I GIVE UP

[dondiesel444]

Thats it, I can't take this anymore. All day I've been trying to find out why my interior lights and doors keep unlocking by themselves. I have checked everything I can think of, even a dealer tried to help me over the phone. Some of you guys suggested a GEM may be bad, but I don't know how to check it or exactly where it is. The doors keep unlocking, even if they are unlocked. I'm sorry for this, but I have to vent. I don't have $$$ to take it to a dealer and get ripped off. I just spent $160 yesterday replacing the pass. side hub bearing. A few months back I replaced the plugs and wires, the wires were $70. After we go on long trips, meaning lots of highway driving, the CEL comes on and I have to pull the fuse. The heater isn't working right, and the exhaust leak drives me insane. And then there is the ABS problem, when coming to a stop, the brake pedal pulsates and the wheel jerks. I know all vehicles have problems, but this is getting out of control. My wife loves this vehicle, but I thought it would last us a while, too bad we still owe money on it. I am sick of this, I should sell this FPOS.

 

[Heath]

ABS could be a bad sensor...

 

[dondiesel444]

I though about a bad snsor, but aren't they inside the hub?? When I replaced the hub bearing yesterday, the new one comes with a wire that plugs up in front of the X next to the fog light, isn't this the ABS sensor or a wheel speed sensor?? Are there other ones I can check??

 

[Heath]

Yup, those are the speed sensors on the front, there is also one on the rear, on top of the diff I believe...

 

[RTStork]

Its ok to vent your frustrations. I am going through problems on my wife's Mustang. The car has overheated twice last summer. I found out that the fan did not come on for some reason. Every time I check the car out and let it idle, the fan tuns on when its supposed to. I have wired a manual fan switch but it only lasts a little while, because the fan drws 60 amps and burns the switch and wiring up. I need to wire to a relay but I am not good at electronics on vehicles. My wife also loves her car. It was her first car and she is attached to it also. I feel your pain bro!

 

[daniel cauchon]

I know the feeling ...!! you don`t want to put too much money on this Ex and it`s normal ! What I would do is first unplug the abs ...anyway it`s **** ! your better like the goog old times ! second I; m pretty sure you unlock prob comes etheir from the driver side with or the passenger side..so I would unplug one side at a time to check. them ..so basicly unplug the driver side since this is the one you use the most..if it keeps doing it...replug it and do the same with the passenger side...you will defitly find the prob...seems to me you have a short somewhere in the switches...but you will have to take you door apart in order to do that...I had the same prob on my old ford tempo...and that`s the way I used to fix it.. and it work !

 

[dondiesel444]

Yeah you know I had some plans for the X, small lift 31" tires, nice stereo, but I am changing my mind. I think when it's paid for I am gonna sell it. It is turning out to be a FPOS. When we bought it used a year ago with 70,000 miles on it, there were problems right away. The AC didn't work, I noticed that there was a electric connector unpluged to the compressor, I plugged it in and turned on the AC and the serp. belt ripped apart b/c the AC compressor was siezed. Good thing the used car dealer paid that bill. But all these little things are really getting to me, all this electrical BS. Ford sells A LOT of them so I guess they don't really care how long they last...

 

[dondiesel444]

good idea, but what exactly do I unplug, the lock/unlock switch itself??

I thought about the switch being bad, but it is weird that the lights come on then the doors unlock. It's like someone has another key-fab and is F'n around with me for their amusment. Probably some Ford engineer that got fired and purposely put Gremlins in these things...

 

[daniel cauchon]

RTSTORCK.. for you Mustang ...check the sensor on the rad..it`s temp sensor that gives the signal to the fan to start to stop...your prob will be fixed and it`s not expensive and easy to change.

 

[daniel cauchon]

Normal cause the switches turn on the lights too...lets you unlock your doors the light will automaticly come on... unplug the switch in itself...so nomore juice goes to the switch.

 

[dondiesel444]

I'm going outside to try it, thanks.

 

[daniel cauchon]

good luck.

 

[RTStork]

Daniel, thanks for the tip!

 

[daniel cauchon]

No prob. glad I could help.

 

[dondiesel444]

NO LUCK removing the door lock/power window switch, the doors are still unlocking themselves.

 

[daniel cauchon]

**** ! let me think and review all this...

 

[daniel cauchon]

try this...Don't know if the same thing could happen on one of these newer ones, but my BII had possessed power locks once. After tracing wires and such, found that it was caused by a wet electrical connector near the battery. The water on the connector was shorting out the power lock circuit causing the locks to repeatedly lock and unlock. Fixed itself after the connector thouroughly dried (took a day or two). Maybe?

 

[Okrazie1]

I'd say that the RAP (Remote Anti-theft Personality) module might be going out, or you have a wire in that circuit grounding out. The best I can tell, activating a door switch or the remote entry supplies a ground to the coil of the door unlock relay. If the wire between the RAP module (or a door switch) and the ground side of the door unlock relay was grounding out this would energize the coil of the door unlock relay and cause the doors to unlock. The interior lights come on because an output signal is sent from the RAP to the GEM to turn on the interior lights when the doors are unlocked. If you disconnect the RAP and all of the door switches, and they still unlock, there is a short to ground in the wiring. If they don't unlock, reconnect the door switches but not the RAP. If they don't unlock, I'd bet on the RAP module.


BTW- The RAP does generate error codes that can be read by the NGS tester that Ford uses.

 

[dondiesel444]

There's some good info. It is too dark out now, first thing in the morning I will try that. The RAP is in the back drivers side compartment right, I think there are 2 harnesses plugging into it?? Do I just pull those connectors out??

I think it may be the RAP or the GEM. Here's somethin else to ponder: this only happens with the key off, it won't happen driving down the road. If it were a short, wouldn't it ALWAYS happen??

Also before i was siting in there with the doors locked. Then the dome lights came on, stayed on for 30 seconds, then went off, the doors never unlocked. This was the only time this happened. Usually the light will come on, then the doors unlock. Sometimes the doors will unlock repeatedly, there is NO steady pattern here.

OK any other thoughts now??

 

[dondiesel444]

OK here's an update: I went outside and located my RAP module. It has two connectors, and an antena lead (I guess for picking up the signal from the key-fab). Anyway I unplugged the two leads. My doors aren't unlocking by themselves anymore!! The only downside is now we can't use the key-fab, it won't work. Also we don't have an alarm, not sure how goot the factory alarm works anyway.

I am not entirely sure that my problem is actually the RAP. Could it possibly be a snsor or switch that is sending a bad signal to the RAP, causing the doors to unlock?? It is probably the RAP, but from my experience with PCM's, they ussually don't go bad, I'll have to wait and see. After Christmas I will call around some junkyards and see if I can get a replacement RAP then I'll know if it is the RAP or something else. I am not worried about not having the key-fab, at least my doors aren't unlocking by themselves.

If I do get a new RAP, do I need new key-fab's?? Or will my fabs work with a newer RAP, i assume they have diffrent frequencies.

I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with my $hit on this, this problem drove me crazy last night and all of today, I'll get some good sleep tonight!!

Special thanx to Okrazie1 thanx for the info, I owe you one!!