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Door AJAR Switch Replacement on 2002XLT

Thanks for the reply Rondo and thanks for all the awesome advice/guidance etc on this forum.

To follow up on my situation I guess my 1st attempt with the WRONG SHAPED door ajar switch bought on EBAY was a great practice session/trial run.

The next day I traveled out to NJ to work on the problem in my mom's driveway rather than on the streets of Brooklyn. I located a Ford Dealer who had the correct part in stock and once I removed the door panel the entire process was much much easier the second time around. I believe my removing and replacing the bad switch the day earlier just put said switch into it's death spiral which was causing all the different problems I mentioned as once the new Factory part was installed...voila...no more problems of any kind!!!

Subsequently I messed with the metal posts that run from the key lock entry on the door and bent it ever so slightly which allowed it to lock and unlock the door as smoothly as the day it rolled off the production line.

Overall what began as a frustrating experience turned out to be a great one as the EBAY seller fully refunded my $$$ for the wrong part (PLEASE IF YOU TAKE ON THIS JOB MAKE SURE YOU GET THE PROPER FITTING DOOR AJAR SWITCH...SOME ARE SQUARE LIKE MINE BUT LATER ONES SEEM TO BE RECTANGULAR AND WILL NOT FIT THE SQUARE HOUSING) and the Ford part was only around $30.

I will state I COULD NOT HAVE DONE this job without the help of the very informed forum members here and the awesome photos that walked me through the process step by step. Just remember you need to remove the 3 screws that hold the entire assembly onto the door. These can be easily accessed once the door is open but for some reason (as this step wasn't indicated in the photos) I originally thought I could bypass this part of the process.

She's running smooth and silently now thanks to all here!!! Cheers!!!

Glad to here that you got it all sorted, and thanks for the update.

Happy Exploring!! :thumbsup:
 



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Welcome aboard!! :salute:

You are correct. The circuit is closed with the door closed & open with the door open. Disconnecting the switch will illuminate the interior lights.

Locating the 2 wires in the door would be easier than locating them under the dash.

Let me know if you need any diagrams or pinpoint tests. My shop manuals only go up to '03 but should help you out with your '04.

Good luck getting it sorted. :D:thumbsup:

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

Thanks Rondo. I let you know if I need them
 












Hi, just bumping this thread as I have a related issue, but haven't found a specific answer to my problem. I did read through all 5 pages.

Last week I bought an 02 Eddie Bauer. It's got 118k and a couple small issues to fix. One of them is the door ajar sign. I've been trying to diagnose which door it is but cannot seem to pinpoint the right one.

I did the method in which you have the car turned on and open all doors to see which one doesn't give the beep sound. The problem is, none of my doors do. Does this mean that all 5 sensors are bad? I also tried doing it with the car off but key in ON and nothing. I've also tried spraying all doors with WD40, didn't fix it.

I really need to solve this issue as it will not let me program the new key remote I bought (she only came with one key, no remote).

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
 






I think there are probably 6 door ajar switches in your 03. Besides the 4 doors the back gate has one where it latches. There is also one where the back window latches. It opens too, and I wonder if you have opened it by itself. My 02 has a button under the outside lift gate handle that releases it. Make sure these two areas in the back are closed firmly.

You didn't relate whether your car is chiming on and off with the engine running, or if the dome light is flashing and/or the door locks are flipping up and down by themselves. That's what this thread is primarily addressing.
 






I think there are probably 6 door ajar switches in your 03. Besides the 4 doors the back gate has one where it latches. There is also one where the back window latches. It opens too, and I wonder if you have opened it by itself. My 02 has a button under the outside lift gate handle that releases it. Make sure these two areas in the back are closed firmly.

You didn't relate whether your car is chiming on and off with the engine running, or if the dome light is flashing and/or the door locks are flipping up and down by themselves. That's what this thread is primarily addressing.

My dome light remains on if I leave my car. I have disabled it by the switch on the left side. I do not get the door locks unlocking themselves, or any beeps while driving. The only thing I get other than the dome lights staying on, is the message on the cluster saying door ajar. This is preventing me from programming the door remote. So I do not know if I also have the alarm issue since I cannot set it, I just manually lock the doors and open with my key.

