Headlight warning buzzer

My '01 SWB Hiace diesel doesn't warn lights are on. Where is or where should this buzzer box be?
It would save me leaving lights on again!
Have done quite a bit of reading up but not solved it.
Please advise, thanks!

Does it even have one? You may need to install one yourself. One of ours (can't remember if it was the old one or the present one) didn't have one so I just installed a piezo beeper just by the steering column.

It's a great thought. This '01 is a basic model, no aircon, wind-up windows etc. so maybe that's where Toyota cut costs?
I did wonder if this little box on side of ignition barrel was the buzzer? It's 2 wires go nowhere...

Interesting. No matching plug to be seen anywhere? Looks like it could be something to do with the steering lock if I'm getting the right idea of where it actually is on the column.

Thanks for the thoughts. At the mo, I think it's the sensor that knows when key is inserted in ignition lock. If true, then where's its' beeper? No apparent place I saw for it to plug into. When there's time, I'll open up the '98, see if it has the little box and where it plugs to. Already looked for the location of beepers but hard to pinpoint location because of the type of sound it is,,, very penetrating.

Lots of talk about how annoying beepers are and ways of dealing with them including adding an additional switch to door pillar, etc.

Me. I want headlight light warning. I've gotten used to my '98 having it so hard to re-train after 16 years ownership. Ultimately I'm fitting some day-running-lights, on while key is on. Still want headlight warning tho. Dead battery is very inconvenient.

I can use a wiring diagram. Might even be able to ID the little box thing by wire colours...
So far I failed to Google the box thingy numbers. Might need more of the number...

I just used a 12 volt piezo (several choices at Jaycar, sorry for the swear word hmmm) and a diode in series, the combination wired so that the positive end was connected to the side lights and the negative to the "ON' position of the key switch, both readily accessed at the steering column. There's enough load on the key switched line that the few milliamps of the piezo don't cause any problems and anyway it is only ever for a few seconds while you remember what that beep is trying to tell you.
The other beeps will most likely be from a piezo attached to the back of the instrument cluster. The driver of our camper complained she couldn't hear the direction flasher clicks over all the other noises so I added another little piezo back there with diodes from each of the direction indicator lines to it so we now get beeps with the flasher too (she loves it).

Clever. I have some little piezo's somewhere (and diodes as well).
Wait, no, they are tiny circuit board mounted type. Too small I think..

Another idea came via Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GSge7haBgM&t=63s

The piezo has to be one of the type with an inbuilt oscillator, those little PCB ones are usually just tiny loudspeakers with no inbuilt electronics. The Jaycar ones are very cheap and there are various amounts of loud to be chosen from. Their stock number AB3462 looks good at $4.90 (as in my old catalogue).
I hate Youtube for the damned ads but once past that his idea is almost the same as what I suggested, just using the door switch rather than the key switch as the other trigger.
You need the diode to prevent reverse polarity being applied to the piezo electronics when the lights are off or if using a mechanical buzzer as it seems he did the reverse current will keep the interior light partially on, he didn't think of that.

Arr yes, the lights wire would effectively be a partial ground. Well, that could be diode'd I suppose..

I think I'll pop the under-dash cover off old-blue. Get a look at that little box thingamy and see where its' wiring goes to. It has the electronic digital speedo so I may not learn much from pulling that out. I don't remember it ever having been out in 16 years. Very reliable thing it is.

So if I discover the Toyota buzzer has merely been unplugged that would be the ultimate fix. Adding a piezo is a good idea too... Lets see

Buddy you're obviously not far from me, if you need any help just PM me and I'll give you my address.
I'd actually be rather surprised if there was an original buzzer, not many vehicles had them until recently.
I actually think FIAT had the right idea, the headlights were switched through the key on many of their models back when I had FIATs.

Interesting thoughts, thanks. My '98 has a buzzer but that's no guarantee any others do of course. After 16 years of driving the '98 I have become reliant on that buzzer warning.

Thanks for the kind offer. Much appreciated. It would be great to catch up at some stage in any case. Us Hiace owners need to help each other.

Some LED day-running-lights turned up this morning. Hoping they are bright enough, certainly cheap enough.

My '91 has a buzzer so I would expect newer ones to have one too.....up to a point. Silly question perhaps but does it have a timer instead of a buzzer? I.E. if you leave them on will they automatically switch off after a couple of minutes?

But there are just so many variations on the Hiace, some will have all the frills and others will be very much cut-down in features.
@Excalibur I'm not really sure that our present camper qualifies as a Hiace even though it is registered as one, it is more like some of the Dyna models in that it is a small truck chassis not a van but there are definitely some things in common, however the admin here have not yet seen fit to boot me out.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Popped both under dash covers today from the '98 and '01 to compare fittings.

mr.Google says that is an Interlock key solenoid. The '98 had a connection to a wiring plug. What I worked out is there's another little sensor on the ignition barrel near the top. I bet this senses the key insertion. On the '98, as soon as the key enters, a beeper starts up.

The headlight-on buzzer is loud monotone. Sounds like it's on back side of instrument cluster.

Fitted a LED, wired so it's on with the ignition key. It's rated 4.5w, possibly too bright for night driving and oncoming traffic. May have to direct beam downward? Testing shortly..


MalL, there is no timer to auto-switch-off that I could determine.

There are two buzzers, I removed the one from the dash PCB (it just clips off), and one that does about 3 warmings, on the loom somewhere behind the fuel cover lever on the dash.

I found removing the 'key in' sensor from the barrel was effective (I only want to warned when the key is out!!), and IIRC the headlamps on warning still works, but I'd have to check to be 100%

Awesome, thanks.
Found a manual with a pic. Seems to be located left of steering column.

Yes that's probably it. I found it 'difficult' to sensibly access, which is why I ended up disabling the ignition-key-in sensor, as that was the part that bugged me!

How the Japanese survive with all these beeps telling them what to do, I have no idea

Hello

It's probably this:


That's the main cross bar within the dash

HTH

Yes!... and what's more, it could simply be uplugged.

Thanks!