Page 56 – Sparky's Answers

2002 Jeep Liberty Intermitent A/C Cooling

I had a 2002 Jeep Liberty come in with the complaint that the a/c will stop cooling after about thirty minutes of driving. The customer stated that the a/c would start working again later in the day. The first step was to duplicate the complaint. The easiest way I have found to replicate this type of problem is to starter the engine, set the a/c to max cold position, recirculation on and the blower set on low with the windows up and the doors shut. This forces the a/c to be cycled on and off many times in a short amount of time. After about twenty minutes of running the vehicle as described I noticed that the compressor had stopped clicking in and out. I went over to the vehicle and observed that indeed the a/c clutch was no longer being engaged. I grabbed my trusty cut off broom handle and tapped the face of the clutch hub and the a/c started working again as designed. Diagnosis of excessive air gap in the a/c clutch assembly. I forgot to take pictures of this, so the pictures you see are just for demonstration purposes as the new clutch assembly has already been installed.

Care should be taken while doing this as you are actually going to be touching a moving piece of metal with a lot of power behind it. The movement should be a quick jab, meaning tap and pull back quickly.

The first step in this repair will be to remove the belt. I have a special tool for this but a wrench and a little power will do. I should point out that the belt does not have to be removed, if you are only going to be checking the thickness of the shim and the possibility of adjusting the air gap. I had already done that and knew that the clutch assembly had to be replaced.

After the belt is removed the front nut will need to be removed. I am holding the clutch hub with a special wrench for this purpose.

A screwdriver or a flat bar can be placed between two of the round discs as shown as a substitute for the proper tool.

Once the nut is removed the clutch hub can be removed. Firmly grasp the edges of the clutch hub and with a wiggling back and forth motion pull the clutch hub off.

If it is difficult you can use a couple of flat pry bars and gently pry the clutch hub off using even pressure. This is not the proper way but one cannot afford all of the appropriate tools needed. BE VERY Careful if you use excessive or uneven pressure during this step the compressor shaft will be bent and the compressor assembly will have to be replaced.

I will normally only use the pry bar method as a last result and prefer to just take my time and use my hands. Of course I do this every day for a living and I may have a little more strength in my hands as a result.

Once the clutch hub is free, slowly remove it and check for the presence of shim washers. This one had one very thin shim. This is a critical point to check. If the shim or shims are fairly thick then they can be removed or adjusted to reduce the amount of air gap between the clutch hub and the clutch pulley. If you can simply adjust the gap down and reinstall the clutch hub, you will fix the problem for several years usually.

As mentioned earlier the shim was pretty thin and after examining the grooving in the mating surfaces I recommended replacing the assembly. The vehicle was low mileage and the customer intended on keeping the vehicle for at least three more years and did not want to take any chances of the a/c not working with summer approaching.

The next step is to remove the pulley bearing snap ring with the appropriate tool.

After the snap ring is removed the pulley can usually be pulled off by hand or by gentle prying with two small pry bars. This was not working too well for me so I had to use a puller assembly.

I also found that in order to use the puller I would have to remove the cooling fan assembly. Which requires removing the top bracket that covers the radiator. Sounds bad but it was actually pretty simple. First I removed the two center bolts that hold the bracket to the hood latch assembly.

Then I removed the two screws on the right and left sides. Note that the screw in the right side of the following picture does not have to be removed. The other screw that does need to be removed is out of the picture to the far right at the edge if the fender.

Removing the screw in the far corner.

With all of the screws removed I could lift the long bracket far enough out of the way to pull the cooling fan out.

There are two screws that hold the fan assembly to the radiator, that have to be removed and then the assembly has to be pulled up and wiggled past the hoses. I had to push the upper hose in a little to get the bracket past it.

The fan is almost out.

Now it is out and on the floor. You can see the two upper brackets where the bolt as go through to attach it and the two lower brackets that slide into clips in the lower part of the radiator.

Now I installed my puller assembly and removed the pulley from the compressor.

