Mysterious Warning Bells 98 PA - ???

Hello Everybody,

My 98 Park Avenue mysteriously chimes the warning bell 3 times sporadically when I drive it. It doesn't do it consistently or at any particularly time. Sometimes the oil light may flash on for just a second. When I check the oil, it's fine. Also, just recently, I noticed that it apparently doesn't like the AC either. As soon as I hit the highway with the AC on it beeps persistently and more often. Does anybody know what this may be? I'd like to have some idea of what may be going on before I hit the mechanic. I think that I may need a tensioner too. There was a squeak under the hood. The first time I took it to the dealership, they replaced the belt. It came back shortly thereafter, they replaced the alternator. It came back again shortly there after and they replaced the belt again (less than a year since the first one). Now it's back squealing again. Needless to say, I don't trust the dealership's diagnoses thus far.

I have a partner with a '96 Park Ave which does a similar thing. Just cruising along the highway it will chime briefly for no apparent reason. I haven't been able to determine why just yet, but I haven't investigated it very deeply, either. He's getting over 28 MPG on the highway and doesn't want anything "fixed" which might change that.

I've scanned the vehicle while driving, and all the parameters look normal. There are no stored nor pending DTCs for the PCM, SIR, transmission, ABS, or BCM. :confused:

I've heard of this problem before. Check all wires and connections especially under the dash area. Look for loose, cut, or corroded wires or connections. It could also be a faulty door sensor (The ones that push in and out when the doors open and close). Typically the driver side door. As for the belt issue, look for any signs of a warped or damaged pulley. If the pulleys have grooves check to be sure they are straight or consistant with no chips or bends as this will wear down a belt over time. Also check the belts tension. I had a pulley on a tensioner once with a slight chip that was hardly noticible and would shred a belt every 2 months before I replaced the tensioner.:banghead:

1st thing I would check is the connections at the battery. A lot of GM cars have two cables that come together under one rubber boot. You need to remove that boot & remove any corrosion from the cable ends. Apply some dielectric grease to help prevent future corrosion. This is a very common source of electrical gremlins.