Escort Chime

Hi i have a 96 escort lx

Since my key is stuck in the cylinder I want to be able to turn off the chimes for the key ignition with out turning the chime off for the headlight warning. Does anybody have and suggestions doing that?

I've been looking through threads
(http://www.automotiveforums.com/t453257-where_is_the_warning_chime_beeper_.html)
but without and detailed info about it. I know there is a wire in the key cylinder i can cut and it stops the ignition chime only, which one is that?

Thanks,
Chris

Yes, its not too hard to 'defeat' just the 'key-in' chime function. Look at the electrical part of the ignition switch (visible after you remove a couple of screws and pull down the bottom half of the steering column 'clamshell' cover. You will see the black plastic switch itself, and connected to it via two wires is a small white plastic goody that is screwed to the keylock assembly. That is what tells the 'computer' that the key is still in the keylock. Cutting either of those two wires will silence the key-in-with-door-open chime only: But the chime will still beep in the event you turn the engine off with the headlamps still on.
The silence is nice.
You can see a picture of the ignition switch with the white plastic item, on ebay.com; look for item # 280306991687. (only for the next 3 days from Feb. 22nd, 2009).

i just check out the car..i don't see what you are describing, but i see a green wire hooked up to a black one..please see below

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/2645/img0574.th.jpghttp://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6393/img0575.th.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0574.jpg)http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/%5BURL=http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0575.jpg%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6393/img0575.th.jpg%5B/IMG%5D%5B/URL%5Dhttp://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0574.jpg

Yes, its not too hard to 'defeat' just the 'key-in' chime function. Look at the electrical part of the ignition switch (visible after you remove a couple of screws and pull down the bottom half of the steering column 'clamshell' cover. You will see the black plastic switch itself, and connected to it via two wires is a small white plastic goody that is screwed to the keylock assembly. That is what tells the 'computer' that the key is still in the keylock. Cutting either of those two wires will silence the key-in-with-door-open chime only: But the chime will still beep in the event you turn the engine off with the headlamps still on.
The silence is nice.
You can see a picture of the ignition switch with the white plastic item, on ebay.com; look for item # 280306991687. (only for the next 3 days from Feb. 22nd, 2009).


i added a couple pics..above

In both of your pictures I see the green wires, which have a connector with black wires coming out the other side. If you can pull that connector apart, I believe it would shut down the key-in chime feature. On mine there isnt a connector, so I cut one of the wires. The green wires lead up to the little white plastic assembly (on the side of the ign. sw. toward the motor) which is the key-in switch.
Also in both pictures I can see the end of the cable that is for the shifter-to-igition-key-interlock. Supposedly with the shifter in park you should be able to remove the key - if that cable and the pin it pulls on is working. Now is your chance to see if that cable/pin are moving when the shifter goes into/outof Park.

In both of your pictures I see the green wires, which have a connector with black wires coming out the other side. If you can pull that connector apart, I believe it would shut down the key-in chime feature. On mine there isnt a connector, so I cut one of the wires. The green wires lead up to the little white plastic assembly (on the side of the ign. sw. toward the motor) which is the key-in switch.
Also in both pictures I can see the end of the cable that is for the shifter-to-igition-key-interlock. Supposedly with the shifter in park you should be able to remove the key - if that cable and the pin it pulls on is working. Now is your chance to see if that cable/pin are moving when the shifter goes into/outof Park.

Hi denisond thanks for the reply..yea i cant get the black connector off without breaking it..so is there a particular wire i should cut green/black +\- or anyone is cool to cut? and i noticed the shifter cable also..i'll take apart the shifter console and see if the wire is actually moving when i shift to park if not is it easy to replace with anther cable?.

so i'm guessing its ok to cut either green wire thats attached to the white plastic assumbly.

I dont think it matters which wire you cut.
I dont know if that cable is easy to replace. On my 92 Escort with automatic tranny, I wired the mechanism at the lower end of the cable so it doesnt do anything. Im happy with the setup and dont plan on replacing it. I think the hard part would be getting the new cable run underneath the carpeting: And would involve wiring the new cable onto the end of the old cable, then pulling the old one out - in order to pull the new one in. Hopefully there wouldnt be any cable-clamps hidden by the carpet.

Anytime you have to do a fair amount of work under the dashboard; remember it just takes 4 bolts (13mm socket) to unbolt the driver's seat and one connector to be undone to remove it. Then by lying on a narrow sheet of plywood, you can work under there easily. I like to open the rear door, sit down on the plywood, then lie prone and slide up to where I can see and reach the underside of the dashboard.