Door plunger switch not working - Long story
Thread Starter
|
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
From: Petaluma, CA USA
Door plunger switch not working - Long story
This is actually on my wife's Expedition but not many people visit that forum and I figured it would be the same problem on an F150. For a few months her dash board has had a idiot warning light advising of a "Door Ajar" which of course wasn't ajar.
After reading on a forum that many people with the same problem advised to spray WD-40 in the locking mechanisms to fix this problem I did. Sure enough the "Door Ajar" warning light went off and I figured it was the easiest fix ever!
Out of the blue today the front passenger door lock plunger stopped working. It moves slightly but not enough to lock or unlock the door. I'm guessing spraying the WD-40 had something to do with it. Anyone else ever have one of these lock switches go out? Any idea of how costly to have a dealership fix it? Minor problem but I can see it's going to be a big inconvenience until we fix it.
After reading on a forum that many people with the same problem advised to spray WD-40 in the locking mechanisms to fix this problem I did. Sure enough the "Door Ajar" warning light went off and I figured it was the easiest fix ever!
Out of the blue today the front passenger door lock plunger stopped working. It moves slightly but not enough to lock or unlock the door. I'm guessing spraying the WD-40 had something to do with it. Anyone else ever have one of these lock switches go out? Any idea of how costly to have a dealership fix it? Minor problem but I can see it's going to be a big inconvenience until we fix it.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 876
Likes: 14
I don't understand what you're asking. First you talk about the door closed sensor but then you talk about the door lock plunger. That's two entirely different parts unless I misunderstand you.
But FWIW here's my take on WD-40. WD-40 actually is a pis poor lubricant! It's mostly kerosene with some drying agents in it. However the kerosene dries out shortly and leaves bare metal to metal contact (or plastic to plastic or whatever the case may be). I would try some liquid lock lube that contains graphite. The liquid dries out but leaves finely powdered dry graphite as a lubricant. But if your lock plugner is frozen then lubricant is probably going to help. But if it were mine I'd try a lubricant. If that doesn't help then I'd take it out and take it apart and see what's going on. Most of the assemblies used in modern cars are very simple (and therefore cheap) and in most cases they're actually pretty easy to fix. But the stealership would rather sell you NEW a$$emblie$ instead of actually fixing anything! More profit for them and they can hire parts changers instead of real mechanics. Look at it this way, the only thing that you stand to lose is some time. The worst that can happen is that you will have to buy a new assembly, which is what the stealership would make you do anyway.
Take pictures, post here! Even if you fail, they might help the next guy!
But FWIW here's my take on WD-40. WD-40 actually is a pis poor lubricant! It's mostly kerosene with some drying agents in it. However the kerosene dries out shortly and leaves bare metal to metal contact (or plastic to plastic or whatever the case may be). I would try some liquid lock lube that contains graphite. The liquid dries out but leaves finely powdered dry graphite as a lubricant. But if your lock plugner is frozen then lubricant is probably going to help. But if it were mine I'd try a lubricant. If that doesn't help then I'd take it out and take it apart and see what's going on. Most of the assemblies used in modern cars are very simple (and therefore cheap) and in most cases they're actually pretty easy to fix. But the stealership would rather sell you NEW a$$emblie$ instead of actually fixing anything! More profit for them and they can hire parts changers instead of real mechanics. Look at it this way, the only thing that you stand to lose is some time. The worst that can happen is that you will have to buy a new assembly, which is what the stealership would make you do anyway.
Take pictures, post here! Even if you fail, they might help the next guy!
Last edited by joe51; May 5, 2014 at 10:57 AM.
Ford Customer Service Team
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 806
Likes: 2
From: Dearborn, MI
... Out of the blue today the front passenger door lock plunger stopped working. It moves slightly but not enough to lock or unlock the door. I'm guessing spraying the WD-40 had something to do with it. Anyone else ever have one of these lock switches go out? Any idea of how costly to have a dealership fix it? Minor problem but I can see it's going to be a big inconvenience until we fix it.
What's the year and mileage of your wife's Expedition?
Ashley
