need to disassemble the ignition switch and bend the contact to stay connected.

Tue Mar 14, 2017 6:24 am

Thanks Ashman,

It is a new ignition switch and key housing, maybe because it is a aftermarket product the buzzer wont work. the new key doesnt seem as long as the original so maybe it isnt pushing the pin to ground the grey wire

Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:43 am

ROCKOROD71 wrote: call it a win. Those buzzers are annoying as hell, the day it grounds out and goes off continuously you will curse the day you fixed it. Rip it out and kill it with fire. Dome light working is good enough news. #blessed

My 69 never had the key-in warning buzzer (last year not to have it IIRC.)
So I never knew how annoying it was until I bought the 72 super I am working on now.
It sounds like a high pitched warble tone whistle on this thing. It's the most annoying sound I ever heard in my life and amazingly sounds almost exactly like the sound they make in Dumb and Dumber. I ripped that relay out as soon as I could.

Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:19 pm

sb001 wrote: ROCKOROD71 wrote: …Rip it out and kill it with fire.

… I ripped that relay out as soon as I could.

…The rest of us wire it to the oil pressure light for an auditory reminder that something needs attention…

Tue Mar 14, 2017 5:13 pm

asiab3 wrote: sb001 wrote: ROCKOROD71 wrote: …Rip it out and kill it with fire.

… I ripped that relay out as soon as I could.

…The rest of us wire it to the oil pressure light for an auditory reminder that something needs attention…

That's a most excellent idea.

Tue Mar 14, 2017 5:55 pm

kawfee wrote: asiab3 wrote:
…The rest of us wire it to the oil pressure light for an auditory reminder that something needs attention…

That's a most excellent idea.

Thank you. I should clarify:

Use the gen warning light as a power source for the buzzer and the oil pressure circuit as the ground, that way, the buzzer will only buzz when the engine is RUNNING and the oil light comes on.

Hacks come in all forms.
Robbie

Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:49 pm

Those piezo buzzers are annoying as hell, I used a late 90s BMW chime in mine, much less offensive and has multiple tones for headlight reminder and oil pressure.

Have you checked the wire coming from the ignition switch is actually grounding when you put the key in?
I've found many of those repro switches the buzzer wire doesn't even work.

Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:08 am

I think that is the problem the gray wire from the ignition isn't grounded when the key is inserted and the doors open. When I ground the gray wire the buzzer goes off

Wed Mar 15, 2017 10:03 am

kawfee wrote: asiab3 wrote: sb001 wrote: ROCKOROD71 wrote: …Rip it out and kill it with fire.

… I ripped that relay out as soon as I could.

…The rest of us wire it to the oil pressure light for an auditory reminder that something needs attention…

That's a most excellent idea.
Until your engine starts getting tired after like 10 years, then you get what the manual itself describes as "oil light flickering at idle." I drove a beat engine for about 5 years this way, with a flickering oil light at idle and when I faced down-hill, or when hard braking. that engine didn't even "die" I just pulled it for one being rebuilt before it had a catastrophic failure. Probably could have gone another couple years....although it had trouble getting up long grades.
Anyways, if that damned buzzer was going off on me for 5 years when coming to stop lights....like I said KILL IT WITH FIRE. Or get some other kind of beeping, buzzing, chiming device that doesn't induce a desire to stab a baby when it goes off.