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Headlights left on warning buzzer


jonheli

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I've had a couple of times when leaving the car parked during the day of forgetting to turn lights off (Is it a sign of advancing years?!), fortunately without suffering a flat battery as not parked for long.

I've bought a buzzer to remind me, and the instructions kindly mention the door operated courtesy light switch (!!), but also state connection is made to headlight wire and ignition switch wire as the connections to be made.

Trouble is, having looked under dashboard at switches, I can't see any easy way of splicing the two wires into the respective cables as there is hardly any space, and little 'free wire' to use. Same applies to fuse box (bring back the old screw terminal boxes I say.... showing my age here!!).

Anyone found an easier way to wire one of these in, or should I just try to remember to switch them off without help?

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You could make short Y pieces with appropriate termination that give you a new connection from one limb and recreate the switch connection from the other two: all the difficult stuff done on the bench.

There are piggyback fuses that might help, but I think that what you are trying to do means you need the connections downstream of the switches.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/%24(KGrHqJHJBgE8e6)BkfHBPV4jQVPkQ~~60_12.JPG

Jonathan 

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I did this a few years ago (on a 2001 K-Series).

I seem to recall I used piggy back spade connectors (so no need to cut into the existing wiring loom, and can simply be removed later if necessary).

The "Headlight" connection can be taken from the Main/Dip toggle switch (it's the 'pole' of the switch that should have a Blue wire already going to it).

The "ignition switch" connection can be taken from either:

  1. Green wire from the brake light switch in the pedal box (10A fused F1)
  2. Green wire to the heated screen switch is connected to a spare green wire (probably near the Tacho/Speedo) intended for an “optional low oil pressure warning light feed” (10A fused F4)
  3. Orange wire to the Wiper or Washer switch (15A Fused F10)

The unit I used (Velleman K3505 kit) didn't have a door switch, but I guess it you leave those contacts open then it will buzz as soon as you turn off the ignition with the lights left on (which is what mine does) *wink*

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Thanks to you both, as ever a great help in solving one more of the 7's mysteries, and much appreciated!

I continue to be amazed and delighted with the support available from the forum....... this is without doubt the best club I have ever belonged to!!

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The other option is to go for an external kill switch, which is mandatory for some forms of motorsport. Caterham do a kit and it fits into the triangle at the bottom of the windscreen on the driver's side. The big red 'key' is simply removed after switching off the engine. Kills all electrics, which can help avoid a fire and makes the car a bit harder to nick.

Andy

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After much poking under the dash, It appears that my car (K Series) has a live feed to the Main Beam Flash switch! Seems I've got to find another Ignition controlled  source that's easy to get to.

Having tried some other ways of connecting the buzzer unit, all I've discovered is that I can get it to operate all the time, but can't find a way of silencing it with the Ignition on. Might have to try another make of unit? This one has just a red wire (connect to Headlights) and a black wire (connect to Ignition Switch), but that seems to be the same as most others I've looked at!

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Can you tell us any more about the unit: model, photos, instructions?

If you don't have any of those or the instructions aren't clear I suggest playing with it on the bench with a battery and multimeter before going near the car. That would test the wiring logic and that it's working correctly.

Jonathan

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They're a bit small. (And I can never adjust the size of images served here.)

Can you enlarge them, or describe the wire colours and what the instructions say about each of them.

Finding a switched live feed behind the dash won't be difficult.

Jonathan

 

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medium_20160518_142137m_0.jpg.c377830ee4ce1665e5927c958c33bab3.jpg

Can't seem to upload larger than this!First Instructions are for when Ignition is off and Lights left on - It has a Red Wire ('Connect to Headlight Fuse' ) and Black wire ('Connect to Ignition Fuse'). Second part of instructions is for after door has been opened with lights left on

I have tried connecting to Blue Wire on Dip Switch and Ignition controlled Feed to Indicator switch - this makes it buzz when indicator is switched to left/right, but makes no difference if headlights are on.

beginning to wonder if this is something to do with Immobiliser, (which is not standard Rover - it has a coded key that goes into a socket on dash), Although this makes no difference when trying to get this to work.

With Ignition off, all Lights can be put on/left on, and dip flasher also works, so maybe it is not wired conventionally?

