2002 Explorer 4.6 Fusebox

[gamblersgirl]

I had the dreaded "door ajar" issue and upon inspection of the wiring harness inside the driver's door, several wires had bare places , I put electrical tape on each individual one.
Now this is my problem, the door ajar light stays on all the time, the doors don't chime when opened anymore and the security alarm doesn't work anymore, although the theft light is flashing.
I checked the Fusebox under the hood , fuses # 42 and # 43 appeared to be blown, checking with a test light.. But switching them out with other same amp fuses, the fuses are not blown. Also checking the inside Fusebox , fuse numbers 4,6,7,15,18 and 19 are not lighting up test light.. I haven't had a chance to pull the fuses to see if they are good.
Sorry, if I don't make sense, I've not had much experience with electrical problems, any input would be greatly appreciated

 

[imp]

I had the dreaded "door ajar" issue and upon inspection of the wiring harness inside the driver's door, several wires had bare places , I put electrical tape on each individual one.
Now this is my problem, the door ajar light stays on all the time, the doors don't chime when opened anymore and the security alarm doesn't work anymore, although the theft light is flashing.
I checked the Fusebox under the hood , fuses # 42 and # 43 appeared to be blown, checking with a test light.. But switching them out with other same amp fuses, the fuses are not blown. Also checking the inside Fusebox , fuse numbers 4,6,7,15,18 and 19 are not lighting up test light.. I haven't had a chance to pull the fuses to see if they are good.
Sorry, if I don't make sense, I've not had much experience with electrical problems, any input would be greatly appreciated

@gamblersgirl
Frayed wires can of course blow fuses. Most of those fuses are see-through; you can tell if one is blown, or open, by holding it up to a bright light. If good, the element within will appear as a silvery metal strip. If blown, the strip will be discontinuous, with an obvious hole in the middle, possibly a bit toasty-brown looking. imp

 

[gamblersgirl]

@gamblersgirl
Frayed wires can of course blow fuses. Most of those fuses are see-through; you can tell if one is blown, or open, by holding it up to a bright light. If good, the element within will appear as a silvery metal strip. If blown, the strip will be discontinuous, with an obvious hole in the middle, possibly a bit toasty-brown looking. imp

Thanks imp for your quick reply !!
I don't know how to word this , but what could be causing the 2 "slots"
# 42 and # 43 to not "light up" the light tester, when I know the fuses are good ( they light up the tester in other slots).. Thanks again

 

[imp]

Thanks imp for your quick reply !!
I don't know how to word this , but what could be causing the 2 "slots"
# 42 and # 43 to not "light up" the light tester, when I know the fuses are good ( they light up the tester in other slots).. Thanks again

@gamblersgirl
I assume your tester is a lamp with two leads, one of which you are connecting to "ground", the other inserted into the fuse socket? Don't see how this can be done with the fuse in place. At any rate, for all the fuses, one side of the fuse receives power from the battery, the other side feeds power out to whatever the load is. The battery power side is often called "B+", because it's coming from the + side of the battery. BUT, not all fuses are getting B+ voltage all the time. Some get it when the ignition switch is turned to "ON", a few only with key in "START" position, and many in both positions. Others are "hot" with B+ all the time, in order for ceretain loads to work with the key off, or removed, such as headlights, entry lights, etc.

So, if the fuses showing no voltage present are "hot in start and run only", they are dead with the key "OFF". Help any? imp

 

[gamblersgirl]

@gamblersgirl
I assume your tester is a lamp with two leads, one of which you are connecting to "ground", the other inserted into the fuse socket? Don't see how this can be done with the fuse in place. At any rate, for all the fuses, one side of the fuse receives power from the battery, the other side feeds power out to whatever the load is. The battery power side is often called "B+", because it's coming from the + side of the battery. BUT, not all fuses are getting B+ voltage all the time. Some get it when the ignition switch is turned to "ON", a few only with key in "START" position, and many in both positions. Others are "hot" with B+ all the time, in order for ceretain loads to work with the key off, or removed, such as headlights, entry lights, etc.