I have an 02 not an 03. As far as I know I don't have a window gate.
 






Door ajar light dims

My 02 XLT door ajar light goes dim when you close door but stays lit. I did spray latch with electronic cleaner and it went out for 5 minutes I was very happy. Got back in car and it was back on. I replaced latch (used) and light still on dim when door closed???
 






ADLPB,
I would think an 02 Eddie Bauer has a rear window latch. My XLT, a less loaded car, does, but it is not noticeable. if yours has a small handle on the lower outside of the window, it does. Your problem sounds just like a latch or door that need to be closed more firmly. You should check these carefully first. Trying to find a bad door ajar switch can be a huge pain, but there are some ways to do it that don't take so much effort but aren't covered in this thread.
 






ADLPB,
I would think an 02 Eddie Bauer has a rear window latch. My XLT, a less loaded car, does, but it is not noticeable. if yours has a small handle on the lower outside of the window, it does. Your problem sounds just like a latch or door that need to be closed more firmly. You should check these carefully first. Trying to find a bad door ajar switch can be a huge pain, but there are some ways to do it that don't take so much effort but aren't covered in this thread.

I checked all over the lower window and there's definitely no latch to open. What's strange is that it has 2 hinges, but no latch.

Anyway, the other day I was driving and my dome lights started turning on/off erratically. Also last night my alarm went off by itself twice.

I really wish there was a way to just disable the whole door ajar system.

If anyone could offer any advice as to what to do next I'd appreciate it.
 






ADLPB, don't disable the system. It controls or affects many systems. You likely have a sticking door ajar switch and it is probably in one of the front doors. The chimes and door locks and dome lights and alarms in the middle of the night will just get worse because of this little switch. Read my post of 8-30-2013, jiggle test and try that before you spray WD 40 or grope around in the mass of wires going from the door into the car. It is not that hard to take the door panels off. It isn't difficult to take the latch mechanism out and replace the switch, either, once you pinpoint the defective one.
 






Door Ajar and dome lights on.

Thanks Guys ... WD 40 worked for me (driver door). Will just have to keep those latches lubed since they are so old. It is very cold now but I used to get some light flickering and chiming during humid summer months. May be part of the same problems, only with the passenger doors then.

Trying to make my trusty explorer last forever. :D
 






That is a great write up.

On a side note, before going through a complete replacement of the switch, you can spray WD40 into the door latch opening on each door, as these become stuck sometimes....and this can alleviate the issue.

This worked for me, after going for more than a year of the "door ajar" light coming on occasionally...mainly after a car wash, high humidity, or rain....making me unable to lock/arm the vehicle from the door keypad and keeping the dome lights on. Worth a try....it worked for me :thumbsup:
Where exactly do you spray the lubricant. i have liquid wrench lubricant would this be equal or worse then wd-40? also some things about my vehicle to be noted. My Fiance thought she could slide around corners in winter time and found out she was wrong when she smoked a telephone pole in the center of the rear driver side door. so far i have pulled the door out and replaced the broken window with plexiglass and sealed the door back up and had to remove the latch rod thats on the body of the vehicle to do so. im going to replace the door eventually and whatever else needs done eventually but idk how to tell which door is the problem since i cant open the one door without it being a pain. so i was going to try the lube idea first and need to know exactly where to spray any help? picture would be awesome.
 






Where exactly do you spray the lubricant. i have liquid wrench lubricant would this be equal or worse then wd-40? also some things about my vehicle to be noted. My Fiance thought she could slide around corners in winter time and found out she was wrong when she smoked a telephone pole in the center of the rear driver side door. so far i have pulled the door out and replaced the broken window with plexiglass and sealed the door back up and had to remove the latch rod thats on the body of the vehicle to do so. im going to replace the door eventually and whatever else needs done eventually but idk how to tell which door is the problem since i cant open the one door without it being a pain. so i was going to try the lube idea first and need to know exactly where to spray any help? picture would be awesome.

