Hello,

I just bought a used 98 Ford Explorer, and the anti-theft light blinks very slowly when I put the key in the ignition, and then disappears once the engine is running.

There is no display clock, and the radio fades in and out, and doesn't turn on or off randomly. And finally the open door bell chimes when I open the door while the key is not in the ignition, and there are no lights on.

I thought they may all be related, since I saw a 98 Chevy Monte Carlo's radio not work, and the radio clock display read "Theft"...So, I thought it might be possible the clock and radio could be related to the theft system. Although, I know nothing about Ford's theft system.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated,
Thank you in advance!

Best Regards,
Michael

The anti-theft light it normal. They all do it. It just shows the passive security system is active. The display on the radio is also a common problem. Not sure how to fix it, but its fixable. Not sure about the chimes.

Thank you for your response IAmTodd. Someone told me to adjust the steering column to eliminate the chiming noise. It worked for a little while, then came back. Now, no adjustment fixes the chiming.

I disconnected the battery for about an hour, and the clock display, and the chiming problems still persist.

I would have checked for fuses, but I have no fuse diagram, or manual. Plus the radio still works...just sporadically, and it doesn't sound that good.

Further help would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance,
Michael

I saw this thread regarding the chime. Check it out.

http://www.f150online.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42361

I'm suprised from all the testimonials I saw from this site.
This claims to be able to fix your ford radio from a number of problems that it could have.
I also found a testimonial in another ford forum. Has anyone tried this?

http://www.shareamemory.com/radio/

And if you have...do you have the repair instructions that you could give me? :D

I do believe there is a write-up on here how to repair the radio. I have no idea about the chime though.

I fixed my radio by taking it back to where I got my truck and said fix it. So I guess I got lucky.