Cheapest way to add visibility out the back doors? (2010 Build Thread)

[lowspeedpursuit]

After a month of real life and no free time, progress!

 

The first thing that happened is the junkyard misfiled my order as "local pickup". When I didn't hear anything after 2 weeks, I called them up, and they were super apologetic and charged me $50 for 2-day shipping instead of the originally quoted $102 for ground, so that's ultimately a win.

 

I immediately turned around and spent the money I saved on these absurdly overpriced things. These are L-shaped blades for an oscillating saw that you use to cut through old urethane. I originally bought them to remove the blank panel in my van's door non-destructively, in case something went wrong with the window and I had to put it back. I don't know if there have always been different sizes of oscillating saw chuck, or if there's a standard for most applications, and a separate standard for the special tool a glass-shop uses, but these blades don't actually fit my saw. The panel is pressed in so tightly that cutting it out was a huge pain, because the saw would vibrate its lock-bolt loose and the blade would try to rotate, so I had to stop and readjust a bunch of times. You're also not going to be able to cut into the corners, so once I had cut around all the straight edges, I basically just kicked the shit out of the panel until it popped out.

 

Then I unbolted the door from the van, which is 2x T40 torx on each of the 3 hinges. The top bolt on the middle hinge (I've marked the hole) is tight against the hinge and you can't get a ratchet on it, so I used a 3/16" allen key. I also dropped this foam-shaped oval seal on the ground; it covers the electrical contacts on the door. I was ultimately left with this:

 

 

 

Next I cleaned all the old urethane off the pinch weld. I started with a normal razor blade, but this ended up being pointless. It was too hard to get into the corners, and it turns out the oscillating sawblade absolutely obliterates old urethane on an open surface. Knowing this, I wouldn't do the job without it, even if I didn't care about saving the fiberglass panel. Once most of the urethane was gone, I cleaned up the remainder (and a bit of rust here and there) with a flap disc, then masked and hit it with white spraypaint.

 

 

While the paint dried over the next few hours, I started prepping the junkyard window. They sent it to me with what looks like 100% of the urethane still attached to it, complete with taxicab-yellow paint. I tested really jamming the oscillating sawblade against a random piece of glass I had lying around; it didn't crack and barely scratched at all. So, I felt comfortable using the blade to clean up the junkyard window. After a couple passes, I cleaned everything up with rubbing alcohol. I found a 3M windshield replacement instructional document that said to remove old urethane to 1-2mm max, and I definitely got below that.

 

 

Because I was dealing with old urethane, I decided to use primer this time around, which I didn't do on the back doors. It turns out that glass urethane primer is stupid expensive--like several times more expensive than the sealant. The 3M stuff is available in two sizes: enough for a handful of windows, and enough for all the windows, ever--but more importantly, it goes bad in a week after you open it. I decided the most cost-effective solution was this thing, the Betaprime single-use stick. You screw the tip all the way on, and it breaks the seal, then you apply the primer with the foam applicator. It's pretty much guaranteed to fall apart by the end of the job, and from what I've read, the primer is even nastier on skin than the urethane. I primed both the window and the pinch-weld. The 3M document says to let the primer dry for 5-10 minutes.

 

Finally, I applied urethane from the second tube I bought during the first half of the project, again using the V-notch method. I also ran a second bead diagonally through each of the corners.

 

 

Six hours to set up, and the door can go back on the van. Still need to clean the outside of the window glass, as well as the window's sliding track, because the window as it arrived won't close quite far enough to latch. May also redo the bumper stops, which are just sheet metal screws right now. I feel like there should be something softer in there to protect the edge of the glass.

 

I'll also post up some measurements of the glass-in-glass window, in case somebody in the future who really, really wants one ever decides to have one custom-cut. I will note that the visible area of the window is limited strictly to the slider, which I didn't realize before. The fixed-glass windows have narrower black bezels on all sides except maybe the front, and so will offer better visibility.

 

Final cost for this part of the project: $90 (window) + $50 (shipping) +$48.70 (sawblades) + $11.67 (primer) + miscellaneous shop supplies. Total cost ~=$201.

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by lowspeedpursuit
math

[windguy]

Congrats - Great update. Excellent detailed write-up.

Your homework, careful prep work and install yielded masterful results. Job well done!

Now you definitely have to keep the van. Too much sweat equity to do otherwise.

 

[Fifty150]

A very detailed account.  Thank you very much.  One day, someone will find this on an internet search.  That guy will owe you.

[lowspeedpursuit]

Thanks dudes!

