How To: Fix the Door Ajar Problem

[Nevea'sExplorer]

I know this may sound like a dumb question but did you try respraying with WD-40? People have said that it only lasted about a year before having to redo it.

If you've done the broken black wire in the door fix/looked for it and not found it then I think for most of us it's been the drivers side door switch that was bad. I had changed my switch and it was good for a little while but I ended up doing the WD-40 trick in order keep it working properly.

 

[RKelly2233]

I know this may sound like a dumb question but did you try respraying with WD-40? People have said that it only lasted about a year before having to redo it.

If you've done the broken black wire in the door fix/looked for it and not found it then I think for most of us it's been the drivers side door switch that was bad. I had changed my switch and it was good for a little while but I ended up doing the WD-40 trick in order keep it working properly.

Not dumb by any means. Im the idiot for not mentioning that I had done that this second time around. It worked beforehand so it was the first thing I did when it started happening intermittantly on this occasion. I think im gonna bite the bullet and have my mechanic take the door apart. I pulled off the drivers door sill myself and poked around but didn't see anything so im fairly certain its in the door- or in that boot section. Im still fairly concerned about the headlights... which no one seems to have a fix or even a suggestion for. Damn things really drain the battery @ 3 minutes but I dont park in the garage and genuinely appreciate the convenience of the 30 second delay (what it used to be).

 

[Nevea'sExplorer]

Not dumb by any means. Im the idiot for not mentioning that I had done that this second time around. It worked beforehand so it was the first thing I did when it started happening intermittantly on this occasion. I think im gonna bite the bullet and have my mechanic take the door apart. I pulled off the drivers door sill myself and poked around but didn't see anything so im fairly certain its in the door- or in that boot section. Im still fairly concerned about the headlights... which no one seems to have a fix or even a suggestion for. Damn things really drain the battery @ 3 minutes but I dont park in the garage and genuinely appreciate the convenience of the 30 second delay (what it used to be).

Before fixing my door ajar light I would have my headlights stay on, doom light stay on all much longer then they where suppose too. Also had alarm going off or not setting correctly.

If the spray isn't working then it's most likely either a broken wire (which I didn't have) or the drivers side door switch.

 

[RKelly2233]

I had him look at the whole wire harness when he was in there, and he said he didn't see any other severed wires so im still lookin into the headlight issue... but the alarm works as it should- I locked my doors with the drivers window down and a minute after opened the door and it went off as it was supposed to. Wish someone else had the same prob!

 

[FordyFour]

Is there any way to stop the beeping noise from the door ajar sensor until I get a new sensor. Is there a wire that can be cut that leads to whatever little speaker that causes the beeping noise from behind the dash? On my way to work this morning the stupid sensor beeped 250 times. I wanted to jump out of the car b/c its driving me crazy.

Can someone tell me how to remove the sensor from inside the door panel. I couldn't figure it out w/out pix or a diagram.

 

[BigRondo]

Alright Bigrondo, I’ve finally come around to asking for your assistance as you seem to be one of the most, if not the most knowledgeable on here- or if anyone else can help for that matter id be more than grateful. My 03 V6 XLT is currently having some symptoms that maybe you can help figure out. I’m 90% sure its the drivers door. First and foremost, its at a friend place and he’s trying to figure out the door ajar issue as well. It happened once before and I sprayed the heck out of it with wd-40 and it was fine for a year- maybe 2! Now its back.. I spent an hour toying with symptoms and came up with the following; After starting the truck, the door ajar light and interior lights stay on until I get to about 10 mph when the dome lights AND door ajar light goes off and stays off until I open the door again. I can only use my keypad intermittently. When swinging the door shut, it flashes like it gets power and shorts out and then gets power and shorts out again. But when closed, I can't use the pad like its not getting power. If I’m driving and I turn the dome lights to the off position it turns off the door ajar light as well if for some reason they don’t turn off... About a month ago my mechanic friend fixed a wire to the power windows in which, like my keypad currently, depending on the position of the door they would work. Might be in that same wire group??? A separate issue (maybe not?!?) is that over the past couple years when set in the automatic position my head lights don’t turn off for exactly 3 minutes- I timed it over a dozen times to be sure. I do NOT have the message center so I can't change the timing of the lights- I also have an Aviator and am familiar with changing that. I have LED tail lamps and had the turn signal fuse replaced at one point due to rapid flashing when signaling right (but not left).. Its just frustrating. I’m at 199600 I think, and I’m eager to start driving her again. I just had the exhaust replaced a week ago and I was ready to get back on the road with her until this. I drive about 60K a year and spread the miles between a few cars but wont get rid of this one! Any help, from you or someone else is appreciated.

