Door ajar light & inop door lock????

[coled43]

I guess we'll say your not looking for the right things. I don't think you will find any wires hanging loose and there are no wires grounded to the steel in the door. You were looking in the right place (door panel off behind sticky paper). All the wires are bundled (taped) together and clipped to the door. They might be on the inside but you can get to them without removing more. You should be able to follow a black (w/colored marker line, a wiring diagram would say which, but you should be able to see which one) wire from each device (door latch switch, door lock switch, mirror switch) to the point where they all splice together in the door. Then that one ground wire runs from the door to the inside of the car. It is probably pinched inside the rubber hose that the wires run through between the door and pillar. If you could get the rubber grommet out of the door you might be able to get to the wire in there and repair, but I didn't want to mess with that. So, if you can unwrap the wires and get to that ground wire in the door, cut into it and connect it to another new wire and connect it to the steel of the body. Then it should work. Tape everything back up and make sure the wires are clear of moving parts. Good luck. Working through a problem like this is the best way to learn and then you will have a better idea what to look for next time.
PS
If you don't have a test light, get one. You can use it to find a live wire when connected to a known ground or test a ground when you connect it to a known live source.

 

[chrisbeach82]

i went back and did it again and i had overlooked rear hatch. my problem is fixed so make sure you try the wd-40 on rear hatch!!!

 

[02XLS]

FIXED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thx for the insight coled43 & tbars....I removed the door panel for probably the 5th time and found the 'snapped' ground wire as you described in the rubber hose in the door jam. I ended up splicing and connecting it behind one of the speaker screws and WALAH! Everything is working. I suck at electrical work but as you stated coled43, be patient, and I did.

Thx Again...02XLS

 

[coled43]

Good work. It is amazing how simple some of these problems are to fix once you figure out what causes it. I'm sure you are glad to be rid of that annoying problem. When it happened to my 02, it was twice as annoying since it is my wife's car.
I've had the problem with the door latch/switch sticking on my 99 a few times too. I was able to find which door, because when the truck is running and you open a door, it sounds a chime. If the door switch is not connected, no chime.

 

[Tbars4]

...bad grounds on any part of your vehicle can be a holy nightmare...especially hidden ones that appear to be good, lol...
...congrats on finding it and making the repair....

 

[kbviper]

Glad I found this thread. About 3 months ago my driver's door speaker stopped working at times. If I opened and closed the door while parked it would cut in and out, indicating to me that there was a wiring problem somewhere - likely between the door and the body.

A couple of weeks ago the "door ajar" light came on, and stays on, and the driver's door lock no longer works.

I think I will check the wiring before the WD40 fix. I'll post how I make out.

 

[kbviper]

Glad I found this thread. About 3 months ago my driver's door speaker stopped working at times. If I opened and closed the door while parked it would cut in and out, indicating to me that there was a wiring problem somewhere - likely between the door and the body.

A couple of weeks ago the "door ajar" light came on, and stays on, and the driver's door lock no longer works.

I think I will check the wiring before the WD40 fix. I'll post how I make out.

Got at this today and here are the results I posted on another forun:

About 3 months ago the driver's door speaker in my 04 Explorer XLT stopped working and about 2 weeks ago, while on holidays, I started getting the dreaded "door ajar" message, along with the interior lights staying on and all the other related problems.

I tried the WD40 fix, but no luck.

Today I got my shop manual out and took the door panel off, which was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Took the foam pad off, checked all the wires and connections and they all looked fine.

I spliced a short length of wire into the larger black wire that goes to the door latch mechanism, and then grounded it on one of the nearby door screws.

The "door ajar" message and related problems were fixed. The ground wire must be broken or chafed somewhere further along, but too big and long of a job to try to find it.

Took the door speaker out - problem seemed to be in the connector at then end of the wires. Tried some contact cleaner but didn't fix the problem. Cut the connector off, attached some spade connectors that fit onto the pins on the speaker, to the ends of the wires, plugged them in and had sound.

I took my time as I am far from a mechanic - total time, less than an hour and what a difference having the door speaker working again makes in the sound.

Thanks to all those who posted suggestions and solutions and helped give me the courage to get in there and fix it myself rather than pay a dealer
100s of $$$