Interior lights and door Chime stay on

I was looking for the turn signal flasher on my 94 Grand Am. I was told that it was located in the dash so I proceeded to dismantle the dash. I did eventually find the flasher, but not before doing other damage. When I pulled out the instrument panel, my interior lights and the door chime came on and now will not turn off. The lights stay on all the time, car on or off, and the door chime rings after the car is off and even if the key is removed and door is closed. In the process, I also lost my radio. I don't know if when I pulled the instrument panel out, I fried something or what. All the fuses check OK. Don't really know where to go from here.

I don't know for sure but it almost sounds like you may have pinched or pulled some wires and are now shorting out somewhere if you have not put the dash back together I would start at the headlight switch and trace back the wires. look to see if you have any bare wire(s) that may be making contact with any metal or even another bare wire. These elcetrical problems can be a real pain sometimes. Good luck!

Dod you happen to pull on the headlight switch when dismantling? the switch may be damaged.
Just my 2cents worth.

Thanks for the info. The unfortunate thing is that my problem is not with the headlights but with the interior lights and the door chime. It all happend when I pulled the instrument panel out of its plug. You may be on the right path though. I did have to remove the dimmer switch for the interior light. I should probably check those wires. Thanks again for the input.

You shorted something and fried the chime module. To stop the dinging, pull the fuse out for the courtesy lamps (at least to get rid of the annoying ringing). Shorting out the chime module usually happens when you cross a ground with a hot wire and it fries the fuse inside the chime module. I fried mine by dropping a dime into the cigarette lighter.

Since you are in the area of the flasher, you see that pink box? That is the chime module. It is held in by 4 screws that screw into toward the back of the car. You will end up removing them by feel, and likely when you put it back in, you will only use 2 screws as it can be a bitch to try and put back in properly. Once you have the chime module out, open it up and look for the burnt fuse (it is soldered on the board). If you are handy, can solder, and find the right fuse from your local radio shack, go nuts. Otherwise, head off to the wrecker and pick one up for a few bucks. I picked up one from a wrecker in Toronto and they charged me $5 Canadian.

Thanks for the help. I did see the pink box but had no idea that it was the chime box. I will give it a shot tonight!!!! If you have any idea why my radio quit, please let me know. I checked the fuses in the fuse box and the one on the back of the radio as well and they are good. I figure I knocked a ground wire loose in the process of going through the dash but I don't even know where to begin looking for that. Thanks again for the help.

When the fuse burned out, it also takes the radio with it, along with the courtesy lights staying on and the chiming. I had the exact same problem/symptoms you mention. You need to find out why it shorted though. Mine was obvious with coin in the lighter. Something caused it to ground out and if you don't find what did it, it is going to blow again.

Thanks. I did not know that they were all interconnected. It happened when I pulled my instrument panel. I surged the system somehow then. I was looking for the flasher under the poor guidance of someone that I work with. Sucks that I didn’t even have to pull the panel to get to the flasher. Oh well, looking to see if I can find a replacement at a junk yard and put it in this weekend. Thanks again!!!