So, if the fuses showing no voltage present are "hot in start and run only", they are dead with the key "OFF". Help any? imp

Sorry imp, been extremely busy trying to figure this problem out before bad weather sets in
I am so confused, all the fuses I mentioned are not lighting up the light tester no matter what I do ( I will have the key on, to test).. For instance, # 42&43 are suppose to be for low beams, yet they still work !! Same as for front and back wipers, Fusebox says fuses are bad but they still work
I have the steady on door ajar light with no alarms nor beeps.. It's aggravating because I can't access my message center.. I have no one to help and sure can't afford a dealership to check it out.. Thanks for trying to help

 

[lincolnshibuya]

pull the fuses out, you can easily see if they're blown or not. As what @imp mentioned some fuses will get voltage if the key is ON or car is running, some are always hot, so checking the voltage is not always the best way to do it.
if the chime is not happening when the key is in the ignition and you closed the front doors then the door ajar switches/sensor on the rear are probably bad. ForScan can detect which door sensors are bad without removing the door panel and lock actuator.

 

[gamblersgirl]

pull the fuses out, you can easily see if they're blown or not. As what @imp mentioned some fuses will get voltage if the key is ON or car is running, some are always hot, so checking the voltage is not always the best way to do it.
if the chime is not happening when the key is in the ignition and you closed the front doors then the door ajar switches/sensor on the rear are probably bad. ForScan can detect which door sensors are bad without removing the door panel and lock actuator.

Thanks lincolnshibuya.. I'll check I to that..one more thing , I had a lot of battery problems, boosting it several times, connecting/ disconnecting the terminals, could I have blown some relays ?

 

[imp]

Thanks lincolnshibuya.. I'll check I to that..one more thing , I had a lot of battery problems, boosting it several times, connecting/ disconnecting the terminals, could I have blown some relays ?

@gamblersgirl
If the boost was inadvertently connected backwards, a huge amount of current would have flowed backwards through the alternator's diodes. They are protected against burn-out under normal (not short-circuit) operating conditions by "fuse links" which is connected in the wires between the alternator and battery. The fuse links are a short (4-inch long) lengths of heavy wire encircled with special silicone rubber insulation, which will curl up and get burnt-looking if the link is called upon to do it's thing. A reverse connection using a good, fully charged battery will stand a 5-second reverse current flow without burning the link open. On my 2004 the links are located between the rear of the battery and the front of the fuse junction box. They stick out from the heavy harness bundle, and are visible there. Note that if either of them is blown, the alternator will not charge, and the battery will supply all current needed until it is dead.

Blown relays? Not likely, but, there are several diodes which could burn out in case of reverse current flow, I do not remember exactly where they are but one would be in the PCM Power Relay. On my own Ex, the reverse short of 5 seconds interval did blow a fuse in the in-cab fuse panel, I think it was the dashboard lights and radio and clock. imp

 

[goldsteinmt]

I may be suggesting something extremely simple, but I am an I.T. Guy after all... You mentioned that some of the wires were bare in the drivers door. Is it possible that one of them was completely broken? From my reading it seems like this is a very common issue.

I just bought a 2002 ex this month and I had the door ajar issue as well. Turns out the drivers door ajar sensor (like a door jamb switch but in the latch assembly itself) was in half for whatever reason. I need to replace it but for the time being I just jumped the connector to get rid of the door ajar warning so I can use the information sensor and stop the dome lights from staying on. I also read that it's really common for those switches to completely jam up inside, so one of them may need to be replaced even if everything appears to be okay.

Imp's suggestion of using ForScan would be pretty helpful if that's the case. @imp is there any way you could explain the process to find that on ForScan? I wasn't able to find the information on ForScan for my 2002 ex and ended up resorting to taking apart every door until I found it (don't ask why I didn't start at the driver's door...). While we're talking about it, as this is related, I got my door ajar light to stop showing up but the alarm still won't arm (two beeps as if a door is open). Is that because I jumped the wire so it's never seeing the door open? Or do I need to chase another phantom issue somewhere?