Now the clutch coil has to be removed.

Using snap ring pliers I removed the snap ring from the compressor hub that holds the coil in place.

With the snap ring removed, I next removed the harness retaining screw at the side of the compressor.

Disconnected the harness by first depressing the locking tab on the red clip.

Then I pushed the red clip back until it was flush with the edge.

This allowed the retaining clip to be depressed so that the connector could be separated.

With everything undone I removed the coil assembly.

I wiped the dirt and dust from the hub and positioned the new coil. There is and alignment dowel on the coil and a corresponding hole in the hub.

Installed the new snap ring, flat side down.

Secured the harness to the compressor and connected the wiring.

Next the pulley had to be installed. This is a little tricky, if the pulley will not slide on by hand. Which of course this one would not. Pressure must only be placed on the inner bearing race or bearing damage will result. Ideally a specialty installing tool would be used that uses the shaft to pull the pulley onto the hub. I don’t have one and you probably don’t either. So I used an alternator pulley that has a hole to clear the shaft, a relief to clear the hub and a shoulder to support the inner bearing race. Many times I will sort through a bunch of sockets and find one that will work.

I positioned my adapter into the compressor pulley.

Positioned them on the compressor hub and gently tapped into position.

With the pulley fully in place

I installed the new snap ring, flat side down.

Now the clutch hub. I had to play with the shims to get the desired spacing. I could not find a specification on the air gap so I went with experience and set it between .010 and .015 which is the average between most manufacturers.

Installed the nut and tightened to 10.5 ft lbs according to the specifications that I did find for this vehicle.

Reinstalled the belt and the job was done.

I did notice one very important thing that if overlooked would simply ruin your day. The screws that hold the radiator fan to the radiator are shorter than the screws that hold the bracket to the vehicle. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO USE THE LONG SCREWS TO HOLD THE FAN TO THE RADIATOR. THE RADIATOR WILL BE DAMAGED.

Replacing The Contacts And Plunger In A Denso OSGR Starter

To order parts please click here. To see how easy it is to repair your own starter please read on.

This post has been a long time coming and it is pretty lengthy. It pertains to repairing the clicks but will not crank sometimes failure found in Denso & Nippondenso Offset Gear Reduction Starters (OSGR) found on multiple vehicles such as Acura, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Subaru, Isuzu, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Harley Davidson, John Deere, Caterpillar, JI Case, Kubota, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Corvette, Late model Chevrolet and GMC Trucks and various others. The condition starts by occasionally clicking one time and having to try again and escalates up to having to try to start the vehicle dozens of times before the stater will actually work and it is distinguished by one solid click each time the key is turned with a no crank condition. Again when it starts it will generally happen once in a while and then will crank normally and eventually it gets more frequent.

Once the starter is off of the vehicle it needs to be placed in a suitable holding device such as a good bench vise. Position the starter with the drive gear facing down and the solenoid cap facing up as shown in the following picture. Remove the three retaining screws along with the support bracket for the starter motor lead which happens to be directly behind the nut driver in the picture. It shows up again later in the post.

Lift the cover. It may take tapping it up along the edge to break the seal.

With the cover out of the way you can now see the top of the plunger assembly

Lift the plunger out and position it aside.

The plunger return spring may come out with the plunger or it may stay in the starter as this one did.

You can use a small screwdriver or the plunger rod itself to grab the spring and lift it out of the starter. DO NOT LOSE THIS SPRING. The starter is junk without it.

Now would be a good time to clean some of the debris from the opening. A shop vacuum could be used but I normally just turn the starter upside down over the palm of my hand to shake most of the loose stuff out. The main reason I do this is because on earlier gas starters and most diesel starters the single ball bearing that is in the end of the starter drive can fall out and be lost. The starter will not work properly without this ball in place. It is visible in the very bottom of the hole in the picture below. This one stayed in place.

The next step is to remove the motor contact. First lift the cover to access the 12mm nut that is below.

