Unofficialbmw.com

[Kevinhead]

So last night I noticed that my car (88 325is) is honking randomly. It doesn't sound like the normal horn, and based on a search of this forum, I found out that it's probably some horn connected to the OBC.

There's no real pattern to the honking. I first noticed it when I was driving, and now I'm watching baseball and it's calling me from the driveway.

I unhooked the battery for awhile just to see if that would help. Unfortunately, that didn't work and the car ran like crap for a short period of time after I reconnected it.

Has anyone had this problem & know what to do about it?
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Kevin in Houston
88 325is w/??? miles

[e30_325es]

Is it a honk, or a ding, like a chime?
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86 325es The Super Eta.....
07 MCS The Daily

[Kevinhead]

It's definitely a honk, and it's pretty loud.
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Kevin in Houston
88 325is w/??? miles

[little herculesE30]

Old alarm going whacky?

No key in it, no battery hooked up, and it's STILL honking???

Dude, throw some holy water on it ASAP and call a priest.
The devil is in that car!!!

[Kevinhead]

I guess that didn't make sense...it doesn't do it with the battery disconected.
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Kevin in Houston
88 325is w/??? miles

[idanity]

could be a connection problem in your steering wheel, or if nothing else, its all down to a few wires...

might be a pita to rewire the horn, (or is it?)...(no, its as basic as re-wiring your stereo)

if you wish to track it down, i would invest in a ohm-volt meter (ten bucks or so)

but it may very well be (like above) an old accessory gone afoul..
and
if its all caput..drive over some bumps
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[Kevinhead]

bump...and a couple more questions. It's been quite some time.

Okay, so the car's been on reserve for awhile and I'd like to get back to driving it regularly. I've figured out that it is not the regular (steering wheel) horn, but the one that is associated with the OBC. When I start it up and drive it around, it just honks randomly (also when sitting and battery connected). People look at me funny when I'm behind them and I honk at them. Cops would not appreciate this. I'd rather not isolate an electrical problem (unless super easy), since it has more pressing issues, so I'm stuck with two options:

1) Disconnect OBC: I've perused the Bentley guide and I don't really know what I'm supposed to do. If I pull off the trim around the OBC, is it easy to disconnect? I don't really refer to the OBC otherwise, so no love lost not having it functioning. Hopefully this will solve my problem, or;

2) Just cut the power supply to the random horn. Where is this thing? What would I need to do to prevent it from being a drain on the battery if I just cut the wires?

I've searched the forum for similar problems but come up empty. If anyone could help, or point me in the direction of a thread where I can find the answer, it would be most appreciated. Thanks.
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Kevin in Houston
88 325is w/??? miles

[e30_325es]

I would locate the offending horn then and disconnect it. You can tape the wire ends separately to eliminate battery issues.
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86 325es The Super Eta.....
07 MCS The Daily

[idanity]

its almost 3 years for this issue.
dude

lay down a sleeping bag, and camp next to your car for a weekend or 2 and isolate that horn.

like the above post...find and cut them wires...then tape them off...then. just methodically un-route them back to the sourece.

my truck (newer) had a few wires melted together (w/the horn) and that took about 30 minutes..but a raised 4x4 is pretty easy to find those things.

have fun.
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[bimmerjo]

if i remember correctly the horn (for the obc) is next to the fuse box... but i can't remember which side its on
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1988 BMW 635CSi - Black
1988 BMW 325iX - Grey - Soon will be black
1986 BMW 325ES - Black
2008 Kawi ZZR600 - Black
1977 Custom Deluxe - Red

[peerless]

I was wrong, I forgot all about the OBC horn for the alarm on the 13 button modules!

Described below.

Could also be a failed car alarm given the randomness of it?
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Robert

E30 Repair and Maintenance Services
714-398-8405

[bimmerjo]

Actually the OBC has a horn, when you lock your car (via the obc) and then enter your password wrong 3 times, it goes off for 30 seconds

(working on posting pictures)
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1988 BMW 635CSi - Black
1988 BMW 325iX - Grey - Soon will be black
1986 BMW 325ES - Black
2008 Kawi ZZR600 - Black
1977 Custom Deluxe - Red

[bimmerjo]

And this is the main horn, (or at least one of them, my car has two, one on each side making two different tones



This was underneath the car, in front of the right wheel
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1988 BMW 635CSi - Black
1988 BMW 325iX - Grey - Soon will be black
1986 BMW 325ES - Black
2008 Kawi ZZR600 - Black
1977 Custom Deluxe - Red

[Kevinhead]

Thanks for the info, y'all. Really appreciate it and looking forward to getting this taken care of tomorrow.

Regarding the 3 years: It used to just do the honking thing every once in awhile - more of a minor (sorta amusing) annoyance. Now it's gotten to the point where I can't even drive it around the block without it honking. Living in the big city, my gf's afraid I'll get shot for innocently honking at the wrong person.
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Kevin in Houston
88 325is w/??? miles

[m78]