Door is back on; blue loctite on every bolt except the one blocked by the hinge. Put a good-enough effort into hinge alignment, cleaning paint and grime off the window, a bit of misplaced primer off the inside and a bit of overspray off the door handle. Ran a spudger through the track and dripped some mineral oil into the bottom, which allowed the window to latch reliably, although you still have to pull upwards a bit at the end.

Took the van to the next town over and everything stayed where it's supposed to. Visibility is great even with the gigantic bezels; can clear my blind spot to merge left without having to lean super far forward. Haven't deliberately leak-tested it. Figure if it leaks a bit, there's nothing I could do but have a professional company reseal it, and when I was setting up this project, local Go-Glass quoted $200 just to remove the fiberglass panel! So, it is what it is, and we'll find out next time it rains. Hopefully it's all good.

Finally, popped some small vinyl vacuum caps over the screws that are acting as stops for the glass. I'm not sure if they're meant to be screwed into some sort of soft blocks that have fallen off, or what, but since the general public won't be manhandling this thing anymore, I figure this should be fine for now.

 

For reference, the slider itself is approx. 16" tall, 15" wide before the taper, and the tracks are 1/2" deep.

 

 

22 hours ago, windguy said:

Now you definitely have to keep the van. Too much sweat equity to do otherwise.

 

It's certainly starting to seem that way. Took it camping, inflated an air-mattress in the back, and suddenly everyone's gotten strangely attached to it. Next project: pushing 80kmi, I'm due for trans. filter & fluid, and for another $40 I figure I may as well convert to the Mazda drain-plug pan at the same time.

 

I guess I could start a build thread to reference whatever else I do and what parts I use doing it.

 

[Fifty150]

Looking Good.  Thumbs up.  High 5.  ?   Can't wait to see your next project. 

 

By the way, I saw your freeway chase yesterday.

 

 

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Nah, your man is flooring it, he just doesn't know how to shift the aux box out of low-range.

[Fifty150]

 

 

That guy ran for hours in 1st gear.  I wonder why.

 

 

 

 

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Aight, this is my general build thread now. If anybody ever sees a mod again before Lost convinces the webhost to shut the forum down, feel free to move it to the build thread forum.

 

First: followup on sliding windows. Big storm; no leaks in the urethane. But, those three plastic rivets in the forward exterior bottom corner are open at the bottom, to drain rainwater out of the track. They introduce wind noise at highway speed. I guess taxis don't spend a lot of time going 70. My girlfriend says she can barely hear it, but it drives me bananas, so I slapped some tape over the rivets and the noise stopped. But, if it rains, a bit of water does back up into the track. I got a few drips down inside, and I don't want to grow mold in the track seal. A more permanent solution might be some sort of stick-on airdam, like aftermarket drip rails.

 

-----

 

Next project: trans fluid change, simultaneously addressing Ford's baffling decision not to include a drain plug. Original plan was to swap to the Mazda pan with a plug, part# FN11-21-51XB. But, the ~$40 listing I was looking at turned out to be bullshit: cheapest possible for OEM seems to be $52 from QuirkParts on Ebay.

 

I decided to treat that as the backup plan, and vaguely follow this dude's advice to install the Dorman 65241 for ~$6. I didn't swap out the nylon washers, but I did apply RTV. If I get leaks, I can either pick up more .025 wire and weld it to the pan, or I can buy the Mazda pan after all.

 

 

So first off, the bottom of the engine bay on this thing is a goddamned joy to work on. Nothing is in the way of anything. Honda should take notes. Trans pan is held on by 20 8mm bolts. Oil that came out was not red. Filter has some kind of plug clipped to it (yellow wires) but it pops off super easy. New filter is WIX 58617 / FT1210. It's the nicest one that comes with a rubber gasket.

 

An aside: the spec on this trans is Ford's grey RTV, which by my understanding is like Permatex Ultrablack in the aftermarket. If the rubber gasket leaks, I'll switch back, but at first glance, RTV in this application can blow me. The raised lip on the trans pan means you can't just scrape the old material off; it sticks in the corners at the base of the lip. Brass-bristle brush was the best strategy, and it started to flake some of the paint off the pan. Trans body cleaned up with a scotchbrite pad.

 

 

The drain plug goes on the back edge of the pan. I centered it in the flat bit in the middle, as low as I could get it while leaving space to apply RTV on the inside and clear the magnet, which sits right there. Hole is 1/2". Torque is 2-fingers on a 3/8" ratchet. The nature of the drain hole means this plug will drain slower and leave more fluid behind than the Mazda pan. Again, between those concessions and the potential for leaks, this job might end up getting done again at some point in the future.

