door lock/unlock

[MotorCityFats13]

my rear right door worked sometimes when I first bought my truck used, over 3 months it totally stopped working. So I just got around to buying a new actuator and got installed... really easy job... the broken actuator feels sloppy like it is broken but I still can not lock/unlock my right rear door. So tested the left rear and right rear for signal... left side gets the +12/-12 pulse but the right rear does not... could this be something outside of a broken wire or connection issue... are the doors fused or have separate relays, no system I have ever messed around with was wired this way.... Also when you manually unlock any of those 3 doors while it is locked, opening the doors causes the theft system to start the honk honk response but the rear right does not,also all door ajar switches work... so i think the pin sensor in the mechanism is also dead but maybe a pigtail in the door/b-pillar is loose but the window functions properly.... has anybody ever had this problem?

 

[Flag Gibby]

I thought that everything starts at the drivers side door and that is where I would start tracing wires to see where the issue is. Never heard of your unusual issue with the PATs system kicking in and honking the horn with a door being manually opened. Are you sure that there isn't some aftermarket alarm system installed in it that may be causing the issue?

 

[Explorer_PL]

This is my experience with doors and alarms on my 06.
When I bought it, I installed an alarm/starter on it. After few years, my doors would unlock itself with no rhyme or reason. Everyone told me it was the smart junction box. Almost paid 700 for the dealer to do it. Then 1 day one of my locks stopped working. I started tracing the wires, and found out that the alarm guys had to tap to the door lock wires located under the plastic trim on the driver side as you step in to the car. They did crappy job insulating the tap, so whenever it was raining or snow melting, it would get wet down there and short the wires and unlock the car.
The doors open when you press the switch which just grounds the lock. You do not supply 12+ with the switch, it's always there. You just supply (-) ground. In my case the water and snow was doing that job and unlocking the car every 30 seconds draining the battery overnight.

Hope it gives you some insight into the logic.

 

[MotorCityFats13]

I thought that everything starts at the drivers side door and that is where I would start tracing wires to see where the issue is. Never heard of your unusual issue with the PATs system kicking in and honking the horn with a door being manually opened. Are you sure that there isn't some aftermarket alarm system installed in it that may be causing the issue?

if you lock your truck with the windows down and wait for the theft light to start blinking then if you reach in and open a door it will trigger the anti theft same thing if someone breaks a window and opens the door... horn honks until you stop it.... been like this on every ford I have ever gotten my hands on that has the factory theft light... 95 explorer, 97 ranger, 98 explorer, 99 f-150, 2004 cobra, 2004 explorer and 2007 explorer..... i thought everyone at one time has locked the doors with the windows down and went in to grab something and was greeted by the horn honk

 

[Flag Gibby]

Never experienced that myself or had someone I know comment about it. I always understood PATS as being entirely to keep the vehicle from being driven away without a key that it recognizes in the ignition. What you are describing to me is an aftermarket alarm system which I have done weird things like that to myself with.

Edit: Found this thread specifically relating to 1st/2nd generations. Maybe it will help you with troubleshooting some since it talks about how the factory alarms (not PATS) are connected into the door window/lock wiring: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240136

 

[MotorCityFats13]

If you do not have an alarm installed give it a try... The factory anti theft will trigger the panic button if you open a door... As far as i can tell the parts diagram lists the door switch as 2 parts.. One is door ajar switch and other is theft sensor... Ill have to pull the one on my latch mechanism and test its continuity but my door ajar light comes on with every door.. . My left rear sees +12 lock and - 12 unlock as it should but my rear right does not so i will have to trace the wire and look for a break in the path... My 1998 had a broken wire in the door jam boot because ford didnt put long enough wires in there and they would break... Probably the same issue with my 07

 

[Flag Gibby]

Okay, so I finally got around to trying it out and nothing. I rolled the drivers window down, locked the vehicle with the fob, made sure the PATS light was blinking, and then reached in and opened the door. I was expecting honking, etc. but nothing.

 

[MotorCityFats13]

extremely interesting since this is a feature built in so if someone breaks into your vehicle it will help detour theft... this has been a feature on every brand i have tried it on.... ill have to give it another go and see what happens.... if this truck does not honk then I will need to get an alarm asap

 

[MotorCityFats13]

so I have an update.... I never tested the replacement china actuator for continuity but I did check the stock one that was bad.... turns out the replacement actuator was DOA. I figured this out after I was probing all the wires leaving the actuator all the way through the door boot into the passenger side rocker... every place I tested was getting the +12/-12 pulse after I unplugged the pigtail from the china actuator. So I did the aluminum foil fix after taking the motor apart, now my rear right door unlocks/locks.... that damn little metal plate causes so much problems

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=110

Okay, so I finally got around to trying it out and nothing. I rolled the drivers window down, locked the vehicle with the fob, made sure the PATS light was blinking, and then reached in and opened the door. I was expecting honking, etc. but nothing.

I also tried this again on my 2007 and it did not go into panic mode, I will be getting an alarm with remote-start but this will simplify the install because no factory theft to circumvent. This is the first ford that I have tested this on that did not have a factory system for breaking into a door