Welcome aboard!! :salute:

The red arrows show you where to spray:

DoorAjarSwitchCustom.jpg


Good luck getting it sorted. :thumbsup:

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






Just wanted to add to this..

Anytime I pressed Rear Defrost or tried my power mirrors, I had the DOOR AJAR buzz and indicator.. Recently my headlights started doing the same thing when I turned them on.. Time to investigate..

No amount of slamming my driver's door or lubricant on the switch would help..

Main reason I'm posting.. You can do this without removing ANY interior parts..

I simply opened my driver door, pulled the boot from the door side so I could cut the electrical tape holding it to the wiring, and then slid the boot towards the body. It revealed a broken black wire.. With small hands or patience (I have neither though), you can put a butt connector on the broken wire, or add a new wire piece if desired. I put the butt connector on, taped the boot to the wires, and pushed the boot back into the door.. All issues solved, I have power mirrors and rear defrost for the first time now.. 15 minute fix.
 






03 Mercury Mountaineer

I started having my alarm go off randomly in the middle of the night. Then I began getting random door ajar warnings. About 3 days ago things got worse

1) Door ajar light is almost constantly on
2) No door chimes when opening any door
3) At times there is a fast clicking under the dash, beeping, and door ajar light flashing quickly.
4) About the same time these problems worsened, the driver window worked intermittently, and now it is just stuck. All other windows work from the driver controls

I tried the WD40 tip.. but that hasn't worked. I saw multiple other things that it could be but based on that description, but I want to focus on the most likely. Does this sound like broken wire most likely?

Thanks in advance!

Greg
 






Both my Front and Rear Driver Side Doors did not respond to the alarm test. Could this be an electrical issue or are both "sensors/ switches" bad?
 






I have a 2004 Ford Explorer XLT Eddie Bauer V6 4.0. My door ajar is constantly on. I can turn it off completely by turning off the panel dimmer switch. By doing this, it also resets it and I can turn the panel dimmer switch back on. But, once I open any door again, the interior light goes on and the door ajar notice comes back on. I tried the WD40 trick but it didn't work. I have been keeping the dimmer switch totally off and the door ajar doesn't come back on. Does it sound like a short possibly? Thanks in advance!
 












Never mind. I applied some WD-40 to the clip. Use a plier to pry the tab on the yellow clip. Then it comes loose.
After I put the new door jamb switch, the door ajar error is gone. Hope this will kill the problem forever. In the process, the plastic tab of the door switch bezel was damaged. I just ordered it from dealer today.
For the front driver side, there is third rod as mentioned by Roborob. I am still able to remove the door ajar switch without releasing the third rod. I believe it links to the key switch.

I found releasing the yellow clip was confusing. You need to know that the wider rounded end of the yellow clip is the hinge end of the clip, and that the small square end is the one that 'un-clips/opens'. Looking at the yellow tab, you need to pull the little square end toward you [probably best done with some kind of pick tool]. For clarification, you can look at the similar locking tab at the handle end of the manual door opening rod. A good look at it will probably make it clear what opens in what direction. Another couple of things I learned in the removal of the 'ajar' switch: the wiring harness going to the door latch has a yellow/blk wire [2003 XLT] and a black wire which are the in and out connections to the switch. Jumpering these at the connector and having the 'door ajar message go away confirmed that my switch was the source of my intermittent alarms etc.; to remove the switch requires removal of the latch and the bottom window track [5 torx screws {25 -30 Torx both worked} in total on the door edge]; loosening the door handle mechanism [7/32 screw] allows extra play to tip the latch mechanism; don't try to unplug the switch wires until you loosen and half remove the latch; don't bend the rods hanging down [one held with the yellow clip and the other with just a 90 degree bend] - after removal of the yellow tab retained one, you just tilt the mechanism to get the second rod out of the eye hook on the latch; the switch itself plugs into the bottom of the latch [push and turn 90 degrees to install and remove] to remove is a clockwise turn looking from the switch end.
 



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I know this is over a year old, but I've tracked down the issue on my 98 xlt to the rear hatch, and all the switches have tested good. does anyone have a wiring diagram that has the rear switches on it?

Thanks,
Darin
 






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