Door ajar light won't go off?

Tiny
T-BIRDMAN
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  • FORD THUNDERBIRD
I drive a 1996 ford thunderbird. The"door ajar" light came on and I cannot find out why! I pulled both door light switches and both seem to be working alright. When I shut the door the dome light goes off but the"door ajar" light stays on. I, for the life of me, am baffled! The only thing that I noticed is that the dome light switch on the drivers door has 3 wiresgoing into the connector for the dome light switch and the passenger dome light switch has only 2 wires going to it. They are the same connectors on both switches but one has 3 wires and the other only two! I don't know if that even matters or not.I thought that maybe 1 of the wires somehow pulled loose from the connector. Both switches still turn off the dome light though! What could the problem possibly be? Thanks! T-birdman in Phoenix
Friday, September 15th, 2006 AT 9:35 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
NOS
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Take a good penetrating fluid and wash out your door locks down where the jaws open wash that area real good open and close you doors a few times and do it again. The buttons only control the dome light. Not the door ajar light it is built into the door lock itself the part that closes on the pin is the area you'll want to wash real good.(NOS) 8)
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Thursday, September 21st, 2006 AT 6:18 PM
Tiny
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Thanks for the advice. I thought no one would ever answer this question. I've tried your suggestion and have had no luck! Except now I think the actuator that raises the door lock is going out! Possibly because of flooding that area with a penetrant. I did notice how mucked up those locks were, but the light is still on! Should I just pull the wire for the switch? Or just take out the door ajar light bulb?
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Thursday, September 21st, 2006 AT 11:44 PM
Tiny
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The penatrating shouldn't make the doorlock go out unless the was a problem with it in the first place it is in a seperate place below the lock mech. You reall need to figure out which door is doing it. It is a little micro switch which is built into the latch and when you close the door it makes contact and breaks the ground and the light goes out. The door lock has a rubber shield over it so rain and dirt can't get down in it that is why I said what I said about it. Another thing to try is with the door open and do this with each door close the jaws all the way like it does when you close the door and see if the light goes out. If it does then that means when your closeing the door on the pin the door is not closeing all the way and you need to move the pin towards you just a little ok. And it is very possible that the switch is bad but try this stuff first before unpluging it some cars won't start without the hooke up because the computer thinks the door is open (NOS) 8)
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Friday, September 22nd, 2006 AT 7:58 PM
Tiny
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Once again I thank you for your excellent advice! There was nothing wrong with that actuator before I started poking around. I see the rain shield around the actuator but it is kind of tore up. The actuator still moves down to lock the door when I push the "lock" button, but won't go back up. Sounds like it's just slipping. I think the wd-40 just wasted it. There was a lot. It poured out the seam at the bottom of the door! Anyway, why is that actuator riveted to the door like that? I will have to cut it off if I want to remove the actuator! I can't see a freakin thing inside that door! I see a single wire connected at top of latch mechanism. Is this the switch?
I'll try the things with the jaws on the doors and let you know! I shouldn't have to move the door post, everything was fine then the stupid light just came on. The doors always worked just fine! Thanks for being cool!
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Friday, September 22nd, 2006 AT 11:19 PM
Tiny
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When you replace the acuator you just cut the rivets off or knock the center pin out with a punch and drill the rivet out and replace them with small bolts when you replace it. And it is possible that the wd did do that but if all was intact it would not have. That is how all come from the factory. Yes that is the wire it breaks the ground when you close the door. Sorry about the acuator. One of thoes switch is not closeing when door shuts or that wire is touching ground some where. The WD40 was the first attack. They work in the same way your door jamb switches work to turn the dome light on only they have power to them when you open the door the switch pin grounds and the light comes on. In this case the bulb has power to it and when a door is open it grounds in the latch mech and turns the door ajar light on. I know it is hard to look in there. If you have a wall mart around for a low price of about 19 bucks they have excellent florcent trouble light that will go in the door to help you see in there a lot of times I also use a mirror you just have to rmrember that everything is in reverse(NOS)
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Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 AT 1:40 PM
Tiny
T-BIRDMAN
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Hey! Thanks so much! You were right on the money! I finally got in there and removed everything. Latch assembly, door lock, all the rods for the door handle and everything! Got the actuator out. It seems just shot! I just thought it was wierd that it went out at the same time I was trying to free up the door ajar light switch. Found that too! There are actually two switches on that latch assembly. One for the door ajar light switch, and one for the outside handle. When you lift up on the handle it turns on the courtesy lights. Even if the door is locked. I hated that anyway. That the light would come on if you lift up on the handle. So I yanked both of them. Everything is ok now except I have to get an actuator and I have to manually lock the passenger door until I get do! Thanks once again!
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Monday, September 25th, 2006 AT 8:17 PM
Tiny
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If you would leave a post for Bob and Ken thanking them for this site. Or leave a donation to the to help keep this site open for the future thx. (NOS) 8)
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Tuesday, September 26th, 2006 AT 7:13 PM

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