radio not turning off when door is opened

[andrewjs18]

hi all,

this is quite annoying as it won't allow the car alarm to properly arm if the radio is still on. is there a sensor or an object that might be causing the radio to not shut off when the door is opened? sometimes I can get it to turn off if the door is opened slowly; sometimes it won't. sometimes it takes me opening several different doors before the radio will turn off.

I have a 2004 lesabre celebration edition.

any ideas?

 

[ryenie]

In order to properly diagnose it without replacing parts needlessly it would really help to have it scanned with a tech II scanner or equivalent scanner for codes. A standard scanner can only retrieve P codes, but the codes that would help identify the problem (if there are any) are either b codes or u codes, which means it also probably won't cause the check engine light to come on if a code is stored.

 

[andrewjs18]

In order to properly diagnose it without replacing parts needlessly it would really help to have it scanned with a tech II scanner or equivalent scanner for codes. A standard scanner can only retrieve P codes, but the codes that would help identify the problem (if there are any) are either b codes or u codes, which means it also probably won't cause the check engine light to come on if a code is stored.

thanks for the reply. I'll see if I can get the car scanned.

 

[ryenie]

thanks for the reply. I'll see if I can get the car scanned.

Sorry can't give more info, there is a RAP relay that might be getting stuck, but otherwise could be a door sensor, don't think all of the doors will turn the radio off, it may just be the drivers door, that will do it. If not a door sensor, could be a malfunction in the door module, but again would have other effects besides not turning off power to the accessories. The windows should also work the same way the radio does, can roll up and down with key in off position for 10 minutes or until door is opened. The door module communicates with rear integration module, which communicates with the bcm, which controls the rap relay, unless you have a sunroof, then the rap relay is controlled by the express open module of the sunroof. So aside from removing the relay, not sure of any testing that can be done without the use of a scanner.

 

[andrewjs18]

Sorry can't give more info, there is a RAP relay that might be getting stuck, but otherwise could be a door sensor, don't think all of the doors will turn the radio off, it may just be the drivers door, that will do it. If not a door sensor, could be a malfunction in the door module, but again would have other effects besides not turning off power to the accessories. The windows should also work the same way the radio does, can roll up and down with key in off position for 10 minutes or until door is opened. The door module communicates with rear integration module, which communicates with the bcm, which controls the rap relay, unless you have a sunroof, then the rap relay is controlled by the express open module of the sunroof. So aside from removing the relay, not sure of any testing that can be done without the use of a scanner.

I haven't been able to scan my car with a tech II scanner yet. I scanned the car with my stepdad's actron scanner and it didn't turn up anything.

when the radio doesn't turn off when I open my driver's door, the driver's rear door also won't typically kill the radio. the only thing that seems to force the radio to turn off is to open one of the passenger side doors, either the front or back. the windows continue to work until I open a door on the passengers side.

 

[ryenie]

Does the door ajar light come on when you open either of the drivers side doors? I doesn't seem likely that booth door latch sensors (built into the door latch) would fail at the same time, unless the windows were left down during the rain), and i would suspect corroded\water soaked connections, but if the door ajar light doesn't come on it might be time to take the door panel off and inspect the wiring and wire connections.

 

[andrewjs18]

Does the door ajar light come on when you open either of the drivers side doors? I doesn't seem likely that booth door latch sensors (built into the door latch) would fail at the same time, unless the windows were left down during the rain), and i would suspect corroded\water soaked connections, but if the door ajar light doesn't come on it might be time to take the door panel off and inspect the wiring and wire connections.

I'll check after work in a few hours and let you know.

 

[andrewjs18]

hi,

when my key is in the ignition and it's turned to the on position (or whatever is required to power on the radio and windows), all of the doors cause the door ajar message to chime.

 

[kcmudbug]

Does your car have an aftermarket radio? This was a problem I ran into when I decided to replace the radio after the stock radio died. Turns out you have to buy a module to retain the door chime, etc. Even after purchasing and installing the appropriate module, I have to turn the key off before any doors are opened to ensure everything shuts off.

