Puddle Light Issue.

[JayHeath123]

So I just replaced the bulbs on my puddle lights because one was dimmer than the other. When I had the bulb out I noticed the horn would only honk once when I locked the doors, with the bulb in it will Honk twice. With the new bulb in it is still dim and the horn honks twice again. The lights seem to stay on a long time when I exit the truck. I read somewhere it could be a bad relay. Also my information(miles, mpg trip, etc) doesn't illuminate well during the day, could this all be related?

 

[FordFool2]

I suspect a broken wire in the driver's side door jamb. There are several posts on how to locate and fix.

 

[BigRondo]

I suspect a broken wire in the driver's side door jamb. There are several posts on how to locate and fix.

I agree with the broken wire.

 

[BigRondo]

So I just replaced the bulbs on my puddle lights because one was dimmer than the other. When I had the bulb out I noticed the horn would only honk once when I locked the doors, with the bulb in it will Honk twice. With the new bulb in it is still dim and the horn honks twice again. The lights seem to stay on a long time when I exit the truck. I read somewhere it could be a bad relay. Also my information(miles, mpg trip, etc) doesn't illuminate well during the day, could this all be related?

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

Unfortunately the pictures are no longer available in the above thread. IIRC, I believe I unwrapped the wires enough to gain access. When I have gone searching in there I had an idea of what wire I was looking for. I located the the wire I was looking for and gently tugged on that wire on the door side. The wire was pulled toward me and out of the harness. I then went inside the vehicle and gently tugged on the the wire I was looking for and was able to pull it inside the vehicle. I then spliced a length of wire to the 2 ends, completing the circuit. I then gently pulled the excess into the door.

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.

Good luck getting it sorted.

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