Ford F-150 lighting problem

[andy j]

Since I have moved I have noticed a problem with my interior dome and exterior bed lighting in my 1998 ford F150 pickup. Before the problem the lights would only come on when one of the doors were open or if the door was ajar or If I manualy turned them on with the switch. Now the lights will stay on long after I shut the doors. I make sure that the doors are shut tight but I am still running into problems. There are times that I can't get the lights to go off, it seems to be very random like there is some loose wiring in the sensors in the doors, my truck doesn't have the buttom sensors like most other vechicle sensors I have seen. The sensors must be where the door latchs inside. Anybody else had this problem or have any thoughts. Also If I were to remove the 2 lights Dome/bed, would they still draw down my battery? Thank AJ

[frozen toes]

I had the same problem with my 97 Ford. My mechanic told me to spray the latches with WD-40. Did it, and it worked. It only happens in the winter for me.

[92python]

I was just on an auto repair forum 2 minutes ago as I ran into the same problem today on my 97 F150. How about that for irony? Weather?

It said there is a sensor in the door latch that goes bad. Just like frozen toes said if you spray WD 40 or some other lube into the latch area it might fix it. Apparently the switches are not that hard to replace. I'm going to try the lube first. I don't have a manual.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I just replaced one tonight on an expedition. Most commonly it is the driver front door because it sees the most use. I use either a snap-on or mentor scan tool and do a self test of the GEM module to fiqure out which one it is. The do it yourself method would be to unplug the suspect switch and see if the dome light goes out. They are located on the door latch assembly (the part that actually holds the door shut). Ford door panels can be tricky (yes it has to come off) Make sure you have all the screws out, they can be hidden pretty good, and pull straight up(DO NOT PULL OUT ON THE DOOR PANEL YOU WILL BRAKE THE TANGS THAT FASTEN IT TO THE DOOR SHEETMETAL AND RUIN IT). The switch should be on the bottom of the latch and will have a two wire connector plugged into it. Note: make sure the window is up, it will allow for a little more room to get your fingers in there. Twist the switch counter clockwise, as your looking down at it, it will take a little effort to get them to release. Rotate it a quarter turn and it should fall out. Put the new one in and twist a quarter turn clockwise and then put it back together. The other option is to just leave it unpluged. Hope this helps. They realy are pretty easy to do, just be really carefull taking the door panel off. If you have any questions leave an email address and I'll send you my number.

[Big-Al]

Same problem with my 97 F-150 about 3 years ago at about 30K. One treatment with a silicone spray and the problem has never come back.

[Macgyver55]

More times than not they are just sticky. Especially in the winter after washing your vehicle. Be careful what you spray on them though. Oil based sprays will make them worse in cold weather. Silicone or WD are probably the best choice. Try that first before replacing.

[GoodToGo]

This just started happening to me (98 F150). I close the door and start driving-the door ajar light stays on and the dome light stays on for a while, then turns off. I'll try the spray thing, I don't think I'm up to pulling the door apart. I'd just end up paying someone to fix what I break!

[Amandafish]

airjer,

I have the same problem on my 99 F-150, it does it on and off, I tried the wd-40 with no luck I am curious if the switch is bad the would the lights stay on all the time?

Being that my does it sometimes (more than not) and not all the time, could that still be the problem?

I had it at the dealership and they could not duplicate the problem, I am sure now that the ext. warranty is up they could!

Also what is the name of the part?

Thanks for any advice,

Amanda

[Jeremy airjer W]

they can be intermittant. The one I installed last night ran about $20 for the part. Its called a door ajar switch or a door pin switch. Does the door ajar light stay on? Heres a thought call your local autozone and see if they can scan the gem module. They will scan for free. I'm pretty sure the have the snap-on scanner which can do this. also make sure the have all the doors closed when they do the gem self test. this will tell you wich one of the switches is stuck for sure and your not out $$ for a shop to scratch there heads. good luck. p.s. any more than 40 to install and your paying to much. Book time is .4hrs so they labor charge will vary depending on the labor rate of the shop if you choose to have a shop replace it.

[andy j]

I sprayed the Wd-40 on both doors this morning and so far so good, I have not had any problems, I hope this fixed the problem, Thanks again for the tip, saved me some $.

[knoppers]

whoops, I read the topic wrong, I thought it was ford f-150 lightning problem, was thinking the 500 HP wasn't enough.