 

 

Relevant page from the shop manual. Ford specs special solvent to remove the old RTV. 89 in/lbs is ~7.5 ft/lbs.

 

Fill up and leak test tomorrow.

 

Edited November 14, 2022 by lowspeedpursuit
pics

[Fifty150]

9 minutes ago, lowspeedpursuit said:

Honda should take notes.

 

 

 

On older Honda models, it was pretty easy to disconnect the transmission cooling line, drain the fluid into a bucket, then fill from the fill port.  It's been a few years since I had to crawl under a Honda.  I don't remember a drain plug.  But I do remember that plug on top.  As I recall, it also needed a washer.  

[Fifty150]

18 minutes ago, lowspeedpursuit said:

leak test tomorrow.

 

 

It should be fine.  Looks like you worked clean and did a good job. Thumbs up.  High 5.

[G B L]

Good Job, Now that the plug is there you can change the fluid at a good interval and the small amount left behind won't matter.

[lowspeedpursuit]

Most of my beef with Honda comes from our '02 CR-V. To its credit, the trans drain plug is actually right there. Everything else about it--ownership and maintenance both--is a total nightmare.

 

I read about pulling the cooler lines and letting the pump push fluid out on the TC, but it wasn't immediately obvious to me in the dark where the trans ends attach, and I decided not to screw with it. I'm not much of an auto guy, and the cooler lines when I manual-swapped my Ranger were a bitch and a half to break free. I also read another dude talk about using copper spray on the rubber gasket, so that's an option I hadn't considered.

 

 

Happy to report no obvious leaks. Didn't measure the fluid out, so I started with 3qts. back in, which got me to the bottom of the dipstick at hot idle. Another 1/2qt. filled it up. I understand now why the first guy I referenced retapped the drain to NPT: if you crank the plug down, you quickly squeeze the o-ring out. So, I got it as finger-tight as possible, then made a mark and didn't see it loosen up at all on the test drive.

 

After mixing it up, I used the new drain to measure 1.5qts out, then finished off the 5qt. jug refilling. Drain takes about 50 seconds to flow 1qt. When I put the plug back in, I hit it with some anaerobic sealer on the threads, just in case. For what its worth, shifting seems a bit smoother.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Finally got around to converting both my front power points to switched using N/O relays. I have learned two lessons:

 

1. Don't work on anything plastic when it's 26* out. The shifter surround, which normally just pulls right off, shattered into 3 pieces. Ostensibly they still make them, so maybe it's a $40 mistake rather than an irreparable one. For now it's epoxied.

 

2. If anyone ever needs a switched power trigger and is also not a fan (or just out of) scotchloks or fuse taps, a/o 2010 switched power to the rear wipers is the Green/Blue wire at pin 5 in C219, which is the white plug in the driver's kick panel. If you don't have rear wipers, the wire terminates there, and you can depin and use it for whatever. If you are fuse-tapping, it's on 20A fuse# 180, shared with the front wipers.

 

 

EDIT: Another 2010 popped up at the super-close, super-busy junkyard on the 17th. Grabbed the shifter surround for $5, plus some other trim I needed. When I have time, gonna make another trip with tools to grab the intact upper B-pillar trim, since mine had the back cut off when the cargo partition was installed.

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by lowspeedpursuit

[lowspeedpursuit]

P0304 "Cylinder 4 Misfire" led me to do spark plugs, as well as parts-cannon the #4 coil. Discovered oil on the #4 spark plug threads. No obvious oil in the tube, but I did the valve cover gasket and plug tube seals anyway. You don't need to remove the bolt on what I assume is the cam sensor. Inside, the valve cover gasket was flexible and blue, but the tube seals were black and brittle, which leads me to believe someone in the past replaced the main gasket but was too lazy to do the tube seals as well.

 

Big ups to Ford for the 3x extra-long studs, because "extra-deep 8mm sockets" are totally a thing that normal people have. Got the back 2 with a 5/16" box wrench, but there's no room to swing on the front one, so it got-vise grips. For posterity, here's the torque order, spec (~7.5 ft/lbs), and location of a seam in the head that requires RTV applied:

 

 

At the same time, the AUX in has been on the fritz, and I also got turned around a couple weeks ago and got tired of juggling GPS on my phone, so I yanked the stock stereo in favor of a Jensen CAR710W, the cheapest way I could see to get in-dash wireless Android Auto. I'm not really a fan of those humongous "floating screen" tablets just hanging there off the dashboard.

