Door Open Light

[PowayRanger99]

One switch per door

But............left rear, right rear and right front share a common wire to activate door ajar light, and/or dome light
Drivers door has separate wire, so it can trigger "key in ignition" chime or "headlights on" chime

Not that any of that helps, lol

Diagram shows all 4 switches in door CLOSED position, unGounded

Hello. I am new to this forum and own a 1999 Ranger XLT, 4.0 V6, automatic, 2WD.

I recently had to repair the door cable latch housing for both rear doors by installing the aluminum upgrades. Both of the two ends of the cable housing at the handle had broken apart so I replaced them as well as the other ends in the top and bottom latch mechanisms.

While I had the rear door panels off I also ordered and installed new door latch mechanisms for the bottoms of the rear doors. The old ones were quite dirty and difficult to clean/lubricate well. I noticed that I had to use the previous door ajar switches inside the new latch mechanisms because the open/close switch operates in reverse to the new door ajar switches. For my 1999 Ranger, a shut rear door leaves the door ajar switch released and the door ajar switch circuit is open. When the rear door is opened, the rear door ajar switch is depressed and the circuit is closed. This provides power to the 'door ajar' and dome light and chime. The new door ajar switches operate oppositely and had different wire connector shapes. I cleaned and lubricated the old switches, tested them for continuity, and installed them in the new door ajar latch mechanisms.

My question is, how important are the rear door ajar switches for this XLT model?

Here I should mention that both front doors work fine. The 'door ajar' light comes on with the dome light and the audible chime is heard when either front door is opened separately.

The two wires at the door ajar switch on the left rear door are green/yellow and black (common wire), and pink/light blue and black (common wire) at the right rear door. I've searched for wiring diagrams online to help explain the route these wires take to investigate any possible breaks in the wiring. They travel between the 22-pin GEM connector and the door ajar switches themselves. From what I could find, it appears they are routed from the rear of the cabin, down below the interior floor carpeting and into the driver side kick panel. This is where I lose their locations.

At the GEM, I believe they are associated with:
pin#: 7, circuit: 761 (GY/RD), circuit function: Door ajar switch right front (and left and rear doors)
pin#: 8, circuit: 765 (YE/BK), circuit function: Door ajar switch left front
(https://www.2carpros.com/questions/gem-module-46074907)

I have no issues with the 'door ajar' light staying on while all doors are closed. At least not currently, anyway. I've had problems with this years ago and know that it is a very common issue with older Rangers and even Explorers. I just can't seem to get it to turn on when the rear doors are opened.

I've tried testing this by opening either front door, closing the latch mechanism with the tip of a screwdriver, and watching the door ajar light and dome light both turn off. Then, when I open either rear door I cannot get any sort of indication that a door is ajar. This can be an issue because the two latches in either rear door do not often latch simultaneously when shutting one of them. In other words, a front door can still be considered shut to the GEM (the door switch circuit is open as the mechanical latch is closed onto the door striker bolted to the middle of the rear door) while the rear door on the same side of the vehicle isn't necessarily properly secured/latched.

I apologize for the lengthy description, I'm just trying to be clear.
Does anyone know how to check the rear door switch circuits for continuity and get them to operate the door ajar lights? Perhaps a wiring diagram which includes where exactly the wires and connectors are located within the vehicle would be helpful? I've thought about purchasing a factory Ford wiring diagram book to shine some light here (no pun intended). Which wiring diagrams are best?

Thank you.

But............left rear, right rear and right front share a common wire to activate door ajar light, and/or dome light
Drivers door has separate wire, so it can trigger "key in ignition" chime or "headlights on" chime

Not that any of that helps, lol

Diagram shows all 4 switches in door CLOSED position, unGounded

 

[Curious Hound]

The Ford wiring diagrams book for your truck will be tje best diagrams to use. You can usually find these online, usually eBay, in print or digital form. That book will show you where connections, splices and devices are located in addition to giving you the best circuit diagrams.

With that said, If I had to guess, I would expect that circuit to run in a wiring harness from the GEM, to the passenger side kick panel, branch iff to the front passenger door (connector somewhere near the hinges), down along the passenger side rocker panel to the rear passenger door (another connector for rear door), then across to the driver side rear door. You may find most of this harness under the step panel trim piece at the bottom of the door openings. Connectors behind the kick panel in tje front passenger footwell and behibd the vertical trim pieces bear the door hinge areas.