Chime question...

[mike561]

2 questions, i remember seeing a youtube video of a 77 caprice, that had a buzzer when you first turn the key and start the engine. mine doesnt do this, was the 83 year supposed to have a chime or buzzer when you turned the key? my chime only works when the lights are on and its a VERY faint sound as well (its a little chime that goes "ding ding ding". if so i may go to the junk yard and find another one of those chime boxes if mine is no good, which cars can i take them from as well? i obvously have the CL luxury edition for this year.

[PeteA216]

Mine is supposed to tone when the key is in the ignition and the door is open, but it doesn't. All cars are supposed to do it. Once in a great while it will flicker the sound a bit, but very brief. I don't really care personally, it dings like yours does when the lights are on and thats all that matters to me. You can go try to find another box from a junk yard, but no gaurantees that it'll work. The problem could also lie in your ignition instead of the chime box.

[mike561]

I really dont care that much either, i remember my 88 caprice would do it if the key was still in the ignition and the lights on. i would like if i could hear it louder when the lights are on at least. whats that little chime box called anyway? is there a way to tell if its supposed to do it with the key as well?

[PeteA216]

All cars should do it with the key, it's to help prevent you leaving your keys in the ignition and locking your car. I don't know what the proper name for the chime box is though. Sorry.

[mike561]

Its ok, im sure silicon would know, i know he's pretty technical on these type of topics

[mike561]

does anyone know what that little chime box is called?

[bhw33191]

Originally Posted by mike561

does anyone know what that little chime box is called?

I've been waiting for a while to ask about that chime and finally someone else has. I'm with you mike and i really would like to get mine working again too when the doors open or whenever else its suppose to turn on. I have the same year car as you and my chine also only goes on when the lights are left on. The sound isnt necessarily faint but i had a feelling it was suppose to go on when you first turn on the car or somehting like that. And about the ignition part like someone else said. When my car was sitting in my grandma's driveway, one day, a sneaky robber decided he wanted that car! He broke the ignition to try and start it but failed. "The car was sitting so long at the time that it wouldnt' have started anyway!" I'm guessing this is the reason why the chime doesnt work properly but you said you're car does the same thing, "im assuming yours wasnt broken into also so then it must not work due to old age. So maybe we can work together and find a solution.

P.S.- That robber must have been pretty stupid because my dad's a locksmith and told me that the Caprice is the easiest car to break in. "all you need is a screw driver and then you just break something inside the column and your done!"

[mike561]

yeah you gotta def wach out, these cars are really easy to steal as they can be highly wanted by theives as well. im getting an alarm system with killswitch soon. i have one of those steel collars that go around the ignition too. but yeah ill try to search around about that chimer

[mike561]

Also heres that video i was talking about, it was actually a 78 caprice but you can hear the chime tone when they start up at 00:24 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LE4YCnHE2M

[evildragon]

My 94 does a "ding ding ding" sound when i put the key in and turn, but it stops after a short while (doesn't continue doing it though). When the lights on, same thing, but slightly faster.

When the door is open on mine, there is no sound at all, but the lights do come on.

[silicon212]

The part is called an alert chime, go figure.

Anyways, some cars had buzzers while others had the alert chime. Some pulse (beep) and some are constant. My car has both - constant for the headlights when the key isn't in the ON position, and beeping for when the key is in the ignition but the ignition isn't on.

The first one hooks into the cars' exterior light circuit (via a connection on the fusebox) and the ignition power (again, via a connection on the fusebox). It's designed so that if it doesn't detect power on the IGN terminal but it detects power on the light circuit, it sounds.

As an aside, it tones with the flashing of the lights when the vehicle security alarm is triggered.

The other one connects to a special terminal on the fusebox and is supposed to sound when the key is in the ignition, the ignition is off, and the door is opened. This one has two switches that must both be enabled to work. The first switch interfaces with the ignition lock cylinder (it is that little plastic tang that sticks down from the lock cylinder making a connection between two copper 'fingers' that come into contact with it), the second switch is the one that lights up the interior when you open the door. If either of these switches is inoperable, the buzzer/chime will not sound.

[mike561]

I dont recall seeing a second chimer box, just the little blue one that dings when the lights are on. ill have a look, im not sure how advanced the 83 year was, it seems to have a pretty basic electrical setup

edit- i belive this is what the chime box looks like only mine is light blue

[bhw33191]

not to get off topic and mess up this thread but yeah i got a metal collar to put around the iginition which will help but i also plan on getting an alarm system too as i will probably be getting a nice stereo put in later on.

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by mike561

I dont recall seeing a second chimer box, just the little blue one that dings when the lights are on. ill have a look, im not sure how advanced the 83 year was, it seems to have a pretty basic electrical setup

edit- i belive this is what the chime box looks like only mine is light blue

The part you have in the picture is an ECM, not a chime or buzzer.

[PeteA216]

Uh, yeah I have to second Silicon on that one... a chime box is a lot smaller, and I've never seen em with a metal body before, although I'm sure they're our there. Thats definately the engine control module a.k.a ECM a.k.a computer.