chime is driving me nuts

[SDoumit]

Is there a chime for low engine oil? I'm getting a intermittent single chime while driving. No codes showing up and no dash lights blinking. The oil is at the add mark, I'm about to change it today. Hoping that might stop the chime. ) If it doesn't, is there a way to cancel out the chime altogether?

 

[SHovis]

Maybe a tail light is out. When a brake light is burnt out you will get a chime every time you step on the brake. If it's a signal light, it will chime when you turn the signal on and the flasher will flash faster than normal to let you know there is a problem.



This happened to me a few weeks ago and it was a mystery until I noticed the fast flasher combined with the chime. The brake/signal bulb was dead.



Steve

 

[SDoumit]

Thanks for the reply, but all lights are working correctly. The chime comes and goes, it's very random. In twenty miles it might go off 3 or four times and the next twenty mile is may not go off at all. go figure

 

[JRMora]

More than likely it's not the tail light bulb, but the strip that holds the bulbs. Finally replaced mine after months of intermittent chiming. Rarely got a lamp out indication, just the chiming. It was about $12 from the dealer. This is a common problem in these trucks.



Juan

 

[RWinzen]

I just tracked this issue on my son's '03. The 'lampout' light came on and it chimed. The center bulb on the left side was out. Replaced it and all lights worked, but... ..... the chime remained. I started measuring resistance. Resistance on my bulbs were all 1. 9ohms to 2. 4ohms. The new bulb on my son's was 1. 9, the other two (backup and the top) worked, but were over 25ohms. We replaced them too, no more chime. Hope that helps.

 

[SDoumit]

Thanks for the input, I'll get a new bar, the one in there looks kind of tuff, and I'll check the bulbs. Any more ideas are welcome.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Problem with the "strip" is it corrodes. I cleaned mine up with a flat blade screwdriver, then "bent" the strips inward a little to increase tension against the contacts on the bulbs. I then put dielectric grease on them and inserted the bulbs. No more problem. Later I replaced the dually bed with a flatbed. The "Lamp out" thing does not like LED lamps. I had to install "load resistors" to make it go away.

 

[RWinzen]

I opened the bar, nothing in it but metal strips. I also clean the contacts with sand paper. I was going to use some dielectric grease, but couldn't remember who I lent it to. There is nothing electronic in there, so I felt it was fixable. It's working so far. When it failed, he couldn't go over 10mph without the chime. Hit the brakes and it would stop.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Another vote for the tail lamp issue. That seemed to be a big problem with the 2003 models.



I had the same thing and it would drive me nuts. The bulb filament was broken enough to intermittently set the chime off but not the lamp out dash light. And when you stepped on the brake pedal they would all light up. It wasn't until I pulled them out and closely examined each bulb that I finally noticed a little bit of carbon buildup inside one of the bulbs near the filament, indicating it had been broken and was arcing.



Hopefully that fixes your problem. That stupid chime is enough to make you want to drive off a cliff!



Jeff

 

[SDoumit]

Thank guys, I checked all the bulbs and found one with lower ohms and replaced it. I'll get a new light bar tomorrow. Hope that will fix the problem. Thank for all the good advice.

Steve

 

[SRadke]

Top off the washer fluid too.

-Scott

 

[SDoumit]

SRadke, wish it was that easy, what I have done today is run 35 miles to the dealership to pick up a new tail light bar. On the way with the lights on the chime rang three times. On the way home with the lights off they didn't ring at all. I put the new light bar in and all the lights work, even the back up light, it hasn't worked for a long time. There was never a "light out" light on the dash board so I just let it be. I'm hoping that this will fix the chime problem.

 

[SDoumit]

Just took a ride, after putting the new light bracket in and at about 30 miles I go a chime and 10 miles after that I go another and then none for the next 20 miles. guess I have to find a way to disable the chime. Any ideas out there? If I can find the thing I thought I'd just put some sound deadener over it. I really don't want to cut any wires.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Did you replace both tail lamp sockets? I wouldn't stop at just one.



Do you by chance have an Ipod adapter installed? I had one that would cause the check engine light to come on and send out random chimes.



Jeff

 

[SDoumit]

Another lamp socket is next i guess, No Ipod adapter.

 

[SDoumit]

A bit of an update. Water Lover suggested I go to Source Auto in the Portland Or area and have the rig scanned. On the way to the shop the chime sounded off six time but on the fifth time the fuel light lit up and the needle went down to 1/4 tank and then back to 3/4 full. A clue finally. They scanned the rig and found nothing, but they thought maybe the fuel sending unit might be the cause of the chimes because of what happen on my trip to there shop. We unplugged the power to the unit and I headed home. So far no chime, I'm going to run it this way a while to make sure the chimes stay off. Then if all is quiet I will clean the plugs and plug them in and see if the chimes come back or not. If the do I will install a new sending unit, if no chimes come back I will assume the plugs needed cleaning and hope the problem is fixed. We will see.

New sending unit going in Monday or Tuesday. When I run the rig with the unit plugged in I get chimes, unplugged no chimes. I'm pretty sure the new sending unit will be the fix. The guys at Source Automotive thing so also.

Latters Steve

 

[Blakers]

Getting ready to shoot this alarm!

Does anyone know how to get rid of the LAMPOUT alarm? My lights are working fine, but for the last few days the alarm has been chiming incessantly! Sometimes 5 minutes at a time non-stop. Driving me crazy! I don't mind the LAMPOUT light on, but the noise has got to go!



What area of the dash do I aim for with the . 45? Or should I just use the 12 gauge to be sure to hit it?



Is the chime assessable? Can it be disconnected or pumped full of glue? Will that stop it?



Thanks

 

[RWinzen]

Blakers, this work for me on all 3 trucks. Remove all bulbs, take an emery board or fine sandpaper to the contacts in the light socket. If your bulbs are new, take the emery board over them too. If they are not new, replace them. I had a couple bulbs that the filaments would make and break when I hit a small bump. I also had one that had way less resistance than all the others. There is a problem with the design of the lights, but I haven't replace anything but the bulbs so far and we have 225,000+ on all of them.

 

[Prairie Dog]

ON the early 3rd gens there were a few posts about something melting at the taillights. It was especially bad on auto trans where guys sit at stops with their foot on the brake.

 

[Blakers]

Thanks. If i make it through the day tomorrow without driving it over a cliff, I'll do that with the bulbs and sockets.