Driver door power door lock switch not working. This one is different!

[ranman106]

Ok guys, I searched on door lock and read through 404 posts! I did not find anything on my problem. Here are the details.

1997 Explorer XLT

Power door lock switch on drivers door will not Lock or UNLOCK any doors. Passenger door lock switch, key fob, and the keyless entry all work properly.

No voltage at switch on pink/green wire or the pink/yellow. Both pink/green wires in the door sill beside the driver seat read 12 volts. If you ground the p/g wires in the door sill, all doors will unlock (but not through the switch).

I have not found the splices yet. I plan to remove the passenger door panel and swap switches to rule out a bad switch.

Any ideas?

 

[gmanpaint]

I am no electric guy, but it sounds like you answered your own question. Sounds like your switch is bad. If you made a connection bypassing the switch, and the doors unlocked, you have power to and from the switch. What else could it be?

 

[budwich]

It doesn't appear to be a switch problem.... the switches switch in grounds... but when they aren't operated, you should see some form of voltage on the wires that you have indicated AND since you "saw" that voltage at the door sill / post... its broken somewhere between there and the switch.

 

[pjohn1959]

I had the same problem a couple of years ago. Found a broken wire inside the wire cover at the hinge in the front driver's door.

 

[ranman106]

I had the same problem a couple of years ago. Found a broken wire inside the wire cover at the hinge in the front driver's door.

Which wire and how did you fix it?

 

[budwich]

That's a trick question right???? I think you already indicated the colors in your post... duh???? You trace the wire from where you found voltage to where you don't find voltage.... that's the break... to fix, rejoin????

 

[ranman106]

That's a trick question right???? I think you already indicated the colors in your post... duh???? You trace the wire from where you found voltage to where you don't find voltage.... that's the break... to fix, rejoin????

No, not a trick question, dee dah dee . I was asking pjohn1959 about his experience with his repair. I'm looking for information, not smarta** comments.

 

[ranman106]

double post

 

[fast_dave]

I have the Same Problem.

On my Sport - the Drivers Side Switch will un-lock the drivers side door BUT will NOT lock drivers side door.

When you open the Drivers Side Door - you will see a large black plastic cylinder.

Inside that cylinder are all the wires that go into your door.

The "lock" wire for the Drivers Side Switch has broke on mine...

There's a LOT going on in that black plastic cylinder, and the wire is a real PITA to fix because one of the broken wire ends end will have only a very small stub of wire showing.

Hence, this repair is way down on my list.

HTH,
Fast Dave

 

[ranman106]

Finally got a chance to finish this repair. Here is what I found.

Wires look like they were cut. Oh well, I inserted some more wire for extra length, checked voltages and buttoned everything up. Switch may need to be replaced later, seems a little weak.

I'm glad this is over. Thanks guys!

 

[Justin Klare]

on the driver's side of my 94 the switch will unlock all doors but won't lock. i was thinking it was the switch as well.

 

[gmanpaint]

I was wrong & budwich was right!
How in the world did the wires get cut like that inside the loom?

 

[ranman106]

No more red x in a box! Finally got the pics to post!

 

[ranman106]

How in the world did the wires get cut like that inside the loom?

Beats me! I have never opened the loom before. I expected to see a wire corroded or pulled apart, not two wires cleanly cut.

 

[X6StringerX]

This is a great mystery that appears in many Explorers. I had to make the same repair with my last one and the wires looked just like yours. They also appeared to be cut. I've seen pictures on the forum of others that have discovered the same thing. I don't think we all have a little gremlin that says, "hey, I'm going to cut the driver's side power lock wires". I guess Ford just had a very precise installation procedure that results in those two wires being under more stress due to the orientation of their install. I guess we can all atleast say that Ford was consistant, lol.

 

[fast_dave]

My wires looked like they were cut as well.

BUT - what I think occurs is that the Insulation protecting the Wire cracks (due to wear from the door opening and closing) and then WATER makes it's way into the wire past the cracked insulation.

Eventually the water and wear from the door opening and closing causes the wires to break.

Both ends of my wires had blue corrosion on them - take a close look at yours.

Regards,
Fast Dave

 

[saewoody]

This all sounds simple enough. I might consider repairing mine. My lock button on my drivers door hasn't worked in 2 years. However the key fob and keypad have made it an easy problem to live with.

 

[itfitz]

My driver's door switch will unlock all locks, but won't lock any. It's been this way for at least 5 years. I think I may peek inside the loom to see if I too have a severed wire.