Warning Chime Barely Audible

[JRA2000TL]

Most people hate these and remove the box or cut the wires, but I've noted the chimes on the 89 are barely audible. I'm assuming the little speaker in the box under the dash is bad. I pulled 2 j/y units and 1 didn't sound at all; the other was also barely audible.

Is this a problem with the wiring/electrical or are these boxes so old that the speakers just eventually thin out in them over the years? I took a couple of them apart and cleaned them w/ electrical cleaner, but it didn't help. Sometimes, if the autolamp acts up, it's necessary to manually turn on/off the headlights; if you leave them on, the warning chime will remind you to turn them off. It's a nice feature to have if it works right.

 

[luigisho]

The autolamp switch has been known to go bad on these cars. Maybe you have poor voltage due to a failing switch.

 

[shoon]

I'd get a wiring diagram and check for power to the module. Possibly a loose ground somewhere.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Found a neat thread on the Exploder forum. I've figured out what's wrong with mine and the 2-3 others I've picked up from the junkyard. The foam ring that goes around the metal transducer is shot in all of them and has an effect on the audible chime.

99.9% of you will find this useless as you all hate your warning chimes, but if anyone out there wants to fix theirs, here's how to do it. May have to give this a shot myself.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307170

Update: I cut up a styrofoam peanut that came in the box. I made a new "ring" around the transducer in 2 of the 3 "barely audible but working" modules. I sealed them back up with the new foam, and sure enough, both worked. My chimes are back to life and are well heard.