Best of luck finding the issue @gamblersgirl !

 

[imp]

I may be suggesting something extremely simple, but I am an I.T. Guy after all... You mentioned that some of the wires were bare in the drivers door. Is it possible that one of them was completely broken? From my reading it seems like this is a very common issue.

I just bought a 2002 ex this month and I had the door ajar issue as well. Turns out the drivers door ajar sensor (like a door jamb switch but in the latch assembly itself) was in half for whatever reason. I need to replace it but for the time being I just jumped the connector to get rid of the door ajar warning so I can use the information sensor and stop the dome lights from staying on. I also read that it's really common for those switches to completely jam up inside, so one of them may need to be replaced even if everything appears to be okay.

Imp's suggestion of using ForScan would be pretty helpful if that's the case. @imp is there any way you could explain the process to find that on ForScan? I wasn't able to find the information on ForScan for my 2002 ex and ended up resorting to taking apart every door until I found it (don't ask why I didn't start at the driver's door...). While we're talking about it, as this is related, I got my door ajar light to stop showing up but the alarm still won't arm (two beeps as if a door is open). Is that because I jumped the wire so it's never seeing the door open? Or do I need to chase another phantom issue somewhere?

Best of luck finding the issue @gamblersgirl !

@goldsteinmt
Hey, I wish I was an IT! E.E. but got it before the Info Revolution, and am sadly behind the times. I have held off buying any of the ForScan stuff mainly because I just don't understand WTH is going on with it. I have, however, learned a lot by doing on these Explorers. On the alarm: You jumpered the switch? Then, the system uses reverse logic, closed door, switch closed? It's possible. The PCM seems to be designed to "sink" everything to ground, IOW, whatever outputs it controls, are switched to ground. So, the loads remain "hot" w/respect to ground, all the time. Or, how many wires go to the switch? If only one, switch obviously grounds circuit there, that would be the logical and least expensive way to build it. The "ringer" is that "Modules" are used outside of the PCM, in conjunction with it. ABS, for example, has ability to shut down the engine, separately from PCM. Security Module? Not much known, by me, about it. Almost sounds like some other issue preventing arming, as if the Ajar light is off, the Module should be satisfied that the door is closed, and allow arming. Just an idea. At this point, off to the wiring schematics. Would it help you if I post the Alarm circuitry here? I'll be happy to, but cannot until late tomorrow, about to leave right now to keep wife happy about seeing some guy named Bill Engvall....... imp

 

[goldsteinmt]

I know there is a security module but I don't know much else about it either. I just got this thing 2 weeks ago so I'm sure I'll learn at some point.

The wiring diagrams would actually be awesome I'd appreciate that.

My problem with Forscan might have been the fact that I only have the free phone app with a Bluetooth scanner lol

@gamblersgirl you have any luck fixing yours?

 

[imp]

@goldsteinmt
Here's the diagrams. Hope they help you. imp

 

[goldsteinmt]

@imp that was the best timing ever lol.

Those diagrams are very useful so thank you for that. looking at this it looks like the vsm is using the light sensor for something. I remember seeing a code when I scanned that something was wrong with that so if replacing the door ajar sensor doesn't fix my alarm I'll probably chase after that issue.

Thanks imp!

 

[imp]

@goldsteinmt
Looking at 117-1, might lead one to believe that the portion of he security system shown with the module, might be inter-tied. However, as I recall, the engine start function is not affected by a door being ajar. Keep that in mind when implicating that 13A018 "Autolamp/Sunload sensor" PATS Indicator-- as I see it that is the alarm lamp on the dash, which is shown as an LED. These diagrams I have learned do not always show all actual components involved in the circuitry. For example, the Instrument Panel might be expected to have a bundle of wires going in to it to activate each warning Icon; such is not the case. If it were, clip the wire, CEL is OFF! You likely know more about his stuff than I, so do not hesitate to correct me as needed! They use, IMO, something they call a "Bus" on which is superimposed various signals which communicate with the Instrument Cluster microprocessor, which actually does the on/off functions of the Icons. Most of them are LEDS, one or two are actually tiny lamps, however. But even then, they may be processor-controlled, that I am shaky on. A Bus in my upbringing (Plant Engineering) is a BIG set of conductors carrying boo-coo power.

