Just joined the club - need a bit of help

[avidmar1978]

I just purchased a 2000 Explorer Sport with 145,000 miles on it for $900. It was, of course, not without issues. The body is pretty rough, quite a bit of rust around the bottom on both sides, and the rear. The rust, I'm just going to have to deal with. It would probably cost more to fix it than the vehicle would be worth after it was done. I've already fixed a half dozen or so things, which is pretty good for me, as I've never considered myself good at working on vehicles.

Here's where I need some help:

1) Missing rear Wiper arm - I bought a replacement arm at the junk yard, but there is a nut rusted onto the existing rod that sticks into the motor. I can't grip the rod tight enough to get the nut off, even with a vice. Worst case, I go back to the junk yard and get a new rod. Any other options?

2) Power Door Locks - None of the switches work, won't lock or unlock. The keyless entry pad works, though. All fuses are good, so I'm guessing it's the relays in the black box that is pictured, but never referenced, in this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195398. I can't find any diagrams for that relay box to tell me which relays do what? I can get new relays, but I don't know which ones. I currently only have 4 relays in there, with multiple open slots. A little help would be great.

3) Driver side door handle - Not really working. The interior spring broke and the previous owner used a zip tie to re-attach. I can't tell if that's the only thing wrong or not. It does still open the door, though just barely.

4) Lift gate / lift gate glass won't lock - I picked up another lock chamber (the part you put the key into) at the junk yard, but I realized that it probably won't work with my existing key! Not really sure how to fix this. Will this get fixed by fixing the power door locks?

I just found this site 2 days ago, and I love it so far!

 

[FIND]

1) Missing rear Wiper arm - I bought a replacement arm at the junk yard, but there is a nut rusted onto the existing rod that sticks into the motor. I can't grip the rod tight enough to get the nut off, even with a vice. Worst case, I go back to the junk yard and get a new rod. Any other options?

try penetrating oil a couple times a day for a couple days, then get back at it.

2) Power Door Locks - None of the switches work, won't lock or unlock. The keyless entry pad works, though. All fuses are good, so I'm guessing it's the relays in the black box that is pictured, but never referenced, in this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195398. I can't find any diagrams for that relay box to tell me which relays do what? I can get new relays, but I don't know which ones. I currently only have 4 relays in there, with multiple open slots. A little help would be great.

Use a circuit tester and you can find which relay gets power when you press the switches.

3) Driver side door handle - Not really working. The interior spring broke and the previous owner used a zip tie to re-attach. I can't tell if that's the only thing wrong or not. It does still open the door, though just barely.

There are a few different possibilities here, the most likely is that the inner door handle is worn out. Take the trim off that goes on behind the handle and pull the handle. You will notice that the handle has teeth that mesh with teeth on another gear that actuates the rod. Most likely, some of the teeth are cracked, worn or broken on the handle.

4) Lift gate / lift gate glass won't lock - I picked up another lock chamber (the part you put the key into) at the junk yard, but I realized that it probably won't work with my existing key! Not really sure how to fix this. Will this get fixed by fixing the power door locks?

The power door locks won't change whether your glass can lock or not. The lock chamber shouldn't be the problem, it should be the mechanism.

I just found this site 2 days ago, and I love it so far!

Welcome to the site!

 

[avidmar1978]

Thanks for the response. I'll pick up some liquid wrench next time I'm out.

I figured out the the lift gate issue, I now have a locking lift gate and window! I'll tackle the door handle and relays soon.

 

[avidmar1978]

There are a few different possibilities here, the most likely is that the inner door handle is worn out. Take the trim off that goes on behind the handle and pull the handle. You will notice that the handle has teeth that mesh with teeth on another gear that actuates the rod. Most likely, some of the teeth are cracked, worn or broken on the handle.

After re-reading this and watching some videos online, I realized that this response is talking about the inside door handle, not the exterior handle. It's the exterior handle that is giving me problems.

I think I'm just going to have to replace it. Is it common to pop out the rivets and replace them with bolts when replacing the handle?

