interior lights and door ajar

[Guest]

I have a 2000 Expedition that recently has been acting possesed. I live in Florida and recently cold weather has hit us. My SUV's Door Ajar indicator now always stays on and the interior lights (and running borad lights) stay on when the SUV is off.

I have noticed that if I open and close the rear hatch window that it goes off...or if I sometimes bump the rear wiper.

Has anyone experienced this with their expedition? If so, do you have any insights as to what may be wrong..and a remedy?

thx

 

[rwinch]

I have read many posts where people simply spray the switches with WD40 or some other lubricant to keep the door/lift gate switches from sticking.

 

[Guest]

Thx for the reply. When you refer to 'switches' what are you referring to? Do you mean the actual clasp/locking piece in the door/hatch? or something else

thx

 

[monsta]

The light switches are part of the latching mechanism. Spray the inside of the latch liberally with WD-40. Sometimes they get gummed up and do not work as designed.

 

[PaulC]

You're describing the correct part, Mellebie. Then open and close the doors several times to work the WD-40 in. This happens to all Expy's sooner or later. The drop in temperature has solidified the oily gunk that is present and that is what is making the switch stick.

 

[Guest]

flinstones

thx...will give it a spraying this evening and see how it responds thru the night

 

[Guest]

flinstones

I must say that my ownership of the 2000 Expedition Eddie Bauer has not been a pleasant one. I have had to have the transmission replaced, the moon roof replaced, 2 altinator jobs and now this Door Ajar issue (all in only 3 years).

I will most likely not get another one. Has anyone else had a chain of problems with their Expedition?

 

[PaulC]

Like any vehicle, the quality of ownership experience can vary widely from example-to-example. My 1999 Expedition has nearly 70,000 miles and has not been afflicted with any of the problems you have experienced. If the diagnosis indicated above is correct, the door ajar issue is trivial and falls more under maintenance than repair. Two alternator failures in four years is surprising. I suspect that the first replacement alternator may have been "rebuilt" to an indifferent standard. I hope that the transmission was replaced under warranty.

Even the vaunted Toyotas blow up on occasion.

 

[Guest]

We all got the WD40 part right however, I expect that the metal latches act as part of the the circuit.
The resistance increases enough as the metal drys out and when a latch dries out enough, it acts as an "open" circuit, like a light bulb with no filament.

Spray it and the resistances drops allowing electron flow.

We always keep a small can of wd40 in our center console.

 

[Guest]

THANKS FOR ALL TIPS - This is an oustanding forum.