How to fix Pontiac Grand Am chime module By Mike L.
Keywords: chime, interior lights stay on, no power to radio, power door locks do not work, Pontiac, grand am, 2003, constant chime, blew fuse, coin in cigarette lighter, lights stay on
The Grand Am, especially the 2003 model is prone to blowing a fuse in the chime module. The symptoms of this include: a steady chime when the doors are closed, interior lights which don't turn off, power door locks not engaging when shifting into drive, no interior lights when turning off the ignition and no power to the radio.
This may be caused by a short in the stereo system or by the famous accident of dropping a dime into the cigarette lighter socket.
Solution:
This is an easy fix. Remove the dash cover below the steering wheel. You will need a Torx socket to do this. Once the dash cover is off, look to the left of the steering column and you will find an orange coloured box. It is somewhat obscured by black metal casing and a steel bracket but you can see the end of it poking out. Reach around to the back side (facing the drivers side door) of the module and pull out the wiring harness.
The module itself slips out by using a screwdriver to remove the metal clip holding it into place. Be careful as there are contacts on the side of the module facing the driver much like a video game cartridge has contacts on the end of it.
Pry open the casing and you will find 3-4 glass fuses. They should be 2.5 volts and 7 amps. There will need to be soldered out so use caution. Replace the blown fuse, pop the module back in and you've saved yourself the $150 for a new module.