 

[kustomiser]

i have done it both ways just remember if you use bolts and nuts put some locktight in them so they dont come loose

 

[bobflood]

2) Power Door Locks - None of the switches work, won't lock or unlock. The keyless entry pad works, though. All fuses are good, so I'm guessing it's the relays in the black box that is pictured, but never referenced, in this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195398. I can't find any diagrams for that relay box to tell me which relays do what? I can get new relays, but I don't know which ones. I currently only have 4 relays in there, with multiple open slots. A little help would be great.

I just found this site 2 days ago, and I love it so far!

If the keyless entry pad works the power locks (both lock and unlock) then the relays are fine, as all the various switches activate the same relays. Best guess is either the door switches themselves are bad, or there are broken wires in the wire bundles between doors and frame.

Is there an unlock switch by the rear hatch (there is in my '97 four door)? If there is, does it work?

 

[avidmar1978]

If the keyless entry pad works the power locks (both lock and unlock) then the relays are fine, as all the various switches activate the same relays. Best guess is either the door switches themselves are bad, or there are broken wires in the wire bundles between doors and frame.

Is there an unlock switch by the rear hatch (there is in my '97 four door)? If there is, does it work?

There is a rear switch, and it doesn't work. There are three switches in total and none of them work. It seems unlikely that the wiring is bad on all of the switches. For what its worth, the power windows, seats, and mirrors all work.

Keypad will unlock, but not lock.


****EDIT****

Picture this as my relay box, where the | is a separator and the X is a plugged in relay:

| | |
X|X|X|X

The first row doesn't even hold relays, even though the slots are there. Ignore them.

In the second row, the following combinations seem to net the same result:

X| | |X

|X| |X

The door will unlock from the keypad, but not lock. No power door lock switches work.

I tried mixing and matching which relays I put in these slots, but I may not have tested all 4. I'll try some more experimenting tomorrow.

 

[FIND]

After re-reading this and watching some videos online, I realized that this response is talking about the inside door handle, not the exterior handle. It's the exterior handle that is giving me problems.

I think I'm just going to have to replace it. Is it common to pop out the rivets and replace them with bolts when replacing the handle?

I didn't realize you were talking about the exterior handle for whatever reason. Take off your inner door panel and watch the rod and everything else as you try and operate the handle. Generally, the handle isn't where you have trouble if it is the exterior handle. Good luck with it.

 

[avidmar1978]

I didn't realize you were talking about the exterior handle for whatever reason. Take off your inner door panel and watch the rod and everything else as you try and operate the handle. Generally, the handle isn't where you have trouble if it is the exterior handle. Good luck with it.

I've done that, though I couldn't see much. The spring on the back of the handle is gone, replaced with a zip tie, so there's no tension at all in the handle.

I need to see some diagrams to see how these are supposed to fit together, I just can't see well enough.

 

[bobflood]

There is a rear switch, and it doesn't work. There are three switches in total and none of them work. It seems unlikely that the wiring is bad on all of the switches. For what its worth, the power windows, seats, and mirrors all work.

Keypad will unlock, but not lock.


****EDIT****

Picture this as my relay box, where the | is a separator and the X is a plugged in relay:

| | |
X|X|X|X

The first row doesn't even hold relays, even though the slots are there. Ignore them.

In the second row, the following combinations seem to net the same result:

X| | |X

|X| |X

The door will unlock from the keypad, but not lock. No power door lock switches work.

I tried mixing and matching which relays I put in these slots, but I may not have tested all 4. I'll try some more experimenting tomorrow.

OK - I tend to agree that it is not likely to be switches if nothing but the keypad works, and that only to unlock. Hard to believe all of those switches would be bad. Easy to test, however - pull one of the door panels, unhook the switch connector, put a ground on the pink/yellow to test lock or the pink/lt green to test unlock function.

Where is the relay box in your Sport? In the four doors, it's on the left side of the cargo compartment forward of the access panel. There are three relays for the lock system - one locks all doors and the hatch, one unlocks only the driver's door, and one unlocks the other doors/hatch.

Another common issue for the four doors is at a splice in the floor panel next to the driver's side rear door. All the switch wires except the rear hatch switch run thru there - pink/yellow is lock and pink/lt green is unlock. Don't know if there is a similar weak point for the 2 doors.

