Removing '96 door chime - if it's so darned easy, why can't *I* do it???

[Whitmore]

Steve,welcome to the club,If the dinger is to much for you I would remove the little switch from inside your door and disable the feed wire to the dadburn dinger,this way you will still have an alarm for important things like low oil pressure #ad
I dont know the color wire it is but also remember one wire is for your dome light. Kevin

 

[illflem]

Katy, if a '96 is the same as a '95 here's how I did it. Just follow the ding, mine was coming from a light blue box under the dash about a foot right of the steering wheel. Unplug and remove the box, the lid hinges open, you will see a quarter sized round disc held down by a thin metal strip inside, remove both. Reinstall the box, you're done! This will disable all dinging, something you may not want to do. You can't just unplug the box, it will disable some of the warning lights. I dedinged both my trucks when they were just a few days old, just don't forget to turn off your lights when you leave the truck.

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95' 25004X4,AT,Driftwood,Banks Stinger,Warn fender flairs and running boards(work truck)
95 3500,5 speed 3:54,BD E-brake,Driftwood,Banks&Psycotty,34,000 GCVW apple and tractor hauler(works harder truck)

 

[MikeR]

Stevel or Katy,
My old '96 Ram had the dinger in the fuse panel right next to the turn signal flasher. It was a rectangular box that simply unplugged. I do remember it being a tight fit having to get it out of the fuse door opening,but it will come out. You'll loose the 'light's on' reminder.

For guys with other year trucks that are curious...
My '95 has the black dinger box behind the knee panel. You may need a flat screwdiver to release the lock tab,then pull it out.

My '99 and '00 rigs have a complicated dinger box with a ton of wires going in and out of it. You can't unplug it. Easiest way of disabling the door chime I found,was to pull the door jamb switch and cut and tape off the tan wire going into the switch.

-Mike

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'00 2500,QC,4wd,LWB,Dark Garnet,6spd,3. 54lsd,SLT,DD stage II,Psychotty air,10-level PM3,Jacobs ebrake,Isspro pyro & boost gauges,2wd-low,Airoquip fuel lines,Smittybilt nerfs,BFG 285/75 AT's
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'95 2500,Reg-cab,2wd,LWB,White/Star silver,Automatic,3. 54,SLT,Michelin 265/75

[This message has been edited by MikeR (edited 04-25-2001). ]

 

[Stevel]

Hi all,

OK, we've learned a ton from reading the archives - enough that we got brave and installed the TST plate and gauges this last weekend... but that's another story! #ad


I've done numerous searches on how to remove the danged door dinger from my '96. You know, the danged dinger that screams endlessly when you open the door with the keys in the ignition... the one that makes you want to get out the baseball bat to hit... well, to hit SOMETHING...

The results of my searches turned up instructions for removing many of the danged door dingers from years OTHER than '96, and many of those said that their job wasn't NEARLY as easy as the job is on a '96 - but I simply can't figure out HOW TO REMOVE THE DANGED DINGER FROM A '96! I looked in our shop manual, and it described the danged dinger as being behind that knee-wall thing underneath the steering column. I removed that knee-wall thing, and am absolutely (sorta) sure that the danged dinger is not there! I'm SURE (almost) that the danged dinger is the black thing that is on the side of the dash, to the front of the fuse cluster. At least that's what seems to be shouting at me when I open the door...

But if that IS the case, how do I get to it to kill it? And if it ISN'T the case, where do I find the right thing to kill to keep the danged dinger from driving me over the edge? I'm hoping that I can keep my 'you left your lights on, you idiot' buzzer, but I'd even be willing to give that up, if need be.

Thanks so much for your help. And for unwittingly holding our hands through this last weekend's project, too #ad


Katy (not Steve, as the username might imply)

 

[pcorssmit]

Originally posted by MikeR:
Stevel or Katy,
My old '96 Ram had the dinger in the fuse panel right next to the turn signal flasher. It was a rectangular box that simply unplugged. I do remember it being a tight fit having to get it out of the fuse door opening,but it will come out. You'll loose the 'light's on' reminder.

