Weird door ajar issue

[cgb1776]

I searched the forums and didn't find any threads that match this issue (forgive me if I missed one).

I just bought an 03 Explorer XLT 4x4 for my daugther. One issue it had was the door ajar light staying on. I figured "that's an easy fix" and didn't think any more about it until today. Here are the symptoms..

Get in the explorer, close the door and turn key to run (whether I start it or not doesn't matter) the door ajar light stays on as well as the courtesy light. Opening and closing the door has no effect. If I turn the dimmer switch to OFF the courtesy light AND the door ajar light go out. If I now turn the dimmer to a normal setting everything stays off until the door is opened again. The strange thing is, with the door closed and in run position, if I shut the dimmer switch to OFF the lights go off (as before) and if I turn dimmer to normal setting ; everything is "ok". But, if I turn the dimmer to ON then both the courtesy light AND door ajar light come on.

I have replaced the door switch (it was bad -- actually, plunger just stuck, but I replaced it anyway). I put an ohm meter on the switch contacts and manually latch/unlatch the door mechanism and it works (switch closed when latch (door) closed, switch open when latch open.

Anyone have any suggestions on this?

 

[BigRondo]

Welcome aboard!!

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.

Hope this helps out. 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!

 

[cgb1776]

Thanks for the info! I will check out the wiring tomorrow.
BTW, there were no pics on the thread. It would have been nice to see what the author was describing, but I get the gist of it.

 

[BigRondo]

You're welcome. It's too bad the pics aren't there any more. Next time I have to dig in and repair a wire I will do a write up.

 

[cgb1776]

Sure enough, a broken black wire!
Took a bit of time to get enough access to solder a splice of wire and heat shrink tubing, but all is good now. Thanks!!

 

[BigRondo]

Sure enough, a broken black wire!
Took a bit of time to get enough access to solder a splice of wire and heat shrink tubing, but all is good now. Thanks!!

Nice job on the fix! :biggthump