The following is an excellent source of wiring diagrams:
Auto - Online Repair Info
http://search.ebscohost.com/
ID: rrcc
PW: rebsco
Select: Auto Repair Reference Center
Fill in: Find Your Vehicle
Follow prompts down to Wiring Diagrams.
Unfortunately, it won't show actual physical wiring paths, but it will show you how stuff works, wire colors, terminal numbers, etc.

Best of luck. Keep us updated on your progress and keep asking questions.

 

[avidmar1978]

OK - I tend to agree that it is not likely to be switches if nothing but the keypad works, and that only to unlock. Hard to believe all of those switches would be bad. Easy to test, however - pull one of the door panels, unhook the switch connector, put a ground on the pink/yellow to test lock or the pink/lt green to test unlock function.

Where is the relay box in your Sport? In the four doors, it's on the left side of the cargo compartment forward of the access panel. There are three relays for the lock system - one locks all doors and the hatch, one unlocks only the driver's door, and one unlocks the other doors/hatch.

Another common issue for the four doors is at a splice in the floor panel next to the driver's side rear door. All the switch wires except the rear hatch switch run thru there - pink/yellow is lock and pink/lt green is unlock. Don't know if there is a similar weak point for the 2 doors.

The following is an excellent source of wiring diagrams:
Auto - Online Repair Info
http://search.ebscohost.com/
ID: rrcc
PW: rebsco
Select: Auto Repair Reference Center
Fill in: Find Your Vehicle
Follow prompts down to Wiring Diagrams.
Unfortunately, it won't show actual physical wiring paths, but it will show you how stuff works, wire colors, terminal numbers, etc.

Best of luck. Keep us updated on your progress and keep asking questions.

I'm not sure I know what you mean by "ground the wire". I took the rear switch out and apart, located the wires, and touched a piece of metal to the connections in question and nothing happened.

I checked the 25A fuse (slot #18) and it is fine as well. This is getting frustrating.

***EDIT***

Ok, so I found this diagram of Aux Relay Box #4:

This diagram doesn't match the box I was messing with:

Are the relays you're talking about found in the relay box in the diagram or my photo?

If it's the diagram, where is this box? The one in the photo is in the jack compartment.

 

[avidmar1978]

I had another "fun" incident occur today as well. My coolant reservoir was empty, so I decided to add some coolant. I discovered that the reservoir was empty because it wasn't hooked up to anything, the coolant poured straight out onto the driveway. Where is this supposed to be hooked up?

Is this supposed to connect to the radiator overflow hose, pictured here:

This hose isn't nearly long enough to make it over there, though it's quite possible someone cut it.

 

[Tango51]

Not too smart on anything but first gens but welcome to the forums!

 

[Tango51]

Just went and looked at my reservoir. Yep, that where it goes...you got 36 minutes to get to Autozone...haha!

 

[bobflood]

I'm not sure I know what you mean by "ground the wire". I took the rear switch out and apart, located the wires, and touched a piece of metal to the connections in question and nothing happened.

I checked the 25A fuse (slot #18) and it is fine as well. This is getting frustrating.

Chasing electrical problems is tedious and frustrating. You have to understand the circuits, have some basic electrical circuit knowledge, and some basic test tools. If you don't have this level of knowledge and patience, better to have a professional do this.

If you still want to pursue this further: Look at the wiring plug for the rear lock switch. There should be three wires - pink w yellow stripe; pink w light green stripe; black. Pk/Y is "lock" on terminal 4; pk/lt grn is "unlock" on terminal 2, black is "ground" on terminal 3.
Test 1: Purchase an inexpensive digital multimeter; can find them around for $10-15. Set it to measure DC voltage on the range closest to 0-20 volts. See if you have about 12V between the lock wire and ground, then between the unlock wire and ground. If you do, the switch is bad; if you don't, then either the wiring or the relays are bad.
Test 2: You need to get/make a small jumper wire and connect the ground wire to the lock wire and see if the doors lock. Then do the same between the ground and the unlock wire. If they work - the switch is bad. If they don't work, the problem is in the wiring or relays.

Assuming that the switches are not bad, further troubleshooting is going to involve testing 1) relay operation and 2) wire continuity between various access points. For that you will need either a book, or an onsite friend who knows how to do this. Good luck and keep us appraised of your progress.

