00250diesel, how did you find out which door it is?[/QUOTE]

mine was strange when i opened the door the light would go out and if i closed it would come back on but if that wasnt the problem i would unplug one at a time until i found out wich one it is and it would save you money so you dont have to replace all of them. you have to take the door panels off but they come off in about 5 minutes and its just a matter of fitting your hand in the door to unplug it and your dome lights will work again

 

To shed a little light on the VSM question, my fobs were not working so I replaced my VSM without having the dealer program it, figuring I could program the fobs myself....wrong!

The VSM does control the door ajar warning light. With that not working properly, the autolock, dome light and a few other things will not work correctly either. I noticed that the dome light would not go out after locking the truck for about 5 minutes and would stay on while driving until reaching about 10 MPH. I was able to manually program my fobs and they worked great, but that's it. I can't get the module to go into the disable/enable autolock programming due to the module's thinking that the door is open.

To confirm my suspicions that it was the VSM's lack of data flash, I temporarily plugged the old one back with it sitting on the floorboard. The door ajar, dome lights and autolock began working properly again, but of course the fobs were useless.

Since I have the old one plugged in on the floorboard, I'm going to have to call the stealership to see how much they are going to charge me to read the old one, remove the three little connectors and insert them into the new one and reflash.

I suppose the moral to the story is if you are having problems with the door ajar which will reberberate to autolock and dome light problems and you havn't been able to reconcile with locating a bad door switch, it's probably the VSM and you're going to have to shell out the bucks to the stealership.

Bob
2002 F350 PSD SRW LB

 

That sucks, what kind of cost are we really looking at?

 

I found stealership prices for the VSM from $124 to $150. Programming looks to be $90 as a standard. I changed the VSM myself so I don't know how much the labor would be if they did the entire job.

By shopping around, it looks as if I only saved about $25 on the parts.

I have part numbers (which are different from the original) if anyone is interested. This would be for a 2002 F350 PSD. I'm not sure if they differ from other models but I doubt it because the VSM is fully equipped to handle the door entry pad even though I don't have one.

 

What's a VSM?

 

VSM - Vehicle Security Module

Some call it a Central Security Module or possably just a receiver unit. My dealer lists it as an Alarm Kit.

It controls the remote door locks, door keypad, dome light actions, autolock systems and door open funtions. Maybe more that I am still unaware of.

 

My light came on & door ajar, too. Very irritating driving with the interior light on, but relieved when it went out @ 10-15 mph. Annoyed when it came back on as I slowed to a stop. I thought it was dangerous, because every time I stopped @ a stop sign the light would come on, I would get blinded and wouldn't be able to look for oncoming traffic. Mostly just slammed the doors a lot out of anger, which sometimes worked and shut the light off. One day I stopped and asked the service counter @ the dealership. She told me it is common, just spray the WD on the switch- unfortunately I thought the switch was at the hinge side of the door. Took me a while to figure out that the switch is part of the latch. Sprayed it once & good for ~1 year. Sprayed it again and no problems since. Got a lot of satisfaction out of helping other Ford owners shut off their door ajar warning & interior light, too. And they really appreciate when someone knows exactly what they are talking about and exactly how to fix it and that it only takes a spray of lube. None of the ones I've seen had a VSM, so the lube trick worked perfect. I remember being so aggravated with the interior light that I wanted to get rid of the truck-glad my emotions and anger didn't make me do it, that would have been a big mistake. This is a great truck!

 

My VSM is bad too. The dealer in Barre, VT hasn't got a clue what the does, where it is or how to remove it. Plus the Parts Dept can't find a part number. Does anyone have the part number(s)? Thanks.

 

You shouldn't neeed to remove/replace it. Just open the door and spray some WD-40 or similar lube in the door latch mechanism. Then use a screwdriver to cycle the latch with the door open. Once latched, spray some more lube in there. Use the inside door handle/latch to open the door latch. Open/close the door several times to get the lube 'worked into' the mechanism. The light should go out. If you can't tell because of the lamp delay, put the key in the ignition. If it is fixed, the door chime will stop chiming. This just happened to me again last week. A little lube seems to fix the problem for ~ 2 years.

 

I had a VSM replaced as well.Luckily during warranty days!!!!Those days are long gone..Oh well,I do not want the stealership working on it anyway!!!!

 

Sorry underp2, I should have been more specific. My problem is not the original one of just a light and door switch. The problem is that the door lock switches, keyless entry, courtesy lights and key in ingition warning chime do not work. It's the VSM I need but I need a part number. Thanks.

 

I had mine replaced a few years ago, the dealer will have the part number for it because it has to be programmed/flashed after its installed. Here's some interesting reading about it.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...sm-theory.html

 

I've had this problem for ever, and will try the WD 40. Just learned to live with it. Pulled the dome light to prevent battery discharge, just use the two map lights. Most of the time, the lower door light remains on and haven't had discharge issues with that. Thanks for the tip. Chris 99.5 7.3

 

Back when I bought my 99 psd the interior bulbs had been removed and the door ajar light was allways on. Little WD 40 in all the latches, open and closed them a few times, replaced bulbs, and no problems since. Going on 6 years now.

 

OK, I rummaged thru all my documentation and found it. This is exactly what is printed on the repair invoice.

4C7Z 15604 AC : KIT - ALARM / KEYLESS LOCK

The part itself was $140.84, the labor for replacement and programming of the new VSM was $145.00. With tax the total out the door was $299.92.

With all that said, some people have paid upwards of $800 for a VSM replacement. What I did to lessen the labor costs was unbolting the VSM from the firewall and let it set on the tranny hump for easy R&R for the Ford Tech. I also told the Service Manager to tell the Ford Tech to just plug-n-play the new VSM and lay it on the tranny hump and I would bolt it back to the firewall.
Believe me, it's tight but if you lay in the floor board, its doable. A droplight or flashlight, 1/4 inch ratchet, 10mm deep socket and a small extension will get the job done. There are three studs that the VSM is mounted to on the firewall. So all you need to do is remove the three nuts and your good. The studs are great when reinstalling the VSM because they hold it in place so you can start threading the nuts. Hope this helps you out.