Inside lights won't go off. 97 EXP XLT

[JJScorpio]

About a week ago I opened the back hatch and it wouldnt latch on the drivers side. I lubed the latch and got it to close but every now and again the warning lights would say "door ajar". If I got out and slammed it, it went off. Now all of a sudden it doesnt go off and the lights all stay on inside. On the back hatch their are these spring loaded little black slides on the side and I am thinking they tell the truck if it is closed or open. I am baffled and do not want to undo the battery every night to get the domelights off. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[IAmTodd]

I had a similar problem on my Sport. A hard slam would cure the problem. Mine never got the bad though. There is a battery saver feature that turns the lights off after a predetermined amount of time if they're left on.

 

[Vinniety]

Same problem i had. When i would get in the truck the light would stay on until about 10 minutes then shut off. I sprayed just about a whole can of WD40 in the locks. The can had a red little tube and would really get into the lock as much as i can. After that it never happened again. Dont just spray the lock get as much into it as much as you can. I was told there was a sensor that would jam up or get dirt on it that would cause it.

 

[JJScorpio]

Well I called a shop and I found out there is a part that fastens to the latch itself that depresses when the latch closes. I believe it called a door jar switch. In order to get to it you have to remove the door insides or the inside to the back hatch. Has anyone changed one before? The shop wanted 65 dollars to put it on the computer to tell which one it is. I am going to gamble and guess it is the one on the hatch that was giving me problems. They are only a 15 dollar part but I guess they can be tricky to change. Maybe I will try the spray first but it seems if it is seized it probably rotted apart as they are made of thin metal......With mine the light only goes off is the truck is running or if you pull fuse 27.

 

[TerryS1980]

Well I never had the problem with them going off, but I did have problems with them coming on after I opened the door. I would have to adjust the dimmer switch (which is next to the headlight switch) to get them to come on.

 

[KLW]

When you get the switches removed just lube them up with some WD40. The lube will soften the lithium grease inside the switch and get things working again. You remove them by just twisting them to the side and pulling out. Make sure the carpet mat in the back isn't over the plastic trim piece at the back of the truck as that will keep the rear door from closing properly. Lots of problems with certain yrs switches sticking though.

 

[JJScorpio]

I went and got another switch today and tried both side latches in the rear and that didnt help any. They do twist out but there is one phillips screw to remove first. So far I have only wasted 20 dollars. I am going to have to go buy a door switch and start pulling them. I only hope there is not more than one bad, lol.....

 

[budwich]

JJ... the "simple" method for finding a bad switch or multiple bad switches is to go around and open doors / all opening. The one that doesn't cause an audible indication (regardless of your visual on the dash), when the port is opened, is a switch that is "in trouble" as all will cause an audible with a "change in status" (ie. close to open which it won't see if the switch is "broken").

 

[KLW]

Budwich, I don't know what you're saying about the audible indication. There is only one door ajar switch on the latches and when they stick it doesn't matter if the door is opened or not-same results.

JJ, did you also check the switch on the rear hatch window? Probably not the problem but possibly. You could get a scanner and find which one is causing the problem (that's what I would do at work) but one has to be careful as some wiring in say some Rangers are tied together and you cannot tell which door is causing the problem even with the scanner. One can also just disconnect the wiring from the switch and you could tell which one is the problem that way instead of just buying new switches. I think I wrote that I just lube up the switches with WD40 and they seem to last as long as replacing them. I did forget about the screw holding the switches in-the early Rangers didn't have the screw and that's what I was thinking about. Windstars are notorious for door ajar problems also.

 

[budwich]

well KLW.... it is quite simple. If the switch is broken in any form, it doesn't change state... sssooooo, when you open the door and don't get an audible, the switch state didn't change (cause it is "broken").... however, the light on your dash may already be lit from other broken switches or doors that are open for any reason and will continue to light.... but the audible indication always occurs for the "newly" open port... be it a tail gate, door, or gate window. Just going around replacing switches is going to cost ~$20 per. A switch can also be measure for a grd.

 

[KLW]

I'll have to experiment with my Explorer in that respect. Wouldn't you have to wait until the audible times out? That may take a few minutes per door. Like I said, at work I just hook up a scanner but if this works-great. Thanks for the info.

 

[budwich]

yes a scanner is good... but it also costs money as most places won't do that for free. As far as timing, it is quite short... maybe a 30 second buzz at best.... so the test of all ports will probably take a person 5 mins.