A319 CAPT WAS TOLD BY THE DEP MECH AND MAINT FOREMAN; THAT A CARGO FIRE WARNING TEST THAT WAS NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLT MANUAL WAS OK.

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IN ORD; RUNNING 'COCKPIT PREPARATION -- CAPT;' 'CARGO SMOKE TEST BUTTON...ILLUMINATE TWICE.' THIS ACFT ILLUMINATED 3 TIMES AND RANG BELLS 3 TIMES. I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE AND ASKED AN ORD MECH TO LOOK AT THIS SYS. HE WAS INITIALLY NOT COMFORTABLE WITH SAYING THE EXTRA SERIES OF BELLS WAS OK. A MECH SUPVR ASSURED THE LINE MECH THAT SYS WAS OK AND TO RELEASE THE ACFT WITHOUT A DELAY. WHILE I WAS MAKING A SHORT PA TO PAX ADVISING THEM OF REASON FOR DEP DELAY; THE MECH SUPVR TOLD THE FO WE WERE OK TO DEPART WITH EXTRA FIRE BELL AUDIO. WE THEN FLEW TO PHL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LNDG AT PHL; I CALLED ACR AIRBUS CHIEF PLT. HE ALSO WAS NOT SURE IF WE HAD A PROB. CHIEF PLT CALLED ZZZ AIRBUS ENGINEERING AND THEY CALLED ME BACK FOR ADDITIONAL INFO. ZZZ AIRBUS ENGINEERING SAID WE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE WITHOUT A SOLUTION. PHL MAINT FOUND A DEFECTIVE SMOKE DETECTOR IN THE FORWARD PIT. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE ORD MAINT SUPVR WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH GETTING US OUT ON TIME VERSUS THOROUGHLY RESEARCHING OUR PROB.