I used to be able to lock all my car doors from the driver's door lock. It was a central locking system. You pull up or down the driver's lock, and all the door locks go up or down. It doesn't do that anymore. I heard that there is a microswitch in the driver's door that operates the cental locking, and I suspect it is faulty. Where can I get another switch, and where is it exactly in the door?
Thanks!!
Anyone else been experiencing my problem, or know of a remedy for it? I would like to get the central locking system working again. It might be the switch, or a short. Juts curious if any other people have the same year(s) Ford Escort as mine, and have had the same problem.
Thanks!
I assume you first checked the fuse for that circuit. If there was a short the fuse would be blown. Next push the driver's door lock button down and listen for a clicking sound coming from under the driver's side dash panel near the fuse box. This is where the door lock relay module is located. If you don't hear the click, you can check the driver's door lock switch without removing the door panel, by accessing the wiring to that switch at the door lock relay module. It's located on a bracket along with other modules, above and behind the interior fuse box. Remove the wiring connector from the module. Use a meter to test for continuity in the door switch wiring at the connector. The resistance should go from an open circuit when the button is up, to very low in the down position. You may need a wiring diagram to figure out which wires from the module connector go to the driver's door lock switch. In my case the driver's door lock switch wasn't the problem. I could hear the relay module clicking when I pushed the driver's door lock button down, which meant the door switch was working, but the other door locks didn't go down. I discovered that I could unlock the doors, if I first pushed the other three door buttons down by hand, before lifting the driver's door lock button up. This is because there are two relays in the module, one for locking and the other for unlocking. I did some micro surgery to remove the cover of the locking relay and found it had worn contacts. I resurfaced them with fine sandpaper followed by a light application of electrical cleaner. I wouldn't advise trying that unless you've had some experience with relays. Otherwise get another door lock relay module from a junkyard for about $30 or less. A new one from Ford is outrageous, like $100!
If it's not the realy I'd check the switch ni the door. If it's the switch in the door, and it's anything like the seatbelt motor switch, it can be taken apart, cleaned, and reinstalled. It helps if you have a small screwdriver set.
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