 

~$364 with install gear from Crutchfield. Their radio keys don't work very well, and I took 2 wires (green/white and small-gauge black) out of the harness adapter for steering wheel control, which I don't have. I have some nitpicks, but overall everything works well-enough.

 

-----

EDIT: Next on the agenda, the passenger slider power lock has been jamming more and more often. Inconvenient when it won't flip unlocked; dangerous when it won't lock. Nothing's binding inside the manual toggle on the door, it just wiggles and doesn't turn when you hit the button on the fob. Took the door card off to inspect & lube. In typical modern Ford fashion, almost all of the lock hardware, including the power lock, is inegrated into the latch to make one huge mechanism, 9T1Z-6126412-A / 9T16-V264A32-FB. First number is from the manual, second is printed on the part and may be Euro-spec. Point is, it costs fucking $360+, and isn't [officially] serviceable. Lubed the toggle and anything else I could get at, and it did start to spin more freely, but the power lock still won't actuate reliably.

 

Would like to try prying the case open to see if I can finesse something inside, but I can't risk breaking it since the latch is needed to hold the door closed. If they still have it, junkyard wanted $150 for a complete door, and my stock door has multiple other problems. Until then, I unplugged the actuator to make "manual locks", but that makes the door pretty useless without the exterior keyhole I assume factory manual locks come with.

 

 

EDIT: Grabbed the junkyard door, but the lock does exactly the same thing. Attempting to rebuild via Jammin1's worm-gear motor replacement thread.

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by lowspeedpursuit
more work

[lowspeedpursuit]

Following up on a couple different projects:

 

On the radio, had some Android Auto connection issues. Mostly solved by downgrading the CAR710W to the Jan. '22 firmware. Seems completely sorted after Google's staggered release system finally upgraded my AA to 8.6.625054. Both Jensen and especially Crutchfield were beyond accomodating; I can't recommend Crutchfield enough.

I also reversed the tilt on the radio from all the way "down" to all the way "up" (bottom sticking out), which reduced glare through the passenger rear window driving away from the sun. It also helps a little that the glass in my junkyard door is a bit darker than stock. I'm not sure if one level of tint is meant to come in "cargo vans" and the other in "wagons", or what, but you can clearly see the difference:

 

 

My 1020098 lock actuator motors came in, so I replaced the motor in my original latch mechanism, and installed it in the junkyard door. I bought a four-pack and have earmarked three, so if anyone in the US needs one in an emergency and can't wait for shipping from China, feel free to ask. Everything works great. Behind the door card is a water barrier with Eurospec part number 2T14-V237A04-DA. I can't find the US part number (part's not shown in my manual, or the distributors I've checked) but it's probably discontinued anyway. I slit it down the sides and across the bottom, then duct-taped it back into place. Barriers in the back doors are long gone, so whatever.

Big thanks again to Jammin1 for proving it could be done. This is the new motor installed. Rest of the disassembly pics are in his thread.

 

 

Finally, I finished converting the hybrid '12 Focus driver's seat from TransitConverter101's thread. Unlike the passenger seat, where you can just install the Focus base foam, seatback, covers and trim onto the TC base, the driver's side is a minor fabrication project no matter how you slice it. The "optional" reason is that I was detemined to keep the TC armrest, but differences between the Focus and TC base height-adjustment levers mean that neither vehicle's outside trim piece will fit without modification.

 

The TC armrest has a square post that latches into a receptable on the inside edge of the seatback, but they're made of aluminum, which I'm not set up to weld. But, the receptacle is riveted to a steel plate. So, I just cut the plate away from the TC seat, duplicated the angle, front-to-back position, and distance from the recliner mechanism centerline on the Focus seat, and welded it into place. I actually rotated the angle a few degrees counterclockwise/rearward, because I felt like the TC armrest was a hair low, and always set it to its highest setting. Now I feel like the entire range is more usable, but it does mean that when it's fully stowed, it can stick out a bit behind the Focus seatback. I don't seem to have a picture of welding it into place, but just assume my welds look kind of mediocre.

 

 

When I had the seatback apart, I also saw the support spring mesh was broken, so I tried to adapt the TC mesh (left pic), figuring I'd be adding lumbar support at the same time. This was a bad idea, and the seat with the TC spring ended up being terribly uncomfortable around my upper back. I guess that means the support spring is the biggest reason why the TC seats are so uncomfortable, and someone else might try swapping just the Focus spring into the TC seatback, avoiding the need for other modifications. Unfortunately, Focus spring CV6Z-5864646-A (right pic) is unofficially discontinued (none in stock, no backorders), so you'll still need junkyard Focus seats to get one.

