On my 91 XL Extended, the Door Ajar light stays lit in the dash at all times. I know it is not the switches for the front doors, so where is the switch / sensor for the rear hatch and the side door? I figure it's gotta be one of these...

When looking in the FSM, it APPEARS that the side door swicth is a part of the latch assmbly mounted at the rear of the door, and on this van, that assembly shows a lot of dirt, and surface rust.

In either case, how hard is it to replace either or both of these? This is an issue we'd like to fix, since we have three kids, and we need the peace of mind knowing for certain all the doors are closed securely...

 

On my 90 Aero the contacts at the front of the door and on the front pilar get dirty the door ajar light comes on. I just clean them with alcohol and it's good to go.

 

For the sliding door the switch is a black dot just to the right of the courtesy light on the frame of the vehicle.

As for the rear hatch I think its integrated with the latch if you push the latch mechanism until it clicks the light should go off if its working.

 

On my 90 the light goes on and off. Towards the front of the van is the catch for the latch. I've noticed that it is bent alittle. Not sure if that would have anything to do with it or not. It slides open and shut just fine.

 

I would try cleaning first before replacing. It is a common problem on Fords to have that annoying adjar light on when the contacts get a little dirty. If that does not work then replace.

 

On my 1993 XLT, 1 of the metal tabs on the contacts for the sliding door had broken off. Very easy to replace once I noticed the problem.

 

The door ajar/interior light switch for the hatch is indeed built into the latch. The switch plunger rides one of the latch plates that wrap around the post at the bottom of the hatch opening. You cannot see the switch until the latch is removed from the hatch. You need to remove the inner trim panel from the hatch to access the rods that actuate the latch. There are three screws that hold the latch to the bottom edge of the hatch.

Once you pull the latch out you will see the switch. The plunger gets gummed up with dried-out lube and dirt. Once it stops extending fully (latch closed), the door ajar & interior light will flicker or stay on continuous.

The switch separates from the latch wih only one screw. Wash out the latch and clean the switch with thinner/carb cleaner/throttle body cleaner/brake cleaner and an old toothbrush. Install the switch on the latch and plug in the harness (don't attach it to the door just yet). Close and release the latch by hand & wiggle the latch plates when the latch is in the closed position. If the door ajar/interior lights do not flicker, put it all back together and be satisfied you saved yourself some cash. If the light(s) still flicker when you wiggle the latch plates, the latch itself is probably worn out and needs replacing. I bought a replacement latch from the local Ford dealer last fall for about $60 Canadian - the switch does not come with the replacement latch, but it also reasonably priced (dealer did not have it in stock or I would have replaced it also).

Good luck with your repairs.

Cheers,
Eric

 

Ok, well, here's the status...so far, all I have done is cleaned the side door contacts...I cleaned them with alcohol, but they still appears badly corroded...so i used a flat needle file, and cleaned them up a little with that...brought back the nice, shiney metal underneath it all...and now the door ajar light is fine - most of the time...if I turn a corner, etc, it still comes one for a bit - if I have to corner sharply, it'll come on, and stay on...until i turn the other direction...so now I am certain it is that door...and I think the contacts are just worn out, and need replacement...is there a cheap way to do this? I know trying bone yards, etc...but most contact like that will be exposed, and worn out also...

the rubber mount flexes a LOT when I was cleaning them...like a worn out bushing, etc...

Any one have any idea how much the "friendly" dealer might charge for replacements - or dare I even ask?

 

This may offend the purists, but it worked. Two of the sliding door contacts can be rotated slightly to offer new contact surface but the lower two are in a 'dumbbell' style rubber mount that cannot be rotated. I was messing around with one of the lower contacts and "accidently" broke it off. I pulled the entire dumbbell out and the remaining portion of the metal contact and soldered it back together. It soldered so well I wondered if I could apply solder to the faces of the other contacts. I applied a cleaning flux to the slider door contacts and used a propane torch with a fine tip to quickly heat just the contact and was able to apply solder to each of the door contact faces without melting the rubber mount. A few strokes with a file to smooth down the solder and voila, a nice fresh contact surface. No more blinking Door Ajar light when rounding corners or on bumpy roads.

 

That's along the lines of what I was thinking of trying, AFTER I posted the above...it'll be a bit before I can pull it off, but will try it soon...

Did you use normal rosin-core solder?

 

I'm not sure it was rosin-core. I used small guage electrical solder to re-solder the broken connection but for the contact faces, I used just a large, solid core, spool solder typically used with copper plumbing. I wanted the maximum amount of solder available in the minimum amount of time the contact was heated. These contacts are odd metal. I tried to use a magnet to hold the two pieces in place to solder but the magnet does not affect them. (plated brass?) I was surprised when they so readily accepted the solder.

 

Yeah, sounds like brass or copper...and plumbing solder is acid based...

hmmm...maybe smooth out a couple of pennies, and solder one to each terminal, to add surpafe area, and build it up...

just a thought...prolly do just like you did...

 

Isn't it a Federal crime to deface US Currency? But I like the idea. Will engage in illegal activity soon