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Door Ajar Light

Old Aug 17, 2004 | 12:34 PM
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Default Door Ajar Light

The door ajar light on our 72 convertible refuses to go out. The switches are working since the interior lights go off when the door s are closed.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions.
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Old Aug 17, 2004 | 12:52 PM
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Default Door Ajar Light

Not sure if my 76 is the same but I think it is. There are two switches one turns off the interior lights and the other the door ajar light. The interior light switch is on the front door pillar and the door ajar light is down low on the rear door jamb (easily seen), that switch is probably bad and has to be replaced.
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Old Aug 17, 2004 | 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by tom102
Not sure if my 76 is the same but I think it is. There are two switches one turns off the interior lights and the other the door ajar light. The interior light switch is on the front door pillar and the door ajar light is down low on the rear door jamb (easily seen), that switch is probably bad and has to be replaced.



At least on a 1970 that is true--I would expect the same for your 72
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Old Aug 17, 2004 | 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by tom102
Not sure if my 76 is the same but I think it is. There are two switches one turns off the interior lights and the other the door ajar light. The interior light switch is on the front door pillar and the door ajar light is down low on the rear door jamb (easily seen), that switch is probably bad and has to be replaced.
That should be the problem
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Old Aug 17, 2004 | 02:29 PM
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Another thing that happens is the door gap is too large to depress the switch completely. In this case you need to put some kind of shim on the door. I use a black rubber faucet washer glued to the hit spot. A little Bubba but it works and no more annoying off and on light. My .02
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Old Aug 17, 2004 | 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by tom102
There are two switches one turns off the interior lights and the other the door ajar light. The interior light switch is on the front door pillar and the door ajar light is down low on the rear door jamb (easily seen), that switch is probably bad and has to be replaced.
When you go to replace the switch you will most likely break the contacts/terminals on the wire ends. Go ahead and order them at the same time. Be careful removing the switch. It has a tendency to get frozen in the boss it is screwed into or the rivets come out.
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Old Aug 18, 2004 | 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by markdtn
When you go to replace the switch you will most likely break the contacts/terminals on the wire ends. Go ahead and order them at the same time. Be careful removing the switch. It has a tendency to get frozen in the boss it is screwed into or the rivets come out.
I had a horror story with this exact thing happening...I think I posted on it a year or two ago in factory correct. The switch was frozen in the mounting plate. I put a socket on the switch and broke the mounting plate rivets and the mounting plate turned and popped a hole in my door jamb . Then...to make matters worse....the passenger side switch I actually got loose pretty easily, but I didn't realize that the mounting plate was already broken loose and as soon as I took the switch out of the plate, the plate fell down in the door jamb!

It took me two hours with an extendable magnet and a small screwdriver to get that thing back up into place to stick the new switch in there....man...what an ordeal just to get the door ajar light working!

The good thing....it now works when either door is open. It's nice when ALL of the original parts work.
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Old Aug 18, 2004 | 08:01 PM
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There is a switch on each headlight door of my 71, that I think is tied into that indicator circuit also. Be careful if you start messing with them because they are made of plastic and break very easily. That info is from first hand experience!
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