After removing that nut lift the motor lead out of the way and remove the 14mm nut. I strongly recommend using a six point socket and make sure that you hold it securely as it is easy to slip off and damage both the nut and your knuckles.

Remove the plastic insulator and flat washer and position aside. Pull or roll the o-ring off of the bolt.

Slide the bolt into the starter and remove from the inside.

With the bolt out of the way, carefully slide the contact out from behind the solenoid flag terminal. You may have to use a small screwdriver to break the light bond between the contact and the flag terminal. It is very important to not move the flag terminal and wire any more than needed as it can be broken.

When the terminal is removed more debris will break loose and will have to be removed.

With the debris cleaned up and a new contact carefully slid in behind the flag terminal the bolt can now be installed.

Reposition the o-ring back on the stud and roll it back to the insulator edge.

Place the outside insulator over the bolt and with a slight twist motion push it over the o-ring until it seats.

Install the flat washer and the 14mm nut and snug it up finger tight. Now using a 13mm open end wrench hold the bolt on the inside being careful not to damage the flag terminal and wire lead I spoke of earlier. With a ratchet and socket tighten the outside nut to 15ft lbs. Make sure the contact stays flat on the inside of the solenoid.

Now install the 12mm nut and recheck the contact to make sure it is still laying flat. It will have probably moved some and keep this movement in the back of you mind as it will be important later.

Now it is time to replace the contact on the battery bolt. Again remove the 14mm nut.

Outside insulator.

Now push the bolt and contact to the inside of the solenoid.

With the bolt and contact removed.

Place the end of the bolt on a solid surface and lightly tap the edge of the contact.

It may take a couple of light taps to completely loosen the contact.

Slide the old contact off and position it aside.

Clean any dislodged debris from the solenoid and make sure the insulating paper is in place. Some of the earlier starters did not have this piece installed.

Place the interior insulator back into the solenoid.

Place the new contact inside and line up the holes.

Slide the bolt in from the inside.

Until the knurled edge stops the bolt.

Install the o-ring.

The outside insulator. Some of the insulator like the one below have an alignment dowel attached.

Be sure to line up the dowel to the hole during assembly or it will break.

Check the dowel alignment again before installing the flat washer and the 14mm nut.

Using a ratchet and socket ( 6 point ) tighten the nut to 15ft lbs. This will pull the knurled edge of the bolt into the contact. Also make sure that the contact is sitting flat in the solenoid during this step.

Hold the bolt with an open end wrench. Sometimes 13mm and sometimes 15mm.

During the tightening process the right inside edge will lift slightly.

I rotate the bolt until the left edge is lifted slightly. The reason for this is what I told you to remember earlier when the motor lead was reattached and that bolt rotated slightly. The same thing is going to happen when the battery cable is reattached to the bolt. The only difference is that you will not be able to adjust it from the inside once it is back in the vehicle. Planning for what will happen will save time in the end.

Reinstall the return spring. If the single ball bearing came out earlier when the contents were dumped into your hand, make sure you install it before installing the spring. Thanks to one of the readers for pointing this out.

Make sure it goes in completely.

Install the new plunger assembly.

Push it in to make sure it moves smoothly and seats completely.

Let loose of the plunger and make sure it rebounds smoothly and quickly.

Install the cover.

Slide in the cable support clip.

Install the last screw.

If you would like to test the starter, you will need a jumper wire similar to the one in the folowing picture. Using a jump pack or a set of battery cables attached to a good battery. Connect the ground cable to the case of the starter (one of the mounting ears is a good location). Attach the positive cable to the copper bolt on the starter and touch the end of the installed lead to the starter post (bolt). The drive should extend out and the starter will rotate. The starter must be held securely and safely. The starter will try to jump violently when the jumper wire is touched to the starter post (bolt). Also the gear will extend and rotate rapidly. You must have all body parts safely away from this area and do not wear loose clothing that may get caught in the gear. You will feel a lot of pain and have physical damage to your body if you get wound up in the starter drive (gear) as it is rotating.

