Low Coolant alarm gone mad!

My OCC is not low on coolant, yet the alarm is constantly going off.....The sensor is screwed into the plastic radiator tank (previous rad had metal tanks) but had been fine until recently.... I've tried unplugging the wire and I've tried grounding the wire and the alarm keeps bonging.....I'm in tune with my vehicles enough to do without this alarm.... Is there a way to disable it?

Common problem, the switch is stuck. Bang the tank with your hand or the flat side of a hammer. That is the remedy.

Tom

The multifunction chime module may be the culprit. There is no float in the OCC coolant tank, the sensor is on the right side of the radiator. There is a solid state part in the chime module that causes the chime to go off, and is interconnected with the low fuel, and low oil pressure. The sensor supplies a variable resistance to the module. Is your low coolant indicator on as well as the alarm? Check low coolant probe and MF chime connector at terminal 3 for an open, if OK, then replace module.

turn your signal off,.

When mine began acting up, turns out the wire to the sensor connector was breaking.

Sounds to me like Fred or Greg are on the right track. You unplugged the wire and you grounded the wire, so it's not the sensor. It's either the wire or the chime module itself.

BTW: Grounding a sensor wire blindly is not usually a good idea, unless you know the grounded component can handle the current (eg: the FSM troubleshooting chart indicates you should ground it). A test light or low-value resistor will limit the current and protect the device.

buickwagon wrote:

BTW: Grounding a sensor wire blindly is not usually a good idea, unless you know the grounded component can handle the current (eg: the FSM troubleshooting chart indicates you should ground it). A test light or low-value resistor will limit the current and protect the device.

On an OCC car,. is there a dedicated alarm for low coolant ??
No warning light on the dash?

Is the alarm chime sounded for many things? i.e headlights on key off ,. door open keys in the ignition,.

Is it an assumption on your part that the chime is related to low coolant?

phantom 309 wrote:

buickwagon wrote:

BTW: Grounding a sensor wire blindly is not usually a good idea, unless you know the grounded component can handle the current (eg: the FSM troubleshooting chart indicates you should ground it). A test light or low-value resistor will limit the current and protect the device.

On an OCC car,. is there a dedicated alarm for low coolant ??
No warning light on the dash?

Is the alarm chime sounded for many things? i.e headlights on key off ,. door open keys in the ignition,.

Is it an assumption on your part that the chime is related to low coolant?

The alarm for the low coolant is on the same circuit as the low fuel, and low oil pressure. Any of the  three can trigger the alarm. There is a low coolant light on the cluster, and it is triggered by a switch in the chime module.

Okay, I guess it was dumb to ground the sensor connection without first consulting the FSM.....I'm guessing that the coolant itself has a certain resistance to ground and completes the circuit when the sensor is submerged.... I plugged the wire back on the sensor one more time and haven't gotten an alarm since!
Interesting though, that every annoying chime function is in that module which unplugs from the convenience center! I'm tempted to pull it out and see if there is any downside.....

AzDon wrote:

I'm tempted to pull it out and see if there is any downside.....

Like not realizing you just left your lights on for the past few hours.  

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

AzDon wrote:

I'm tempted to pull it out and see if there is any downside.....

Like not realizing you just left your lights on for the past few hours.  

Yeah, Not like the newer GM cars with lights activated by the ignition....... Does the chime still work when the battery is fully discharged?.... And what if you arent there to hear it?  

The chime uses the battery to produce the sound. If you are not there to hear it, someone else is driving the car either with or without your permission.

Come to think of it, that would make a nice theft deterrent. Hook it up so that you can turn a hidden switch off that disconnects any of the sensors from the alarm module. The thief would go nuts with the constant dinging, and probably let the car sit somewhere.