Not dumb by any means. Im the idiot for not mentioning that I had done that this second time around. It worked beforehand so it was the first thing I did when it started happening intermittantly on this occasion. I think im gonna bite the bullet and have my mechanic take the door apart. I pulled off the drivers door sill myself and poked around but didn't see anything so im fairly certain its in the door- or in that boot section. Im still fairly concerned about the headlights... which no one seems to have a fix or even a suggestion for. Damn things really drain the battery @ 3 minutes but I dont park in the garage and genuinely appreciate the convenience of the 30 second delay (what it used to be).

I had him look at the whole wire harness when he was in there, and he said he didn't see any other severed wires so im still lookin into the headlight issue... but the alarm works as it should- I locked my doors with the drivers window down and a minute after opened the door and it went off as it was supposed to. Wish someone else had the same prob!

Sorry for not replying earlier. I just saw your posts!!

I'm going to say that it is a broken wire in the boot. You must really take your time when looking for the damaged/broken wire(s). A bright flashlight can be very helpful. When you think you are done looking, look again, and again, and again!!

I am getting some information together for you about your auto headlamps. My shop manuals say that it is adjustable and to check owner literature for instructions, but I can't find anything on adjusting them.

Good luck getting everything fixed!!!

 

[BigRondo]

Is there any way to stop the beeping noise from the door ajar sensor until I get a new sensor. Is there a wire that can be cut that leads to whatever little speaker that causes the beeping noise from behind the dash? On my way to work this morning the stupid sensor beeped 250 times. I wanted to jump out of the car b/c its driving me crazy.

Can someone tell me how to remove the sensor from inside the door panel. I couldn't figure it out w/out pix or a diagram.

Here is the wiring diagram for the switches. You can see that the switch is closed when the door/liftgate/liftgate glass is closed:

This tells us is that when you disconnect the switch, the interior lights will come on. So if you remove one of the switches, the interior lights will stay on and the door ajar lamp will always be lit with the chime going crazy!!

Here is a great thread for checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253

I'm going to say that it is a broken wire in the boot. You must really take your time when looking for the damaged/broken wire(s). A bright flashlight can be very helpful. When you think you are done looking, look again, and again, and again!!

Good luck getting it sorted.

 

[BigRondo]

I am getting some information together for you about your auto headlamps. My shop manuals say that it is adjustable and to check owner literature for instructions, but I can't find anything on adjusting them.

Good luck getting everything fixed!!!

Check your PM!

 

[cmyers2220]

The WD-40 worked for me!

First off I would like to THANK U GUYS for the suggestion/or fix for the ajar light problem. WD-40 fixed mine instantly. I was going crazy trying to figure out what could cause the the door ajar light to stay on, the dome lights stay on, and it also made it impossible to arm my factory alarm. I was hoping this website would help me once again, and it did.

 

[iamdestruktor]

Any way to get those pictures posted back up? Just wondering.

 

[Roadblock1945]

Any way to get those pictures posted back up? Just wondering.

YEAH! I could use those pictures too! Anyone have them?

 

[BigRondo]

Any way to get those pictures posted back up? Just wondering.

YEAH! I could use those pictures too! Anyone have them?

Unfortunately the OP doesn't have the pics anymore.

I can't remember, but I believe I unwrapped the wires enough to gain access. When I have gone searching in there I had an idea of what wire I was looking for. I located the the wire I was looking for and gently tugged on that wire on the door side. The wire was pulled toward me and out of the harness. I then went inside the vehicle and gently tugged on the the wire I was looking for and was able to pull it inside the vehicle. I then spliced a length of wire to the 2 ends, completing the circuit. I then gently pulled the excess into the door.

Here is the thread`for removing the door panel: How To: Remove/Replace 3rd Gen Door Panel

I have the shop manuals, including wiring diagrams, and can forward info upon request. If you let me know what your symptoms are, I can help you with the wire(s) that you need to check for breaks/damage.

Let me know. Good luck getting it sorted. :biggthump

Please keep us posted as feedback helps others reading this post looking for a fix to the same or similar issue!