 

[Rodger]

Hi Andrewsj,

I have exactly the same problem with my 2005 LeSabre.
Did you ever get it diagnosed and fixed?
I'd really like to hear from you!

hi,

when my key is in the ignition and it's turned to the on position (or whatever is required to power on the radio and windows), all of the doors cause the door ajar message to chime.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

It may be the door ajar switch is hung up or broken, which is telling the delay that nothing has happened, one option. Maybe shoot some WD40 on it as it may be just hung up, wishful thinking, item 19. Also check the harness between the door and frame just in case it may have a broken wire(s). From here it gets to replacing module's which I really don't know much about testing.

 

[Rodger]

Thanks so much for the drawing and advice! Much appreciated!
I did shoot a good bit of WD40 into the latch assembly yesterday, but no change so far.
The fact that the "Door Ajar" dash lamp works fine puzzles me. Maybe there are two switches for detecting an open door?
Yes, I will check the rubber booted cable harness between the door and frame - good idea.

Getting into the door panel is not too bad, so I guess that would be next. Too bad it's getting colder outside!
I'll also check the wire harness inside the door before removing the latch assembly.
There is a pretty good U-Tube video showing how to remove the latch, but that seems a lot more work than the power window I replaced in the passenger front door a few months ago.

 

[MelsRegal]

when the radio stays on do the interior lights fail to come on also? if so the door latch switch is the most likely source of the problem.

 

[Rodger]

Thanks for asking, and I wasn't sure.
So, I just went out to check that and when I opened the drivers door (using a key to unlock, not the remote), the dome lights came on this time! Correct.
Then I turned on the ignition: the radio started. Correct.
I turned off the ignition and removed the key: the radio stayed on. Correct.
I opened the drivers door: the radio stayed on and no dome lights came on. Not Correct.
I closed the drivers door while still seated, and then opened it again: this time the radio went off and the dome lights came on! Correct!
So, it looks like an intermittent connection somewhere, and you're saying it's most likely the door latch switch or its wiring.
The hard thing for me to understand is when there is a problem, why do some functions seem to work (like the Door Ajar indicator) but not others (like the radio shutting off)?
In other words, how many different switches or sensors tell the system the door is open?
It seems if there were only one door open switch, then all of the functions would be affected the same.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[cornick]

Hey Rodger, did you have any luck with this? I'm experiencing this myself and just started researching it.

 

[Rodger]

Hi Cornick,
The problem I reported is happening a lot less frequently now. All I did was spray a few good shots of WD-40 into the door latch using the tube on the can, and the improvement was gradual. The forum consensus seems to be that it is a faulty door ajar switch, so that may now be working better with the lubrication. If the problem was a broken wire, I am not sure how the lubrication could have helped.
I have still heard no one explain why some systems (Door Ajar dash lamp) always see the door switch working correctly while others (radio turn off) sometimes do not. (See my Oct 27 post).
It looks like the replacement door latch (which includes the door ajar switch) is about $115, and it looks like it would take me about 2 hours to do the work.
Unless I start seeing the problem get worse, and/or get a solid answer to my question I will probably wait to see what happens.
This problem is more of an annoyance, which I can always solve by opening and closing either right side door. If I don't, the radio will eventually turn off after about 15 minutes, so there's little worry about draining the battery.
Please keep me posted on your experiences and progress!

 

[cornick]

I've sprayed the latch a few times over the past several days and the problem seems to be going away. The latch doesn't always return to where it should go but I know that I can just move it with my finger and it turns everything off.

Not worth the 2hrs or $115 when it takes .03 seconds to fix if it doesn't return correctly.

I'm going to keep spraying it and see if over the course of days it gets lubricated enough to function properly 100% on its own.

 

[Rodger]

That's very interesting about the "finger" test, and a great suggestion if my problem comes back.
That really helps pinpoint the problem! Thanks!

Now, a few days since my previous post, my problem appears to be completely gone!

For good, I hope!

 

[CorvairGeek]

There are two separate switches in the actuator. The Ajar switch has no effect on the lights or radio, while the Dome switch controls the lights and turns the radio off.

 

[Rodger]

Thank you, CorvairGeek!

Finally, all of my symptoms make perfect sense! The schematic says it all!
This completely explains why some functions behave differently when the driver's door is opened.

My Door Ajar switch appears to have been working all the time.
My Door Open (Dome) switch was intermittent, but now seems to be working fine, probably because of the WD-40 application.

I am sure GM had a good reason to use two switches on two different circuits to detect the same event.
Maybe there is actually some difference in when the two switches operate.
Does anybody know more?