***EDIT***

Are the relays you're talking about found in the relay box in the diagram or my photo?

If it's the diagram, where is this box? The one in the photo is in the jack compartment.
I'm pretty sure that the relay box in your photo is the correct one. It is identified in the wiring diagram as Relay Box #2. By the way, all of those relays look like they have a yellow paint strip acrosss them; this says to me that they came from a salvage yard.

 

[avidmar1978]

I'm pretty sure that the relay box in your photo is the correct one. It is identified in the wiring diagram as Relay Box #2. By the way, all of those relays look like they have a yellow paint strip acrosss them; this says to me that they came from a salvage yard.

Late last night, I did see on the diagram that I should be looking in Relay Box #2. A forum post on fixya said that this relay box is behind the right headlamp, under the air filter box. I was going to take a look in there tonight.

A multimeter sounds like a good investment. I've got a basic understanding of circuits and switches, but have a ton to learn. You've been a great help thus far.

 

[avidmar1978]

One more annoyance that I didn't mention in the first post:

I was looking underneath at the spare tire area a few days ago and noticed a hole in the exhaust pipe, so I started looking for replacements. I was looking too urgently because it wasn't a large hole. Then, on Tuesday night, I decided to check the muffler (which is in good shape, by the way) and realized that I don't have a hole in the pipe, I have a 3 foot gap, and there is nothing attached to the back of the muffler. The tailpipe sticking out the back is just for show.

Picking up a replacement at O'Rielly's tonight for $45. Rock Auto wanted $26 to ship it!

I'll be picking up the replacement radiator hose tonight as well.

 

[bobflood]

Late last night, I did see on the diagram that I should be looking in Relay Box #2. A forum post on fixya said that this relay box is behind the right headlamp, under the air filter box. I was going to take a look in there tonight.

A multimeter sounds like a good investment. I've got a basic understanding of circuits and switches, but have a ton to learn. You've been a great help thus far.

I still think you already have the correct relay box. On my four door, the door lock relays are just forward of the jack panel opening on the driver's side of the cargo area. Multimeters are essential tools for electrical troubleshooting!!

 

[bobflood]

One more annoyance that I didn't mention in the first post:

I was looking underneath at the spare tire area a few days ago and noticed a hole in the exhaust pipe, so I started looking for replacements. I was looking too urgently because it wasn't a large hole. Then, on Tuesday night, I decided to check the muffler (which is in good shape, by the way) and realized that I don't have a hole in the pipe, I have a 3 foot gap, and there is nothing attached to the back of the muffler. The tailpipe sticking out the back is just for show.

Picking up a replacement at O'Rielly's tonight for $45. Rock Auto wanted $26 to ship it!

I'll be picking up the replacement radiator hose tonight as well.

Damn - wasn't it noisy??? Also, is the rear O2 sensor present just behind the catalytic converter, or was it in the missing pipe? Do you have the yellow/orange "Check Engine Light" (CEL) dashboard light on in this beast? If not, are you sure it lights up with the bulb test when you turn the key to on?
Are you in an emission testing state and, if so, has it passed?

Probably be a good idea to put small hose clamps on either end of the new oevrflow hose.

 

[avidmar1978]

Damn - wasn't it noisy??? Also, is the rear O2 sensor present just behind the catalytic converter, or was it in the missing pipe? Do you have the yellow/orange "Check Engine Light" (CEL) dashboard light on in this beast? If not, are you sure it lights up with the bulb test when you turn the key to on?
Are you in an emission testing state and, if so, has it passed?

Probably be a good idea to put small hose clamps on either end of the new oevrflow hose.

I think you're the 4th person to ask me that! It doesn't seem noisy, but I'm sure once I fix it I'll realize just how loud it was. I turned the radio off and closed all the windows and really listened; it's a bit noisy when going up hill, but still very quiet on straight aways.

According to the diagrams, the catalytic converter is in front of the muffler, and everything running into the muffler looks good as far as I can see. I haven't had any CEL appear on me yet. The fuel gauge and airbag lights are both working, but I'll make sure it lights up in the "on" position today - I'm pretty sure it does.