So given possession of a fairly good code reader, one having CAN Bus and ABS capability, one can erase undesirable codes which are not affecting performance or operation. Most aggravating codes require some driving around to re-establish themselves, such as "Non-MIL" (Malfunction Indicator Light) codes. ALL emissions-related codes are MIL enabled. Now, if you are not aware, beginning in 2009, some agency (EPA?) required that all cars sold nationwide have a "Permanent Code" DTC system. This means non-erasable from without. Only the vehicle system can erase those, and then only if they have been repaired appropriately to not recurr.

The guys often ask about repair manuals, while using Chilton's, or others. My experience is that most are too generalized, if not vague, and their wiring diagrams are next to impossible for the shade-tree guy to follow or understand. Official Ford Wiring Diagrams are pretty consistent, almost ladder-diagram like, with voltage source and fusing at the top, all connectors numbered and identified as to pin-out. But, I've found mistakes which led me in circles, inconsistent color codes here and there, and in my own case, my 4 HO2S sensors are fed by a different fuse than shown. Now, a few have told me the harness has been messed with. I doubt this, as I bought the Ex from the original owner, all harness looked factory-wrapped and made up. I suspect the harness is produced by contracted source, and Ford tests them (hopefully) for function and perhaps safety (check each fuse's branch current level, compare to expected?). Maybe I'm dreaming, if it works, shove the vehicle out the door?

Apologize for all the B.S., I'm hoping I may get to learn some things from you, so don't feel I'm trying to one-up or anything; I have no Ego. imp

 

[goldsteinmt]

@imp From my knowledge of computers, what you are saying about the CAN bus and other things related sounds correct. I can't really speak much for car electrical as all I know about cars stems only from repairs my dad and I had to perform on my jeep (what I owned up until two weeks ago). While I learned a lot about cars from fixing my jeep I would consider myself somewhat unknowledgeable about cars for the most part. I actually kinda enjoy working on these strange issues as it gives me an excuse to learn a ton about how the car works.

As for the scanners, I wish the CAN capable scanners were much cheaper. I have a $3 bluetooth scanner that I got on Amazon and it actually can do most things pretty well as long as the program you use it with has the capability, but I don't believe it has the capability to access the CAN bus (which if I'm not mistaken is exactly what the VSM uses in this car and is why I couldn't find more than "door ajar" for my issue). I don't work on cars enough to justify buying a more expensive scanner. The cheaper ones are great for general purpose anyways. I may be wrong about the VSM using the CAN bus but whatever bus it DOES use is the one I can't access with my scanner.

I think I'd agree with you that you have the factory harness. Just because the fuse was wrong in the diagram probably wouldn't lead me to think the harness has been changed. The writers of those diagrams probably spend all day every day making diagrams for cars and they're bound to make mistakes. We are all human after all. If you don't mind me asking, where do you get your wiring diagrams from? I know the Haynes manual for my jeep had the wiring diagrams but I thankfully never actually needed to use them.

 

[imp]

@goldsteinmt
All Ford Manuals, Helm, Inc. Your year Ex Wiring Diagrams: http://www.helminc.com/helm/Result....4&Category=3&Keyword=&Module=&selected_media=

All Manual info:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/search_service_owner.asp?Style=helm&class_2=FRD

You never mentioned, or I missed it, does your Ex run normally without the alarm system working? Not disabled? imp

 

[goldsteinmt]

@goldsteinmt
All Ford Manuals, Helm, Inc. Your year Ex Wiring Diagrams: http://www.helminc.com/helm/Result....4&Category=3&Keyword=&Module=&selected_media=

All Manual info:
http://www.helminc.com/helm/search_service_owner.asp?Style=helm&class_2=FRD