One of the most important steps is to properly tighten the battery cable to the starter. As you tighten the cable it will try to rotate and if it does it will raise the edge of the contact inside. What I normally do is hold the cable with one hand and tighten the nut with the other. I tighten it to 15-20ft lbs and stop just as I feel a slight movement in the stud. Remember how I left one edge of the contact sitting a little high. Well, now it is level.

To order your contacts and plunger click here or visit www.The-Electric-Connection.com . If you have already take your starter apart you can visually match the parts you need. If not you will need to supply the year, make, model, engine size and transmission type. Idealy the actual starter number would be best and it can be found on the side of the starter motor as seen in the picture below.

2002 Isuzu Rodeo 2WD Intermitent No Crank Condition, Starter Clicks

This 2002 Isuzu Rodeo came in with a complaint that sometimes while trying to crank the engine the starter will just click once each time the key is turned. After several times of trying the starter will crank the engine normally. After checking the basic battery condition along with making sure the battery cables were clean and tight I moved my focus to the starter itself. The starter is under the vehicle on the driver’s side. This vehicle is 2WD and the removal procedure may vary on a 4WD vehicle.

This has got to be one of the easiest starters in the world to change.

Remove the two attaching bolts.

Pull the starter out towards the front of the vehicle.

Remove the nut holding the battery cable to the starter. Depress the locking tab on the small wire and unplug. The starter is now off of the vehicle.

When reinstalling the starter attach the small wire by pushing it into position. Attach the battery cable with the nut and snug the nut down.

This is very important when you are ready to finish tightening the nut down you must hold the battery cable firmly so that the bolt and internal starter contact will not rotate. A small shift in position is okay but if it rotates too much internal starter damage may occur and the life of the starter will be shortened. For details on how to repair the most common fault with these starters please click here .

It will take you to my post on replacing the worn contacts and plunger assembly in the Denso OSGR starters found on many vehicles. Not just Isuzu.

No Charge Condition 1988 Ford Thunderbird

A 1988 Ford Thunderbird came in with a no charge condition and the alternator had already been changed. Although the following post is about a Thunderbird, the Mercury Cougar has the same failure. Testing at the alternator found that there was no ignition power on the light green wire with a red tracer at the voltage regulator connector. After consulting a wiring diagram I found that the power comes from the ignition switch through the instrument cluster and then to the alternator. I also realised that the instrument cluster itself was dead.

The customer had already had the covers off of the steering column so I went right to the ignition switch.

Where I found this.

I installed a new connector by first swapping the undamaged wires from the old connector to the new one. To order a new repair harness please click here.

I then spliced the new wires with terminals to the old damaged wires. Notice how the splice joints are staggered for a better fit.

Heated the heat shrink tubing.

I replaced the old damaged ignition switch with a new switch. The two torx headed bolts had to be removed to change the switch.

Now, the instrument cluster works and the alternator charges.

Power Windows Inop 1992 Dodge Van

This 1992 Dodge full sized van came in with the customer complaint of power windows inop. The customer had already replaced the switch with no improvement. I quickly checked and found no power on the large tan wire at the driver’s side power window switch. Having been down this road before I looked at the underside of the ignition switch and saw the typical melted cover.

The next picture is of course the lower cover removed from the steering column so that the heat damage can be better seen.

This is the wiring side of the ignition switch looking at it from the driver’s door under the steering column.

I checked the power input wires to the ignition switch, Red and Pink w/Black and the power supply was good. I checked them both with the key on and I also activated the power window switch to see if there would be a voltage drop. There was not.

I next checked the Black w/Orange wire with the key on. With just the key on power seemed okay. However I monitored the circuit while depressing the power window switch and the light went very dim. Because I had earlier done the same test on the power supply wires to the ignition switch I now knew that the ignition switch had a problem.

I disconnected the ignition switch harness connector by using a small screwdriver to pry out on the locking ears while I pulled on the harness.

After disconnecting the harness connector I turned to look at the switch side and this is what I found.