Ditto on my '97. Also, if I leave my lights on, and hit the power lock down switch upon exiting the truck, they will pop right back up. Same thing if the motor is running. I think this may be because of the factory keyless entry. There are 6-8 prongs on the dinger, I was gonna try to figure out which one to cut for the door one of these days.

Pete

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'97 2500 CC 4X4 5spd Sport
'83 K5 Blazer 350 TBI (ex 6. 2), 39. 5 TSLs, 3" lift, Dana 60/GM 14 blt, Detroits

 

[tgbol]

I work out of my truck and leave the door open alot. The key chime has always driven me crazy.
I am not sure of what differences there is in the steering columns between the 96 and an 01. What I did was pull off the cover to the ignition switch. at the back of the tumbler was a connector with 2 wires. I unplugged it. No chime when door open. all of the other chime functions work.
My 97 Jeep had the same set up.

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01. 5 QC ETH/DEE 4X4 LB intense blue sport, everything but leather and cab lights. Trailer and Camper Packages. DC brush guard, missing turbo ring, amber rear turn signals and real back-up lights, K&N re-0880

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

My 97 has the buzzer but if your chime is in the same place, it as was noted above, at the front end of the fuse box on the side of the instrument panel. You can push it forward at the outer edge and that will slightly bend the tabs but rotate it out. The cover on mine was easily removed and I could see what did what (service manual helps, too). You can then selectively deactivate stuff. . .

 

[Stevel]

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

I am no longer insane!! (well, opinions may differ on that).

We decided to go the 'pull the door jamb button and cut the wire' route, so that's just what we did - and on our '96, it was the black with light blue tracer that was the right wire to cut. I still have my driver courtesy lights, as they call them, but no longer have the 'headlights on' buzzer, which won't be a problem, as I usually TRIED to ignore whatever buzzing came out of the dash anyway. But most importantly, when I'm in and out of the truck to hook up the trailer I won't be driven nuts by the incessant buzzing!!! YIPPEE!!!

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question, and now I have to live up to my commitment to remain calm and sane (any advice on that?) #ad


Katy

 

[dcash]

okay i have a question that opposes all statements above, i have a 95 and it has no dinger at all. also; i used to have a 93 and the ignition would light up, the ignition on my 95 looks like it should but it doesn't. i would venture to say that the previous owner eliminated the dinger, but i need the darn light reminder cause i always leave my D**N lights on. question being where should i look first in order to figure out the problem. since there is no ignitrion light up could it be the connection in the steering column was disconnected? i would like my ignition to illuminate and for my "lights on" alert to be active, the "open door" alert can be solved easily enough. any help appreciated. thanks



du$ty

 

[illflem]

du$ty, it sounds like someone did a double disable on your rig. Pulling the 4 wire connector at the ignition on a '95 will disable both the door open key in ignition chime and halo light but not effect the lights on chime. On my '95s the chime is in a light blue box about the size of a pack of cigarettes under the dash a little left of center. You can get at it without removing the knee bolster, just one screw and a plug. Check to see if it is plugged in or if someone has fooled with the innards. It snaps right open.

 

[dcash]

illflem,



i just went out and looked for the light blue box under dash and i could not see it. i am perplexed at my situation, i have no dinger at all wich leads me to believe that the dinger has been removed or tampered with but why the h*ll would someone disable the ignition light too? i might not be lookin hard enough but i really didnt see the light blue box. were there different electrical setups on the 95's?



by the way thanks for the help, it is very much appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!



du$ty

 

[illflem]

du$ty, went out and checked for you. The box is about four inches to the right and two inches towards the rear of where the brake pedal pivots on both my '95s. Your color may not be light blue but it is the only box in this area. I don't know what happens if someone just unplugs the box, never tried because on other makes I've found if you do this you also will lose other functions like seat belt light not going out etc.