 

[draycoop]

thanks to this site, i now have working windows. total cost-0 dollars THANKS

 

[jaxjag]

I read a few of these threads but havent found my answer, would my door ajar sensor being bad kill my battery. im been having to jump my car everyday for a week and dont want to buy a battery if its just my sensor draining it. Yes i make sure to turn all lights etc off. This is seriously driving me nuts, on top of that i cant find anyone who carries the switch! How can i bypass the switch?

 

[SeekerFor]

Temporary Fix I found for dead battery

I had the same problem.
When I used my remote to lock the car the horn would beep twice meaning "door ajar".
Alarms would go off etc..
I found that if I shut off the dome switch "dimmer" all the way that solved the issue.
Every time I leave the car I do it.
Try it!

 

[jaxjag]

After doing that did it kill your battery? Ive been shutting that off aswell. All of the sudden its been dying since right after the door ajar light appeared.

 

[jaxjag]

If it didnt kill your battery after doing that, there must be another reason my battery is draining all the time.

 

[rfav21]

Door ajar switch

Hi guys, new here but I've got a quick question. I've been experiencing the same trouble as the OP. My problem is definitely a switch problem. I pretty much rule the wiring issue out because when I located the black #12 in the driver side front door a repair was previously made apparently. But my front passenger door switch is definitely bad. Went to parts store and bought a replacement. Now my question. When I removed the original switch it took some doing to get it out, still used just my hand, but it was kind of tough to remove. When I installed the new switch it doesn't fit nearly as tight as the original and it doesn't work either. Is there something I'm missing? Does the actuator need to be in a certain position? When the door is closed and the latch is made I believe I should be reading continuity through the switch but it never closes (unless I remove it and push the plunger by hand). Could I perhaps have a bad actuator? Any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[SeekerFor]

A few weeks ago I kept having a problem with my door ajar, rear defrost, and dome lights coming on and staying on when I would turn on my rear defrost. After weeks of looking on the internet I finally found the cause. Here is what I did to fix it. It turns out it was a broken wire in the door boot.


1. These were the tools and stuff I used to fix it. Yes the butter knife actually helped. I used: 1/4" Ratchet, 6" extension, 6mm 7mm and 8mm sockets, wire stripers, a butter knife, needle nose pliers, a screwdriver, electrical tape, and 12 AWG Industrial wiring from Menards.

2. Start by removing the door panel trim. There are 3 bolts. 2 on the bottom of the door and one when you remove the trim piece above the door handle. Slide the panel over the door handle and disconnect any connectors that are there. DON'T leave the panel hanging with the connectors because you run the risk of damaging them or the wiring going into them. I used a butter knife to get the mirror adjusting connector out because I didn't have a small enough screw driver.

3. Once you remove the trim panel there should be a boot that goes in between the door and the body of the truck. I used a 1/4 ratchet and a screwdriver to get it out. I used the screwdriver to get under the boot on the body side and jammed the ratchet in so I could take the screwdriver and move it around the boot to pop it out. Once you pop it out go threw the wiring and look for a 12 awg wire that is broke give it a few light tugs until it comes out.

4. This is the side of the wire coming out of the body of the truck. I used a single piece of stranded 12 awg industiral wire to jump across the break in the wire.

5. This was the side that was in the door. I took the other end of the 12 awg wire and spliced it to the end that was in the door. After that I checked it and the problem was solved. I finished up by wraping it in electrical tape. Don't mind the taping skills, this is just a temporary fix for right now until it gets warm enough for me to stay outside and solder and heatshrink it.

6. Another view of the repair.

Hi

Thanks for the pics and instructions on the broken wires inside the door boot.

Had 4 broken wires. Now my windows work again and I no longer have to shut off the dimmer switch to kill the alarm.
Thanks again to all!

 

[robber6910]

Okay now I'm gonna throw a twist into the infamous black wire repair. I have a '03 Explorer XLT (V6). I'm experiencing the same door ajar/dome light issue as everyone else is and in addition to that my side view mirrors are working on and off. Also if my drivers side door is open and the key is in the on position, I can't open and close any windows using the switches on the drivers door, the side view mirrors won't work and my radio will not turn on. I'm more or less scared I have multiple broken wires on the drivers side door. If I venture into attempting to fix the black wire if it's broken, does the black wire have to be the same gauge or can it be thicker? Also if I have to start fixing multiple broken wires, what gauges of wire should I have on hand?