Door Ajar light stays on

[MudSlayer]

any help maybe wires in door? :exporange

 

[Mbrooks420]

I've had trouble with this twice. Both times ended up being the hatch. Once was the hatch glass sensor, the other was the "pins" on the hatch itself. The window sensor can be unplugged through the opening the window latch goes through. The hatch sensors can be worked by hand, and there is one on each side.

 

[coled43]

I had this problem on my 99 on more than one door when I got it. They had the latches for the rear hatch all gummed up with heavy grease. Lots of wd-40 fixed it. I also had one of the passenger doors act up. I noticed one thing to figure which door it was. With the truck running, if I opened a door, I got one short chime. So the door that didn't chime when opened was the one, because the switch thought it was already open. Either way lots of penetrating oil and open close several times should do it.

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

MudSlayer - just an FYI - I believe (i know to be true on my '96) that with the Door Ajar light on, the factory antitheft system will not properly activate. The cluster light illuminates but the entry alarm is not really on. I've got a tailgate that doesn't close correctly all the time and if it is "ajar" when setting the alarm, i can still open any door (that is manually unlocked) without the horn going off.

I had this problem on my 99 on more than one door when I got it. They had the latches for the rear hatch all gummed up with heavy grease. Lots of wd-40 fixed it....Either way lots of penetrating oil and open close several times should do it.

Coled,

Was it your tailgate door itself or the glass? If the door, would your tailgate stay shut before lubing it? I've got a similar situation now and neither latch will fully engage. Only the pass. side will latch at all and it doesn't hold very well when it does (a bump in the road will open it. I've already disconnected the driver side latch elec. connection to avoid the Ajar light, but i left the pass. side connected so that i knew when it was actually ajar.

 

[coled43]

It was my tailgate door, but the latch always worked. The way I understand it, the switches are internal to the door latches. I figured the thick grease or dirt worked its way into the switch and kept it from moving and the wd-40 cleaned it out. I think that is pretty much the accepted theory with the common door ajar switch problem. So that should work for Mudslinger.
Sounds like you might need some new latches. Unless the door is out of alignment and not hitting them right. I remember looking at the hinges and thinking that they looked light weight for a large door. They maybe worn. I just saw the picture of your rig and realized that it is converted. Did that make any change to the way the hatch is bolted on? Maybe even loose bolts on the hinges. The conversion is pretty cool though.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'd try and move the door strikers out a little bit, unless they are wearing funny, then I'd move them to compensate.

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

Although a conversion, my hatch is the same as everyone else's. I DID have the welded "button" on the hatch that the hatch struts attach to break off on the pass side, leaving me one strut - now i've got my little extension pole that helps to hold the door up. However, this happened after the latch problem. I've tried adjusting the strikers to no avail. I cannot seem to get the latches off of the handle/latch assembly to begin to replace them.

 

[Mbrooks420]

It was my tailgate door, but the latch always worked. The way I understand it, the switches are internal to the door latches.

Are you talking about the doors or the hatch here? I'm a bit BuffaloXplorer, are your strikers beat up? Do the hatch latches move freely?

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

If your first Q was directed at me, Brooks, my Tailgate is the issue here.

When i attempt to get the latch to clasp by hand (as u know there are 2 hooks in the latch assembly - top and bottom) the bottom hook locks into place fine but the upper, when depressed into full-engage position, makes both hooks pop open. I believe it may be a problem with the interior handle/pole mechanism not moving freely, b/c the only way i can get the one side to latch somewhat securely is if i loosen the latch bolts holding it to the tailgate 1/8-1/4" and allowing it to "float" away from the door. When the bolts are tight to the tailgate, i cannot get the latch to latch at all. It seems as if the pole is stuck in the "out" position and always releasing the latch, and by loosening it i'm allowing the latch to work (a bit). During an interior inspection of the hatch assembly, although somewhat rusty with a bad actuator and screwed up lock assembly, the remaining poles in the setup seem straight and correctly attached.

As i mentioned, i cannot seem to get the latches off of the poles to replace them. I didn't want to screw the poles up while trying to twist the latch off. Aldo, I don't want to just replace them if they weren't the culprit, but i guess i have to start somewhere. I'm going to shoot the **** out of them with some PB Blaster and/or wd40 (again) and see if it helps.

If not, are the latches the same up to 2001? Side specific? I'd like to find the newest latches if i go to a junkyard to buy replacements.