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I fitted a cheap battery master switch through the bulkhead next to the fuse rail .... so it can be accessed from the passenger side of the cockpit (reachable by the driver). Terminal studs are in the engine bay near the battery. I turn it off every time I leave the car. Prefer it out of sight, rather than on the outside of the car.
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Oops sorry Jon, I was looking at a modified wiring diagram, not the standard one *redcard*

The Brown/Blue tot he Main Beam Flash switch is indeed a permenant feed, not ignition switched.

The terminal of the ignition barrel with the white wires going to it is the ignition switched feed, but isn't fused, so not a good idea to connect to that.

The least intrusive ignition switched connection would be to try to find the Green wire intended for an “optional low oil pressure warning light feed” probably taped up in the loom between/near the Tacho and Speedo. It is also connected to the green wire going to the heated screen switch, so you may be able to trace it from that. It's fused at 10A via Fuse 4.

If you don't mind cutting into the wiring under the dash then an alternative ignition switched feed is the orange wire going to the Wiper and Washer switches (fused at 15A via fuse 10).

(I'll amended my post #3 in case anyone refers to it in the future *wink* )

I'm not sure how that will help you get your unit to work, but it might *wink* 

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Thanks Ian - at least I now know I'm not that thick or going mad!!

I did see a 'surplus' wire under there, and my car also has a Heated Screen switch but normal screen, so that gives me a couple of options to try; I'm sure I'll get there in the end, and anyway this is all part of the fun of owning a 7!

Thanks for your help

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Success at last!!

For reference, I connected the red 'Headlights' wire on the unit to the Single Blue wire on the Dip/Main toggle switch (Permanent Live); The black 'Ignition' wire was connected into the green wire on the Heated Screen switch (Ignition switched feed).

Now all works perfectly, so again Thanks for all the help and advice.

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I wired a light to my dash to my fan override switch, to show when it was in operation. This also kicks in when the thermostat switch kicks in and is nice as a handy reminder it's reassuringly operating.

When I switch off and remove my key the light turns on if I haven't switched my cut-off switch. At first fit I was confused as to why this happened, but decided I liked this as I can see very easily if I have left the electrics on. It reminds me to turn the cut-off and at that point it turns off. 

The cut off of course kills the lights as well.

The light is marked 'fan switch' on my dash, it's not a distraction when driving as it is slightly hidden from eye line by steering wheel. But is a great reassurance I find in traffic and for keeping a reminder to check temp guage. 

image_52.jpeg.923a9818653021d4a39f5fc47c5e408b.jpeg

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  • 6 years later...

Last weekend I also left the lights on whilst parked and needed a jump start to get going.

I also bought a lights on warning buzzer of ebay that looks identical to the one pictured above.

s-l500_3.jpg.e37619669972834ab2a1d32dc4479de0.jpg

I believe it is a piezo buzzer wired in series with a diode. The red connects to the lights circuit and the black to a switched ignition feed.  With the ignition on but the lights off the diode prevents current flowing through the buzzer. With the ignition and lights on both wires are at 12v. But turn the ignition off with the lights still on and current flows through the buzzer to earth via the ignition circuit.

Wired it into the back of one of the instruments, all of which have a red/white wire for instrument illumination and a green switched ignition power feed.  Quite an easy job if you're good at hanging upside down like a bat 

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Reminds me of the ignition warning light circuit.

Did you connect wires under the dash while in the bat position? It's often easier to make a tiny subloom on the bench and then fit that using existing terminals and connectors while under the dash... or while using a smart 'phone...

Jonathan

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I think that it's a design habit that started well before modern electrics and electronics.

A directly switched incandescant headlamp circuit takes quite a high current and not running it through the ignition switch was better for the switch.

If the ignition circuit failed while you were driving at night it would be dangerous if the lights also went out.

Jonathan

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"Just out of curiosity, is there a way to disable the buzzer for situations where you want to leave your side lights on? Tin tops will only trigger the buzzer when the door is open..."

If I understand the circuit correctly you could achieve that by placing the sensing wire (red) on the feed to the full beam or the feed to the dipped beam or for either on the feed from the main light switch to the full beam/dip switch.

Jonathan

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