I removed the screws that held the ignition switch and lock cylinder to the steering column. The screws were of the anti tamper torx design and special bits are needed to remove them.

After the mounting screws were removed I pulled the assembly slightly from the steering column.

So that I could remove the other harness connector. Released the locking tab and pulled straight off.

The burnt internal contacts can be clearly seen in the following picture.

To remove the lock cylinder the roll pin has to be depressed by pushing it in with a punch or screwdriver.

Once the pin is depressed the key must be turned forward.

The lock cylinder will pop part way out when this is done.

Next pull the key from the cylinder.

And the cylinder will come the rest of the way out of the ignition switch assembly.

The only way I currently know how to get the connector needed for this repair is to order kit # 1-04874996 from a Dodge dealership.

The switch has an updated design and the kit comes with the switch, harness connector, relay and additional wiring for a specific full sized truck TSB but I have used this kit for years for many Chrysler,Dodge, Jeep and Plymouth repairs. You can and probably should utilize the rest of the parts in the kit but customer’s will not usually pay to have the rest of it installed as it is usually not part of a TSB related to their vehicle.

So much for the easy part. Now I had to remove the four push in retainers for the harness cover.

Remove the cover and access the wiring.

And splice in each of the wires being sure to stagger the joints so that the harness cover would go back over the wiring. Not hard but it does take a good bit of time to do it correctly.

1998 Chevrolet Astro Van Only High Blower Speed Works

The customer called and said that their 1998 Chevrolet Astro van only had the high blower working but by the time it showed up a couple of days later the blower had stopped altogether. Simple test for no blower on an older high mileage vehicle, turn the key on, set the blower to high and bump the motor case with the handle of a hammer. If the blower comes on the motor is faulty or there is a loose connection at the blower motor itself. The blower came on but only worked on high and the connections were clean and tight, so the motor is faulty but there are other problems with the lower speeds..

To remove and replace the motor is pretty simple. Remove the coolant and washer fluid tanks. Unplug the motor, remove the mounting screws and pull the motor from the vehicle. It takes a little rotating and twisting of the motor assembly to remove it. To install simply reverse.

Next, I turned my attention to the lower blower speeds. The blower resistor and relay unit is right there so I removed the positive assurance clip and unplugged the resistor. The connector was burnt and had to be replaced along with the resistor. Whenever there is heat damage at a connector both the connector and the component it attaches to have to be replaced at the same time for a lasting repair.

I spliced in the new connector and you will notice I staggered the joints for a neater repair.

The blower resistor design has been updated and as a result I had to modify the blower case to accommodate the new resistor.

There was a paper template supplied with the resistor and I cut it out and placed it over the hole to mark the new outline.

It really did not work to well so I just cut and rechecked until the new resistor would slide in the hole and mount squarely on the mounting bosses. I used a rotary cutting tool and a file to open the hole up. I also used a shop vacuum and an air hose through both the blower motor opening and the resistor opening to remove all of the cutting debris.

After that I just reassembled all of the pieces and checked for proper operation.

A new blower motor, blower resistor and blower resistor repair harness and the job was done.

To order these parts, please click here.

These vans have inherent problems that cause the terminals to burn out. The main problem is at the red wire, terminal “A” for the high blower speed. As the vans age they develop air leaks throughout the vehicle. This causes to operator to use the blower in high speed at all times to gain comfort in the van. By doing this the terminals overheat and fail. There are two ways to overcome this. 1. Make sure the van is properly sealed and the a/c system is in tip top shape. This will reduce the need to operate the blower at the highest settings. 2. Every 10-30 minutes make changes to the blower speed to help prevent single terminal overheating.

Another big problem is dirt build up on the evaporator core fins. This forces the operator to again use the blower on the highest settings. It also increases the blower motor amperage draw. Both will result in overheated blower resistor terminals.

If you are lucky enough to have rear a/c on your van, be sure to use it, to take some load off of the front blower system.

