Dome light won't come on when I open the door. Radio stays on after I turn key off and open the door.

Vincent Vega · Mar 11, 2023

Guys
I am Having weird dome light and radio issues. As you know the dome light is supposed to come on when you open a door. The radio is supposed to shut off after you turn the key off, and then open the door.
A) The dome light will not come on when I open the door.
B) The dome light will work when I use the switch on the dash that also controls the dim of the dash lighting (next to the headlight switch).
C) The dome light will come on when I fiddle with the driver-door latch. I have tried lubricating the latch, but it hasnt helped.
D) The radio stays on after I have been driving, come to a stop, turn the key to the off position, and open the door. It eventually shuts off after a few minutes.
E) The door ajar alarm is not dinging.
So far I have tried blowing with compressed air, and lubricating with silica lube and then I tried WD 40.
Thanks for any direction.

Vincent Vega · Mar 11, 2023

I removed the inside door panel of the driver door, removed the door latch mechanism. At first I thought I would just clean and lube the latch but I decided to replace the door switch. It was my first time in there so it wasn't easy disconnecting the levers from the latch mechanism, so I knew I didn't want to go through that again. I tried to get Motorcraft but none of the dealerships had them in stock and I needed to get it done today, so I broke the golden rule and got a Duralast from Autozone.

Hamfisted · Mar 11, 2023

Did that fix all the issues ? Hopefully it did.

.

whtbronco · Mar 11, 2023

Did that resolve the door sensor issue?

Vincent Vega · Mar 12, 2023

@whtbronco @Hamfisted Yes it is fixed. That was my first time messing with latches or door switches. Hardest part was taking apart the linkages without destroying anything, and getting it back together the right way. The door switch bench-tested ok, but the button/plunger on top had alot of wear. I couldn't be sure it was serviceable so I replaced it. Also I cleaned the latch assembly with air, WD40, and wiping. The latch has alot of nooks and crannies, not sure if there is a better way to clean it. Brake or carb cleaner might be too aggressive, esp because some of the plastic components. Then I and greased it.
This problem threw me off a little because the classic symptom seems to be a persistent Door Ajar alarm and dome light staying on even when the door is shut, caused by a bad door switch. My symptom was the opposite. Not sure if it was caused by my latch assembly being too dirty/sticky to work right, or the switch plunger was worn out.
Let me know if you have any thoughts. Thanks guys for checking in and good to hear from you.

whtbronco · Mar 12, 2023

Well no matter the cause it's clear that the switch was done. Glad to hear you got it replaced and successfully repaired.

It's so satisfying to repair an issue with a part you've never worked on before.

Ellison Brown III · Mar 17, 2023

Cool. You got it figured out. Was gonna tell you I had a coworker with an F-150 that had the same issue. I went out to the parking lot and showed him the issue. Disconnected the switch so his vehicle wouldn’t continue to drain the battery. He got it fixed under warranty.

Dome light won't come on when I open the door. Radio stays on after I turn key off and open the door.

Vincent Vega

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