My door chime does not sound when I leave my headlights on with ignition off, key removed, door open. It also is not giving the seatbelt not fastened warning, nor does it chime when new info appears on the DIC. Does anyone know the physical location of the chime and what computer controls its function? Also can someone advise me what and where the ground connections and fuses are that may be involved. Everything else about the car seems normal.

 

I'm one of those simple souls who doesn't need to be reminded that my keys are in and the door is open

I dream of being able to kill that sound. If you ever find out how you stopped it can you please let me know

 

aftermarket radio? i don't remember off the top of my head but i beleave the tone comes out of the speakers and if you switch radios unless you install one of the aftermarket tone boxes it won't work anymore.

 

The car uses your speakers (through your Delco radio) to issue the chime.

 

Awesome!


My radio is the stock delco unit and it seems to be working normally. Does the radio have a control unit other than the head unit?

 

Took a while to find it in the Service Manual ... the Diagnostic is in the Instrument Panel section .... you may not like the answer .....

Use Tech2 to perform Chime Test

If the test fails - it looks like the IPC needs replacement - I may have been incorrect in my above post - it appears from the Service Manual that the IPC has a small speaker located at the back of it - but the SM is VERY vague about how the chime is sounded ... and gives no clear instruction on what to do if the chime test fails ...... it's almost as if whoever wrote the manual assumed the chime test would always pass.

Check for Uxxxx DTC, especially in IPC and BCM modules

Test seat belt indicator - no chime ??
Test headlamps - no chime ??
Test key in/door ajar - no chime ??

REPLACE Body Control Module ......

The assumption appears to be that if the chime is not sounding, then either you have a communication problem (the BCM requests the IPC to "chime" when the seatbelts/lights/door ajar indicators aree on) which should set a Uxxxx code, or the BCM is failing to request the chime.

Have you done any work around the IPC, such as replacing bulbs, or putting on gauge bezels, or something like that ?? If so, maybe you disturbed the wiring for the chime.

 

Thanks for this great info! I know that BCM=Body Control Module but I do not know where it is located inside the car. What is the IPC and where is it located? And no, I have not been doing any work to the dash. Maybe I can find the connection points for these devices and unplug/reconnect to see if that will help.

 

Yup, BCM is the Body Control Module ...... it is located in the passenger footwell. If you carefully pull up the carpeting (start at the top immediately below the dashboard and peel carpeting back toward the passenger seat) under the carpeting is a panel that should fold (again start at the top) back to expose two important componenets ....

On the right side of the footwell is the Instrument Panel Fuse Box. To the Left of that is a silver "box" ... that is the BCM. Check in the area for water (damp or soaked carpet) and any problems with the wiring connections to the BCM.

The IPC is the Instrument Panel Controller. Basically it is the entire instrument panel behind the bezel in front of the driver. All of your gauges are part of the IPC. Your HUD (if installed) is driven off the IPC.

A thought .... drive down a long stretch of relatively straight road (like a highway/freeway/tollway ... and as you are able to drive straight for several miles, turn on your turn signal indicator. If you can travel more than 3/4 of a mile steering roughly straight ahead, you will activate the turn signal reminder, which should cause a chime. The chime is meant to draw your attention to the fact you have your turn signal on, but you haven't turned.

If you DO NOT get a chime, then from my understanding the IPC is messed up. If you get a chime, the BCM could, might, let me emphasize possibly be, the problem.

So ... here's what I would try .... drive down a straight road with your turn signal on for at LEAST one mile (you can turn the steering wheel some, just not enough to engage the mechanical CANCEL of the turn signal stqalk) and then post your results ......

 

Great responses Black.....boy are there some smart people on here or what!!!!

 

Okay, I just drove 1 mile with my turn signal on (normal for some around my area) and no chime or other reminder of turn signal. Before I left I turned the headlights on and moved the BCM around and jiggled around the wiring going to the BCM but heard no chime.
I may have a solid clue here: when the headlights are on, door open I can here a relay softly clicking in the instrument cluster and the relay stops when I turn the headlights to off.
Could this mean that the BCM is sending the chime signal to the IPC but the IPC is not responding with the chime?

 

Sounds to me like you hit the nail on the head ... the IPC is not responding ....

The turn signal "reminder" is generated internally within the IPC. The IPC monitors the fact the turn signal is ON, and how much distance you are covering (it also controls the odometer and trip odometers) ... so it failed that test. And the fact the BCM has no Uxxxx codes from it requesting a chime for the headlights or for a key in/door ajar problem also says the IPC is the problem.

I'd call these folks and see if they can help in fixing the IPC ... they have an excellent reputation in this area .....

http://www.paspeedo.com

I'm guessing you will have to remove your IPC and ship it to them, but give them a call and see if they can help. If they can't repair the IPC, they are able to program a new IPC with your current odometer readings. Again, talk to them.

 

Thank you for helping with this problem, these cars are tricky and it takes the help of people like you on the forum to keep us all on the road.

The silver lining to this problem is that I have been wanting to upgrade my car with HUD so I guess now is the time. I will drop you a PM and let you know how it works out in the end.

 

If we keep this up, I'm gonna need a bigger computer to archive all the good chit I've found here.
Great info BlackZ06!!

 

My chime does NOT come on for door ajar, lights on or seat belt but it DOES come on for "turn signal ON" warning after driving a mile BUT it is very, very faint. I can barely hear it and it sounds like it is coming from the passenger side. I am not terribly concerned about not having this chime system working or not but I want to make sure it isn't a symptom of a larger problem. Hope it is just a bad connection or something simple but I don't know why the chime sound would be SO faint.

 

I don't know much about how the chime works myself, but I would start a new thread if you want some replies as this one is 15 years old.