No power (or ground?) To driver's door

Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,600 MILES
I left my truck outside at the airport all last week and when I came back, nothing electrical in the driver's door worked. I had to unlock it with the key although two clicks on the remote unlocked the other doors. The power mirrors, windows, locks, seat heaters and dome light were inoperative from the driver's door. About 10 minutes into the drive home, I noticed it all started working again (door switch illumination came on). I stopped for dinner and came out 45 minutes later to find nothing worked again. Three days later, still nothing works. I don't have a wiring schematic to see where the ground is located, or if these accessories run through a multiplexer, or know where to begin. Any help would be appreciated.
Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 2:14 PM

24 Replies

Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Welcome to the forum. There should be a left door circuit breaker in the lt i/p fuse box, use testlite, one of those legs should be hot all the time.
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 2:35 PM
Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
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  • 20 POSTS
I read 12 volts at the breaker and less than 1 ohm through the breaker, so I have power and the breaker should be good.
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 2:49 PM
Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Orange wire from that circuit breaker carries voltage to the driver door module, inside the door. On some makes and models, I have accessed the wiring at the front side of door, where the wiring harness goes in. Maybe you can access the circuits on the backside of window switch?
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 4:00 PM
Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
  • MEMBER
  • 20 POSTS
I'll pull the door panel and check voltage inside. I'll let you know what I come up with.
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 5:02 PM
Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
  • MEMBER
  • 20 POSTS
I pulled the door panel. There are 3 orange wires that come into the door. I am assuming the main power is the thicker of the three - 14 ga. Maybe. It is in a 4 socket connector (blue, orange, brown and black). The orange is 12.5 v and black is ground. I don't know what brown and blue are.
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Monday, September 28th, 2009 AT 5:44 PM
Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Brown is up voltage and blue is down voltage for the window motor. I may have that backwards, but, when brown is voltage blue is ground, when blue is voltage brown is ground, because it is a reversing motor for up and down.
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 AT 11:00 AM
Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
  • MEMBER
  • 20 POSTS
Makes sense. Is there a multiplexer or control module for everything in the door? I have power to the switch, but nothing works - mirror, seat heat, switch illumination, windows, power locks, door light or dome light when door is open. The other windows open from their respective doors, power locks work on other 3 doors from the fob and dome lights work from the other 3 doors too.
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 AT 11:07 AM
Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
There is the driver door module that goes out in these cars, here is a full wiring diagrams for the door module and locks.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Check out the diagrams (Below)

Please let us know what you find.

Cheers
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 AT 11:57 AM
Tiny
SAMBAL BADJAK
  • MEMBER
  • 20 POSTS
Yep I replaced the drivers door module and it fixed the problem you guys are great!
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Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 AT 1:45 PM
Tiny
GREGLANE
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I have a similar problem on my 2003 Silverado. However, my dome light stays on and the Driver Door Ajar message is displayed. I'm guessing it is a broken power wire. Any confirmations? Makes s sense to me that power has to go through the door switch and back to the inside of the cab. Where exactly is the door switch? Tomorrow, I will use a meter and check for power in the door.
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Friday, March 9th, 2018 AT 5:30 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 54,137 POSTS
Hello,

It is the driver side do0r latch which is on. The micro switch inside the latch has gone bad, here is a guide to help you get the door latch changed out.

You will need to remove the door panel this should give you an idea of what you are in for.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/door-panel-removal

Please let us know what you find.

Cheers, Ken
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Monday, March 12th, 2018 AT 12:42 PM
Tiny
SHANNA HORNER
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I'm also having these problems. I will say, if I completely open the driver door, everything works, but as soon as. I start to close it, I lose all power.
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Monday, March 9th, 2020 AT 5:36 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
This is typical when a wiring harness gets pinched or grounded. So when you remove everything, it works because the wiring issue is no longer touching the grounding location like a bolt, nut, or other piece of metal.

I would suggest removing it again and checking the wiring as far as you can see it. If you don't find any wiring issues then you may have to remove the wiring to inspect it.
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 AT 7:24 AM
Tiny
ALEX BUCHINGER
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I just replaced my door hinge pins and now I don't have any power to my drivers door. Power came back for a brief moment and haven't come back, it doesn't matter of the door is open or closed. I'm not sure if the harness went bad for who knows why.
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Saturday, June 20th, 2020 AT 5:37 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
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Okay. Let's do one of two things. First either let me know the year, make, model, engine of your vehicle or just get a new post started of your own.

I suspect you have a short in the wiring harness and have now blown a fuse but we need to get the vehicle specifics in order to track this down.

Let us know and we can go from there. Thanks

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new
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Sunday, June 21st, 2020 AT 7:27 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
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ALEX, is your problem on the same truck? If so we will continue on this thread.
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Monday, June 22nd, 2020 AT 10:25 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Thanks Ken. I just re-read my post and that is what I meant but what I said didn’t communicate that.

Thanks for clarifying it. Sorry for the confusion Alex.
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Monday, June 22nd, 2020 AT 10:30 AM
Tiny
MCOLA77
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado and I hooked up one of the LED light strips under the tailgate blinker, brake and reverse in one. I went to turn on everything and my blinker was on like the flashers then hit the brakes the right brake light doesn't come on that's on auto. Turn the light on manually right blinker doesn't work same with no right brake light turn everything off but turn your ignition to on I have no brake lights, but I have blinkers. Now getting to my driver's door has no power, but I can operate the passenger door from the driver's. Now the PDM fuse is in the same fuse block as the brake, and the blinkers and it keeps blowing the fuses put in instantly. Did I fry that whole fuse block under the dash?
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Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 AT 12:31 AM
Tiny
MCOLA77
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I took that LED light strip out and didn't change a thing either.
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Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 AT 6:39 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
You definitely have a short and based on the fact that all you did was install this LED strip then I suspect that is the case.

In fact, you have a flasher module within the left IP fuse box that is most likely the issue.

Basically, we need to remove the fuse and test for a short.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

I am attaching the wiring diagram that will show this the detail needed.

Let's run through this and confirm where the short is and we can go from there.

Another way to eliminate everything but the fuse block is to just disconnect the connectors and check for the short to ground.

Let me know if you have questions on this.

Thanks
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Wednesday, December 29th, 2021 AT 1:14 PM

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