Battery Drain/Door Adjar Message

[khpony]

We're experiencing a battery drain on our 03EB. Battery is 9 mos old. Since we have a door lock problem hense the message "door adjar" is it possible this is draining the battery?

 

[Bedrck47]

with all the doors closed and key out and engine off you will need to find out what kind of amp draw you have at the battery This will require you to hook up a amp meter in the neg battery lead Once we know the amp draw it will be a matter of pulling fuses to determine which circuit/s are causing the excessive amp draw

How well can you read and understand electrical prints??

Do you have your owners manual which will show you the location of the fuses etc.??

 

[khpony]

I was an electrician in the navy 40 years ago. Electrical isn't a problem. I planned on doing that but before doing so was just curious if the door adjar situation could cause a parasitic drain on the battery.

 

[stamp11127]

Yes it will. Are there any other lights on along with the "door is a jar" light?

 

[Hamfisted]

We're experiencing a battery drain on our 03EB. Battery is 9 mos old. Since we have a door lock problem hence the message "door ajar" is it possible this is draining the battery?

Are you the original owner? How long has this problem been going on? With all the doors closed, does the radio turn off as soon as you turn off the key? It should remain on for ten minutes or until someone opens one of the doors. Are the dome lights stuck on ? It's most likely the driver's door ajar switch located in the door lock for that door. It's a fairly common failure item. It's just a button switch mounted in the mechanical door latch. Fairly easy to replace. I posted some pics in another thread. If it was the rear liftgate you would get a "Liftgate Ajar" message. You basically have to remove the interior door panel, the exterior door handle, and the three torx screws that retain the latch in the door, to be able to move and rotate the latch so you can access the switch. The door lock problem is probably related to the switch also.



-Mike



This is the driver's door switch....




This is actually the bottom of the door latch, where the switch mounts.... quarter turn to release the switch....

 

[khpony]

Stamp11127 thanks that's what I wanted to know. Yes if I don't turn off the dash light dimmer switch the puddle lights stay on. I've got to decide if I want to dig into all this or take it to the dealership.

 

[khpony]

Hamfisted thanks for the pics. I've got to decide if I want to dig into this.

 

[Bedrck47]

I would first attempt to make the repairs or do a little troubleshooting before you decide to take it to the dealer and get a big run around and a costly repair bill.

I also was an EM in the navy and I must admit I am not all that crazy about automotive electrical.

Both Stamp11127 and I have a complete set of prints if you need any.

First though it would be nice to know your amp draw and then we can recommend some fuses for you to pull to see how it effects the load.

 

[khpony]

Roxy1225 thanks. I'll start troubleshooting it the next several days. Just finished cutting splitting and stacking 6 chords firewood for winter. This old body needs to rest a coup!e of days. I'll post findings when I get them.
Thanks!

 

[Bedrck47]

totally understand

 

[khpony]

Hamfisted yes the interior lights stay on when I open/close the door. The radio goes off when I open my door. I'll go ahead and order the door switch. If I'm going to go to the trouble to remove the door panel and handle I prefer to have the switch in hand. I'll be sure to post my results.
Thanks!!

 

[AskMeLater]

Hey khpony,

I'm sure you've already considered it, but you may want to make sure which door switch is malfunctioning before you order the part. There is a different part number for the left side and right side.

When I had to change mine out, I started with the most likely to fail, which seems to be the driver front, but it turned out to be the passenger front door which was bad. You can unplug the switch and jump it out with a paper clip. If the door ajar light goes out, then you know that's your failed switch. (In my case, when I tried to remove the switch on the passenger front, it fell apart in my hand)

 

[khpony]

Thanks but for $22 I figured I'd take a chance on the drivers door. Especially since the Expy has 117K on the clock and the drivers seat is the only one showing any wear.

 

[AskMeLater]

Thanks but for $22 I figured I'd take a chance on the drivers door. Especially since the Expy has 117K on the clock and the drivers seat is the only one showing any wear.

Good deal, khpony. Keep us updated. I know that door ajar light is a pain when you can't turn it off!

 

[khpony]

Well I put a new switch in the drivers door and that didn't cure it. I then jumpered the switch in the pass front door and no change. As of now I have jumper wires in borh rear doors and still no change although the switch for the pass rear door was in pieces. I waited a good minute or more for the interior lights to go out but they didn't. Does anyone have any ideas. Yes I'm just getting the "door ajar message" not the liftgate message.

 

[khpony]

Also the inetrior lights stay on all the time if the dash lights are on. Go figure. This is about to wear me out since this is the wifes vehicle.

 

[stamp11127]

The wiring diagram shows the switch in a closed position which we will assume is normal for when the doors are closed. If you still have the door panels off I would check the door switch & grounds for each door.

If that proves out then I would do the same check with the doors at the vehicle security module. See print 117-4. Let me know if you need it.

 

[Hamfisted]

Since you found the rear door switch in pieces I would be suspect of that one. Might as well go ahead and replace all the door latch switches since you seem to have a handle on it. Those are what trigger the "door ajar" message and the interior lights, etc....


-Mike

 

[khpony]

as of right now there's a new switch in the drivers door. i have a jumper wire in the pass/rear door (ordered a new switch today) and the other 2 doors have checked out with a jumper wire and they checked out with a vom. Also i now have a condition where the radio now goes off as soon as I shut the key off. this just started today. I have a dvm from HF but it's over 10 years old and I can't seem to get a read on current draw. I tried it with the neg disconnected and the dvm in that circuit. Am I missing something. Have a 1700mi trip coming up in about 4 weeks for a new grandson so I need to get this taken care of. Any additional advice Hamfisted will be greatly appreciated. I can follow directions pretty good.
TIA

 

[stamp11127]

When you check current draw the meter is in series with the battery. Most meters are limited to 10amp current so be carefull.

Make sure that the HF meter will read current draw - should have a range something like 10A.

Resistance is checked with no power on the circuit and uses the Ω symbol in the range selection.

How did you verify the door switches?