Hello,
I'm having the same problem with my girlfriend's 96 Explorer. I can lock it with the switch, the door keypad, or the fob and I still get the same result. After I have locked it, it unlocks itself within two minutes. It's just as if I've hit the unlock key twice, unlocking all of the doors.

I have removed the batteries from the fob and ruled it out as the culprit, as well as taking it to a remote location where no one else could possibly have a transmitter on a similar frequency- same *****. The only odd thing that has happened in the last few days is that the Check Engine light was on three days ago for about an hour, then it went off on its own.

This thing is possessed. It really worries me, though, because we live in Manhattan and now I have to take EVERYTHING out of it every time I stop somewhere or park it for the night.

Any thoughts anyone has would be very, very helpful.

Thanks in advance, and have a great holiday.

 

I think the radio receiver for the keyless remote is in the back of the vehicle were the jack is stored and other relays. You might unplug it and see if it does the same thing. If it stops, the receiver might be bad or something is overpowering it. If it still happens, then one of your unlock switches might have a short. You could also unplug the door switches and see if the problem continues. That should help you isolate the switches. If it still continues with the remote and door switches unplugged, then check for shorts within the rubber boot between the door and the jam.

 

It seems to have stopped today. I found the lock switch inside the rear gate and flipped it back and forth a bunch of times, then unlocked and re-locked the doors with the keypad. I left for ten hours and when I got back, it was still locked.

This could possibly be from the thorough cleaning that I had my detail guys give it on sunday morning. They always spray down the doors with surface cleaner and then wipe it all down. I know four Mexicans who aren't getting a Christmas present!

I'm still going to check out the receiver and related connections now that I know where to locate them.

I appreciate the time you took to write me back, have a great holiday.

 

I am having a slightly different problem with the door locks on my 94 Explorer. When I press the lock or unlock switch on either the driver or passenger door the horn honks and nothing happens with the locks. When I disconnect the connector under the hood that carries the power lock circuit the horn honks again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

This '96 is back at it again. It seems to be something having to do with the lockswitch in the rear gate, I've removed it. How do I test it? Does anyone know of a link I can hit to find out how it's put together before I crack it open to clean it? Last time I did this with the window switches from my '82 RX-7 I spent three hours looking for a spring the size of a pin. As for the guy with the '94, you got me, dude. Possibly have the relay replaced or checked. If there is another one of the same exact part number in that relay box, switch them and see if the locks work and another part of the vehicle doesn't. That may narrow it down for you.

merry christmas everyone, for what it's worth.

 

Shortly after I posted my queries last year, I parked the explorer at my girlfriend's parents place until spring.
The issue fell from my mind, as life here in NYC is a tad busy.

Three weeks ago, I picked the truck up again. I had it serviced and checked out, no issues.

Last week, it got really cold. The doors started unlocking.
They only do it when the temp is below 30 degrees.

Has anyone thought about the fact that the little pieces of metal in the switches will react to extreme temperatures by expanding and contracting?

Normally, those little things are two different metals, one reacting to temps at a different time than the other. So if it gets cold, the actuator could "curl" and complete the circuit to lock or unlock the doors.

It doesn't happen when I park the truck in the sun or when I've had it running for a while...

I'm going to remove the switches tomorrow. Then I'll hook up my meter to the leads on the switch that would be 0 ohms resistance when unlocking and throw the whole mess into the freezer....

Then I'll wait for a beep.

Can anyone suggest anything different?

I live in NYC, it's kind of important to have the doors locked here, so if anyone has solved this problem, please let me know.


Thanks,

Tyler

 

How about putting the relay(s) in the freezer? Seems like that might be more affected by cold than the switches.

 

Why not pull the fuse for the power locks until it's fixed. At least you'll be able to lock, and leave it.

 

Well, I am going to try the relay(s) if the switches turn out not to be the problem. If I pull the fuse, there will be one huge problem.

My girlfriend is blonde.
Sometimes she leaves the car running.

If I were to tell her she has to manually lock the doors and use the key to lock it when she gets out, she'll ask: "How? Why can't you just make it work?"

Last week she washed the bathroom rugs and put them back on the floor wet. Explanation: The dryers in our building were in use and she wanted to get a shower.

See what I'm dealing with?

 

I replaced my bcm and thought the problem was gone...
last week it started again.
Two days ago, I found the REAL ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.

Last summer, my girlfriend left the extra key with its fob in the pouch on the back of the driver's seat just in case she lost the keys.
There was all kind of debris in there that could have been holding the buttons down...

dammit...

 

Glad you found the problem. Now all you need is a new girl friend!!!

 

There are more hauntings here than in the Haunted House and Disneyland.

During Hurricane Charley (yeah, that was awhile ago), my neighbor was kind enough to leave my passenger side door open while she ran over to return a DVD at Blockbuster. Being a hurrucane it wasn't raining cats and dogs, but horses and cows, and since she was kind enough to leave my door open, it got soaked. The next day, the door locks started unlocking themselves constantly, and finally I had to pull the fuse.

switches: taken apart and cleaned; still goes nuts with them unplugged.
actuator: taken apart and cleaned; still goes nuts with it unplugged.
FOB: out of range, in the bottom of a drawer for the past two years.

Now, there's this module thing above the left rear wheel. Ford says it's the GEM module and wants to both charge me $90 to check see what codes are being thrown as well as charge me $176 for a new GEM. Out in the real world, all the posts in the archives here indicate that the GEM is way, way, way up front, and that this gizmo that is in the back has something to do with the FOB, which makes more sense to me.

1) What is this thing called that I found by the left rear tire?
2) With everything plugged in and going nuts, will this throw codes that Autozone or Napa or whoever can see with their little checker?
3) Recommendations on what to do next?

Glen