 

I repaired my broken spring with the welder and some chicken-wire, swapped it into the passenger seat, and moved the undamaged passenger spring into the driver's. I haven't checked if the Focus base springs might clip right onto the TC bases, and also be more comfortable.

 

 

For the outside trim, the TC recliner lever sits in the same location as the Focus height-adjustment lever. This pushes the TC height-adjustment lever really far foward, and it attaches to the mechanism (pic 1) via an intermediate linkage (pic 2). I ground out the rivet on the linkage, leaving behind the rounded-V-shaped piece that screws to the mechanism. I took the direct-acting lever from the Focus seat and welded it directly to the V (pic 3). To get everything to fit nicely, I had to space the V out from the mechanism a bit and clearance the slot in the Focus trim a corresponding amount, as well as clearancing the metal around the rear screw-hole (pic 4). Rather than doing what it I did, it might be easier to cut/shave the upper round part on the TC trim to accomodate the Focus recliner controls.

 

 

Both seats installed. Everything works, and they are noticeably more comfortable than stock. You can see I left the TC lumbar support control in place even after switching back to the Focus spring, solely to cover the hole I cut in the side of the seat. At some point I'll dye one of my armrest upholsteries black to match the Focus covers.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by lowspeedpursuit
spelling

[Fifty150]

6 hours ago, lowspeedpursuit said:

finally upgraded my AA to 8.6.625054.

 

 

The latest version of Android Auto:

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

So I was curious about this: I guess people outside the beta are getting the Coolwalk UI update randomly, independent of package version. I got it right away even though I was on 8.5.x, But if I used "clear data" during troubleshooting, it would revert to the old UI until I reinstalled.

 

I was worried that upgrading outside of the play store might also revert out of Coolwalk. Do you know if that's the case? Or is it a moot point because any version marked "beta", which I guess is 8.8.x at this point, will always have Coolwalk?

[lowspeedpursuit]

After getting code P0132 "O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage", not finding any vac leaks, and deciding it was due anyway as I approach 90k miles, I'm back to complain about the Duratec upstream O2 sensor. In summary: fuck this thing. You'd think it's super easy, right? It's right there sticking off the back of the motor, near the top:

 

 

But when you put an O2 sensor socket on it, it hits those heater hoses behind it, and there's nowhere to swing a wrench. I found out later they make an O2 sensor crow's foot, but honestly the thing was welded in there so tight I can't imagine any split socket would do the job. I cut most of the sensor off with a hacksaw and used a normal socket on a 1/2" drive ratchet with a cheater bar, and it still took like an hour. It came out looking like this. New sensor wouldn't thread in, either, because clearly the old one obliterated the threads on the way out. So I go to Autozone and spend $10 on an O2 sensor tap, and it immediately eats itself as well:

 

 

To the tap's credit, it did unfuck the situation enough to install the new O2 sensor and save me from having to pull the manifold, but holy shit.

 

In summary: if your upstream O2 goes out on a 1st-gen, consider just selling the van and getting something else.

 

[Don Ridley]

Nice work. I have never seen a tap get chewed up like that. Maybe the parts-store quality is to blame. 

 

Hopefully a couple of rewarding beverages has calmed you down : )

[lowspeedpursuit]

Thanks! I hadn't either, and one of the cooler guys at Autozone refunded my $10.

 

Didn't get to relax until later last night. Went to do the belt, which is pretty straightforward and well-documented across the web, and the 15mm nub on the tensioner failed, so that was a surprise $52 expense.

 

 

Also made some additions to the back for day trips to the woods on a "Walmart special" budget. Got a really comfy "cot"-size trifold that fits behind the seats and takes up less width than the full-size air mattress, and hung a screen curtain in the back doors to keep the bugs out. Haven't decided how to trim it yet, so for now the extra height is folded over at the top and fastened to the headliner. Gonna try and fab a small fan to slot into the sliding window, and throw some pictures up when it's all squared away.

 

[G B L]

One of these would have helped with the O2 sensor

[lowspeedpursuit]

No pics for this one, just a PSA: if the cylinder head temp sensor fails, it also locks out the A/C, which was new for me as somebody who's only driven older vehicles.

