I’ve got an old, but otherwise faithful, 1991 Ford Tempo. The chimes that warn me I’ve left my headlights on have stopped working. It’s really no big deal if it stays broken, but I’d like to try to fix it if it’s a simple job. Sooooo…
What can be broken? The chimes, the wiring, the door switch and the blinker mechanism, I assume. Am I missing something?
Where are the chimes and blinker mechanism located? These, I suspect are the prime suspects, but I don’t have a clue where they’re located.
Any other advice welcome.
BTW, I don’t think it’s a blown fuse. Everything else in the car works fine.
If the doorlight goes on it probably isn’t the door switch. Is there a buzzer for no seatbelt/key-in-the-ignition/etc? Does that work? I’m afraid I’m not up on the wiring for early 90s cars.
Now that’s one of those things that would have been a whole lot easier to find while it was still working. Kinda like trying to find a horn buried deep in the engine compartment. A lot easier if you can follow the sound.
Ok, here’s a helpful update. I listened closely with the car’s headlights on and the door open. The chime still works(!) – only very, very, very softly. So obviously the switch, wiring, and blinker mechanism are okay, and the chime itself has something broken inside it.
Half the battle is won, but WHERE THE HECK IS THE CHIME LOCATED??? I could not get a fix on it it based on the barely detectable “ding, ding, ding” sound it made. Surely someone knows where the bugger is. Help.
My manual lists the Warning Chime Module as being “behind left instrument panel, right of steering column.” In my experience, the chime is built into the module, so that should be it. When you find it, you can verify it’s the right thing by unplugging it and hearing the noise stop. Happy hunting!
You could always install an aftermarket set of chimes. I did this in a 1990 Miata which had no chimes (I guess they figured you couldn’t help but notice the pop-up lights) I often drove with just the parking lights on though, and was forever forgetting to turn them off.
Check your local Pep Boys or AID store; it’s not expensive, and easily installs by hooking up to a fuse.