2001 Chevrolet Impala, No Low Beam Headlights

This 2001 Chevrolet Impala came in with the complaint that the low beam headlights would not work. I went to the headlight bulb and found power on both terminals of the low beam bulb. This indicates that a ground is missing. After looking at a wiring diagram I determined that there were several possibilities: broken wire, loose ground connection at left side of dash, blown fuse,faulty headlamp relay, faulty dimmer switch and faulty body control computer. The dimmer switch however was the one point were most things could be checked. I removed the lower dash cover and the metal bracket behind it to access the wiring connector.

The yellow connector is for the airbag system and the connector that I was looking for is just below it.

Working room was pretty tight and the plastic edges are very sharp so I pulled the connector down to gain better access.

The white lever has to be flipped over to separate the two connector halves.

With the connector separated I decided to reattach it to it’s mounting clip. You can see the mounting clip for the air bag connector just in front of the connector.

From looking at diagrams earlier I had determined that I needed to check terminal C4, Dark Blue for bleed through power from the low beam headlight bulbs. It is the second terminal from the right in the second row down. Terminal C3, Light Blue is the ground supply wire that is sent to the dimmer switch from the headlamp relay. I do not know why the color codes change from the main harness to the combination switch harness but on the main harness side the C3 wire is Light Blue and on the combination switch harness the wire is yellow. On the main harness side the C4 wire is Dark Blue and on the combination switch side it is Brown.

Anyhow, I had bleed through power on the C4 terminal and I had ground on C3. I could touch the two wires together and the low beams would come on. Diagnosis of a faulty combination switch. Now that I had it diagnosed, all I had left to do was to change the switch. I had to remove the steering column cover. There are two torx screws attaching the lower cover and the tilt lever had to be pulled out of the column. There are two inverted torx screws holding the upper cover from the inside that have to be removed. Once the covers are removed the two attaching screws can be removed.

I use a torx bit and 1/4″ ratcheting wrench because it allows me to change the switch without removing the steering wheel and air bag. Takes a little coordination and effort but it saves a lot of time.

There are a couple of wire ties that have to be removed and one harness support that needs to be unclipped. Then the cruise control subharness can be detached.

The wire connector also has to be removed from the shifter interlock solenoid.

Out with the old and in with the new and all is well. I took a picture of the headlight relay. It is the upper, larger rectangular box that cannot be fully seen in the picture. This view is of the backside of the fuse box that is at the left end of the instrument panel.

2003 Ford Windstar P0171 and P0174, Banks 1 & 2 Lean

This 2003 Ford Windstar came in with the service engine soon light on. Checking code revealed codes P0171 and P0174, banks 1 and 2 lean. I checked for vacuum leaks and none were found so I moved on to the Mass Air Flow sensor. It is common for them to get dirty and cause these fault codes. The MAF sensor is located inside the air filter housing so it had to be removed. I loosened both hose clamps and pulled the rubber boot from the throttle body and then from the air filter housing. Then I unlocked the spring clamp that holds the two halves together.

The crankcase ventilation tube also had to be removed from the rubber hose and more importantly it has to be put back in place during assembly. You can see it just to the left of the master cylinder.

After unhooking the wiring harness connector I took the housing to the bench for dis assembly. There are several locks that have to be released. I used a common screwdriver blade to pry them inward while pushing the sensor out from the other end.

There is also another wiring subharness that has to be removed. It is kind of a pain but I take my time so as to not cause any damage. Once the two halves were separated I removed the sensor from the housing using and tamper resistant torx bit socket.

This is were the actual sensor elements are located and in most cases you will find a build up or film on the element. I use a pick as shown or a small screw driver and very lightly rub the film off. Sometimes if it is heavy it will lift off in one try but most of the time it takes a little while of very light rubbing to remove the film. Some people use cleaners but I prefer to manually rub it off so as not to cause and damage to the sensitive parts. Many cleaners will damage the plastics.

Just several different pictures of the same sensor. There are two elements inside and the most problematic one is the one further inside that you cannot see.

