Little problems

[jmmgausa]

Hi Ya'll,

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer XLS. I purchased this car and paid it off from a buy here pay here lot. This truck has issues, of course, since it is now paid off. I think the timing chain is going but I also have a lot of other little issues. My door ajar light is on, no windows, mirrors or door locks work, except the door lock on the passenger side. I tried the WD40 trick and it didn't work. Last night, the passenger side headlight went out so I bought another one and replaced it. It still doesn't work and now the dash lights don't work either. I saved the old bulb. I was advised by the part man at Advanced to take it in to the dealer just to see if there are any recalls or anything. I abhor the idea of a dealership repair but I think I may have too much going on to ask someone regular to find all these bugs. What do ya'll think? I am not mechanically inclined, just a gal who watched her dad do a lot of different repairs. It is driving me crazy!

I was trying to search threads and such and just wanted to get my problems with this truck out there! Any advice and direction from ya'll would be great

 

[BigRondo]

Hi Ya'll,

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer XLS. I purchased this car and paid it off from a buy here pay here lot. This truck has issues, of course, since it is now paid off. I think the timing chain is going but I also have a lot of other little issues. My door ajar light is on, no windows, mirrors or door locks work, except the door lock on the passenger side. I tried the WD40 trick and it didn't work. Last night, the passenger side headlight went out so I bought another one and replaced it. It still doesn't work and now the dash lights don't work either. I saved the old bulb. I was advised by the part man at Advanced to take it in to the dealer just to see if there are any recalls or anything. I abhor the idea of a dealership repair but I think I may have too much going on to ask someone regular to find all these bugs. What do ya'll think? I am not mechanically inclined, just a gal who watched her dad do a lot of different repairs. It is driving me crazy!

I was trying to search threads and such and just wanted to get my problems with this truck out there! Any advice and direction from ya'll would be great

Welcome aboard!!

As far as the windows, mirrors, & door locks: you most likely have broken/damaged wire(s) in the accordion boot between the body and the driver door. I recommend checking that out:

I had similar electrical issues with my '02 XLT. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the alarm would beep twice when I armed it. Recently all 4 windows stopped working. Most recently the driver door lock actuator stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 3 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ. I had to repair the pink/black wire to fix the driver door lock actuator.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

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Could also be related to the door ajar switch.

Here is a great thread for checking/replacing the door ajar switch, thanks to borland for the awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249253

As far as the headlight goes: have you checked the fuses? There is a separate fuse for each headlight. The fuse information can be found in the owner's manual. If you don't have an owner's manual, Dead Link Removed.

I recommend checking all fuses in the fuse panel under the dash & in the power distribution box under the hood.

Good luck getting it sorted. :biggthump

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

 

[jmmgausa]

Thanks BigRondo, I have actually looked at both of those links and I thank you for your advice . I will keep you posted.

 

[dmwattes24]

Im going to guess you dont have mice eating your wires, and im gonna guess the yard gnomes arent screwing with your wiring at night. Im not a huge electronics guy but i agree, it sounds like its wiring problems (the only way to check they are all ok is to fallow them all back to the fuse box.) check your fuses to id pull all of them and check every one. also get a wire tester and check and see if your getting power to your door switches if not its fuse or wire from fuse, if its getting power then your switch needs replaced. Ive had to do that before, not a complicated fix.
again im not a huge wire guy tho.

 

[BigRondo]

Thanks BigRondo, I have actually looked at both of those links and I thank you for your advice . I will keep you posted.

You're welcome. Let me know if there is anything else you need.