Help with "door open" warning light (94 Pathfinder)

I'd appreciate your suggestions on what might be the cause of a
bothersome electrical problem we have on our 1994 Pathfinder.

When we drive, the "door open" dashboard light stays on, though
it sometimes goes out or flickers on/off when we go over a bump.

When we turn the motor off, the dashboard light goes off, but the
courtesy lights at the driver's and passenger's feet remain on.
Obviously I want to fix this, as it could drain my battery if those
lights stay on long enough.

The footwell lights are brightest when I open a door. When I
manually press in one of the five door switches, the footwell
lights dim a bit, but they remain on.

Do you know specifically where the door switch relay is located?
I found an electrical schematic, but it didn't show relays.

Help! Any suggestions are welcomed.

it sounds like one of your door switches
is either loose or it could be defective.
check one door at a time to find which
one it is. they are located on the bottom
of the door frame.
worse case you might have to replace
one of them and they are around $20.00
at the dealer.
dick

Thanks--I'm beginning to think it might be the switch located at
the rear door latch. I'm told it is embedded in the latch assembly,
and if it is defective I might need to buy the entire assembly.

Ouch!


D. wrote:

it sounds like one of your door switches
is either loose or it could be defective.
check one door at a time to find which
one it is. they are located on the bottom
of the door frame.
worse case you might have to replace
one of them and they are around $20.00
at the dealer.
dick

I removed all five door switches on my '94 Pathfinder, and the
"door open" light still stays on--so my problem is apparently not
due to a bad door-switch.

One clue: sometimes the "door open" light will go off briefly when
I drive over a bump in the road.

Any idea where to check next?

Thanks.


Al wrote:

Thanks--I'm beginning to think it might be the switch located at
the rear door latch. I'm told it is embedded in the latch assembly,
and if it is defective I might need to buy the entire assembly.

Ouch!


D. wrote:
it sounds like one of your door switches
is either loose or it could be defective.
check one door at a time to find which
one it is. they are located on the bottom
of the door frame.
worse case you might have to replace
one of them and they are around $20.00
at the dealer.
dick

Al wrote:

I removed all five door switches on my '94 Pathfinder, and the
"door open" light still stays on--so my problem is apparently not
due to a bad door-switch.

One clue: sometimes the "door open" light will go off briefly when
I drive over a bump in the road.

Any idea where to check next?

Thanks.

Perhaps a wire for a door switch is wore through and is grounding out
where it passes through the door by the hinge side. To check, put all
the door switches back in, then open one door at a time, and while
holding the switch button in on the door, jiggle the wires and see if
the light goes out.

Al wrote:

Thanks--I'm beginning to think it might be the switch located at
the rear door latch. I'm told it is embedded in the latch assembly,
and if it is defective I might need to buy the entire assembly.

Ouch!


D. wrote:

it sounds like one of your door switches
is either loose or it could be defective.
check one door at a time to find which
one it is. they are located on the bottom
of the door frame.
worse case you might have to replace
one of them and they are around $20.00
at the dealer.
dick

--
Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To Email, remove the double zeroes after 'at'

Remove the latch on the body of the vehicle in the rear (not the latch on
the hatch but on the main body). Place one or two flat washers on each bolt
under the latch. Reassemble and you should be good.

"Al" <acunniff (AT) advancedbionutrition (DOT) com> wrote

I removed all five door switches on my '94 Pathfinder, and the
"door open" light still stays on--so my problem is apparently not
due to a bad door-switch.

One clue: sometimes the "door open" light will go off briefly when
I drive over a bump in the road.

Any idea where to check next?

Thanks.


Al wrote:
Thanks--I'm beginning to think it might be the switch located at
the rear door latch. I'm told it is embedded in the latch assembly,
and if it is defective I might need to buy the entire assembly.

Ouch!


D. wrote:
it sounds like one of your door switches
is either loose or it could be defective.
check one door at a time to find which
one it is. they are located on the bottom
of the door frame.
worse case you might have to replace
one of them and they are around $20.00
at the dealer.
dick