 

 

I'd been getting extended crank times for a couple weeks, and wasn't sure why. After a medium-sized road trip, got P1289 "Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor Signal Greater Than Self-Test Range". Ordered the sensor since it was cheap, cleaned the plug, and reset the code.

 

Next day, the code came back, temp gauge stopped working, and I noticed the A/C was also out. Thought I had two separate problems, but later that night I noticed the rad fans were screaming, locked at full speed even at normal engine temp.

 

I guess when the computer can't tell engine temp, it takes really aggressive steps to prevent overheating, which also includes locking out the A/C. Replacing the sensor not only cleared the code, fixed the temp gauge, and let the fans spin at normal speed, but allowed the A/C to work again as well.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

EDIT: Fixed the missing pictures before I start my next project. Although, if the site's gonna stay broken indefinitely (it's been what, 3 months?), I guess it doesn't really matter.

 

-----

 

Replaced the driver's front door lock/latch assembly, following up on problems with the ajar switch and locking. Used the SMP DLA855, and solved most of the problems I was having. Install isn't terribly complicated, but there are a lot of steps. You're supposed to unplug the battery or pull the fuse to prevent the power locks from going off while you work on it.

 

12 screws hold the door card: 3 each on the left, right, and bottom edges, one behind a trim button in the inside lever, and two behind the pull handle. Edges are phillips, interior are T20. You also need to disconnect the mirror switch by prying up under the arrow. Three 8mm bolts hold the left window guide in place, which you can set aside without removing it from the door:

 

 

You need to remove the manual lock cylinder. Slide out the big clip that secures it against the door skin and insert the key. Hold it unlocked, press in the highlighted button with a screwdriver, and release the key. The button will stay pressed in, and rotating the key towards locked will rotate the entire cylinder, which removes from the outside. Then, pry open the green clamp and separate the outside handle rod from the latch assembly:

 

 

At this point, the only things holding the latch assembly in place are the 3 T30 screws on the edge of the door, the inside lever cable, and the power lock wiring. The other end of the cable is removed by prying the gray tab up out of the way, locking the door, and popping the cable end out of the manual lock button:

 

 

And that's pretty much it for a remove/replace.

 

 

I also had to replace the return spring in my inside lever, which had snapped off at some point. In order to remove the spring, you need to drill out the riveted rod that holds the assembly together, but doing it this way saves $30 over buying Dorman 82175 (plus you're not relying on Dorman). I measured a left-hand torsion spring with 5-6 coils, the surviving leg 1" long, and IIRC an ID of .31" and wire dia .05". It's not an exact match, but I bought a pack of 9271K639 from McMaster Carr. It comes with 2" legs. You want to cut 1/2" off the "bottom" leg that will be retained by the housing, and 1" off the "top" leg that will move with the lever. A random machine screw and cap nut replaced the riveted rod. I believe the size is #4.

 

 

So that works pretty well. The tension is stronger than stock, and I'll see how it holds up over time. It's possible the spring is over-wound.

 

 

Finally, inside the latch assembly and speculation on how mine failed. To access the lock mechanism gearbox, you remove 6 T15 screws. The one highlighted is the short one. To get to the ajar switch, you need to remove the entire gearbox, which requires bending the 5 tabs out of the way and removing the cover over where the manual lock cylinder engages:

 

 

With the cover off the gearbox, you can see the back of the ajar switch. With the gearbox removed, you can carefully flip it upside-down (you might want to put the cover back on to hold the gears). Deep-cleaning this switch stopped my door from reading ajar, turning on the dome light, and refusing to lock when it was actually closed. Note that rebuilding the assembly, including reattaching the gearbox, requires moving all the different parts into the right positions to accept the next part that fits into them. The lever that actuates the ajar switch is kind of tricky.

 

 

Unfortunately, cleaning the ajar switch didn't make my door lock and unlock reliably. Didn't matter if I replaced the worm gear motor, either. I believe this is down to the return-to-center rotary spring for the big gear failing. I went over the details in maso1888's thread. With my old assembly, you could feel the tension from the gears not returning-to-center if you tried to actuate the locks manually after using power locks, and slamming or tapping on the door would free up the gears and it would work again.

 

 

The new assembly works about 90% of the time so far. When it still fails to lock, the cable isn't bound up like it used to be, so I'm honestly not sure what's going on, but I did forget to unhook the battery, which has made the locks behave erratically in the past. It's infinitely better than it was, so frankly I'm not going to fuck with it.

 

Edited January 18 by lowspeedpursuit
reupload pictures

[Fifty150]

What an adventure.