You never mentioned, or I missed it, does your Ex run normally without the alarm system working? Not disabled? imp

@imp thanks for the links! My Ex does seem to be running fine. The only issue I'm having is that I can't arm the alarm when I get out of the car. It honks the horn twice as if a door is open even though the door ajar light isn't on anymore. I'm thinking there is some requirement that the driver's door opens THEN closes and that's why, so I think once I put the new door ajar sensor in it'll be fixed (hopefully). I just gotta find a T27 to get that stupid window guide out of my way lol. The doors lock fine and the car seems to be running fine so I'm not overly concerned but it would be nice to be able to set the alarm.
-Matt

 

[gamblersgirl]

I know there is a security module but I don't know much else about it either. I just got this thing 2 weeks ago so I'm sure I'll learn at some point.

The wiring diagrams would actually be awesome I'd appreciate that.

My problem with Forscan might have been the fact that I only have the free phone app with a Bluetooth scanner lol

@gamblersgirl you have any luck fixing yours?

@gamblersgirl you have any luck fixing yours?[/QUOTE]
No, I haven't , I beginning to think this is way over my head. I don't nor can I afford one of the scanners that @imp was talking about. I can do about anything mechanically ( thanks to my dad, gambler..but he is no longer with me) but when it comes to electrical problems, about all I can do is change fuses, lol. I have a nice multimeter, but not figured it out
My explorer will start and run, but I'm hesitant to road test it, if it has an electrical problem.. thanks so much to all for trying to help me

 

[lincolnshibuya]

the adapter for ForScan is only $31 at amazon, even if you pay shipping (non-prime) it still way cheaper than 1 visit to a dealer who charges $120 for a simple scan ($90 is the lowest I've seen so far) You just need a laptop and the software is free. If you have door ajar sensor issues you'll probably end up tearing all the door panels and locks just to figure out which one failed. Each door (and liftgate) has specific PIDs in ForScan and you could select all of them at the same time and press play, the values will tell you if the door is opening or closing during testing.. no voltmeter, no screws, no aggravation... once you have it you simply want to do more with this tool. The cheap scanners you buy for $5 to $30 in ebay can only do basic stuff, no ABS and Transmission feature. Only the high end ones can do this..

I even use a cheap $20 (from China) adapter for my BMW E46 for diagnostics and customization (BMW Scanner 1.4.0) The DTCs on this car doesn't show up unless it's emission related (engine codes can show up without triggering the "check engine" light) Just imagine how much you'll save by not going into the dealer, same thing with my Toyota Hybrid, I have a Techstream software which also uses a $24 vci adapter (from China)

I can't find any software/adapter for Chrysler (my Jeep) and I really hate them for that..

 

[gamblersgirl]

the adapter for ForScan is only $31 at amazon, even if you pay shipping (non-prime) it still way cheaper than 1 visit to a dealer who charges $120 for a simple scan ($90 is the lowest I've seen so far) You just need a laptop and the software is free. If you have door ajar sensor issues you'll probably end up tearing all the door panels and locks just to figure out which one failed. Each door (and liftgate) has specific PIDs in ForScan and you could select all of them at the same time and press play, the values will tell you if the door is opening or closing during testing.. no voltmeter, no screws, no aggravation... once you have it you simply want to do more with this tool. The cheap scanners you buy for $5 to $30 in ebay can only do basic stuff, no ABS and Transmission feature. Only the high end ones can do this..

I even use a cheap $20 (from China) adapter for my BMW E46 for diagnostics and customization (BMW Scanner 1.4.0) The DTCs on this car doesn't show up unless it's emission related (engine codes can show up without triggering the "check engine" light) Just imagine how much you'll save by not going into the dealer, same thing with my Toyota Hybrid, I have a Techstream software which also uses a $24 vci adapter (from China)

I can't find any software/adapter for Chrysler (my Jeep) and I really hate them for that..

@lincolnshibuya , thanks so that is what I'm looking for ? I will check it out asap .. and thanks so much once again!!