This is just one of the possible causes. There are many and one of my readers left a link to a repair site that has more answers on this problem.

Ford has a TSB out on this for 1999 to 2003 Windstar. if you want to do it yourself, you need to go to your local parts store or dealership and ask for a “Valve cover repair kit”. This site link gives step by step instructions for the fix.

1999 Ford Expedition Dome, Courtesy and Running Board Lights Stay On

This 1999 Ford Expedition came in with the complaint that the interior and running board light stay on. I checked data in the gem module with my scan tool and found that even with the door closed. I tried spraying the latch with a cleaner/lubricant but it did not fix it in this case. Cleaning the old ones worked quite well but it seems like the newer vehicles do not repsond well to cleaning with spray lubricant.

The data shows that the driver’s door is ajar.

The passenger front, LR and RR doors are closed.

Time to start inspecting. First I lifted the switch bezel using a small screwdriver.

After releasing the spring clips, I depressed the connector tabs and removed the wiring from the switches.

With the switches out of the way I could remove the hidden phillips headed screw.

I then reached my hand down behind the door handle bezel to release the clips.

Using an 8mm socket I removed the interior door handle.

I only remove the bolt enough to remove the handle so that the bolt will stay in place and be properly positioned for assembly.

Next I removed the front triangle shaped trim panel. I first pulled the upper edge loose.

Then I rocked the panel up to release the spring clips. Now I can remove the hidden phillips headed screw.

I next removed the courtesy light cover and removed the last hidden screw.

I lifted the door panel up and released it from the door. With the panel off I reached under the door panel and pushed the release clip for the connector to the power mirror switch.

Because of the tight conditions and the size of my hands I just pull the latch assembly out of the door. First I removed the three torx bolts that hold the latch to the door.

I then started unhooking the linkage paying close attention to positioning for reassembly. I started with the e clip on the lock cylinder. Then I unhooked the linkage from the interior door handle.

I removed the rubber from the window track and then removed the bolt that holds the rear window track in place.

I next removed the rear window track from the door. The track has to be pulled down and then out to release the clip at the top of the track piece.

With all of that loose I had to start removing the latch from the door. To do this I had to roll it off of the power door lock actuator rod.

Then I could fully remove the latch assembly.

When I unplugged the door ajar switch the lights went out. The switch can be seen in the picture below.

The alignment / lock tab can be seen in the pictures below. To remove the switch I lifted the black plastic just to the right of the tab and rotated it clockwise.

I installed the new switch and turned it counterclockwise to lock it into place.

Now the lights are off with the door closed and the data also states that the door is now closed.

This is becoming a pretty common problem on Ford trucks. I did a post on a 2003 Explorer in October of 2008.

1993 Toyota Camry Tail Lights Inoperative

This 1993 Toyota Camry came in with the complaint that the tail lights do not work. The front park lights and the dash lights work.

I checked the bulbs in the rear and found that the bulbs were good and that there was no power on the tail light wire (light green). I consulted a wiring diagram and found the power feed came from junction block #1, terminal H7. The connector attaches to the interior fuse box.

I located the connector at the lower left side of the fuse box. I backprobed the connector and had no power.

Suspecting a loose connection somewhere I left my test light in place and started wiggling the fuse box and connectors. I found that wiggling the fuse box would allow the test light to light up. I isolated it to to lower left side by flexing the fuse box in different areas.

The light green wire is at the far left of the connector and located in the second position down.

I disconnected the plug and inspected for damage. If you look at the far left column in the middle row, you can see that part of the terminal is missing. The lower silver edge of the spring clip is gone. Double clicking on the image will enlarge it for a better view.

I confirmed that the terminal was indeed loose using a fused jumper wire with the right sized terminal to perform a drag test. Failed!

I went to my drawer of old connectors and found a terminal and wire that I could use. I had to use a small screwdriver to pull out the terminal lock on the connector body. I pulled the terminal and wire out.

And installed the replacement wire and terminal that I had found.

The rear lights now work.