Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Ford / Ford Cars / November 2007

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Electrical problems 98 Ford Taurus

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
voyagergibbs - 23 Nov 2007 17:48 GMT
Hello all,
I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
ajar light is on most of the time but sometimes goes off and the
instrument illumination lights dont work. Are these two related? If
so, where would you start to look? The side mirrors dot work and the
driver side rear window also dont work.

Thanks,

Tom Gibbs
Bob Urz - 23 Nov 2007 19:12 GMT
> Hello all,
> I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Tom Gibbs

I would check ALL the grounds under the hood, including to the firewall,
battery cables, and battery to block. (clean and retorque as necessary.
Then you need to find where the under the dash grounds are and do the
same. Not sure where then are on a gen 3.

Bob
Tom Adkins - 24 Nov 2007 04:41 GMT
> Hello all,
> I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Tom Gibbs

Bob makes a good point about the grounds. They can cause a lot of
strange electrical issues. Certainly check them.
In my experience with Ford products in general these problems are
usually unrelated, although I've seen them all on the same vehicle at
the same time.

Here's what I would do first:
Door Ajar Light- usually the pin switch in one of the door latches
sticks. You'll also notice that the interior lights may stay on for a
long time after you exit the car, about 10 minutes IIRC. Flood the
door latches with WD-40 into any crevice the tube will fit into. Aim
high, the switch is in the door latch, above the "jaw" area. Then open
and close the door about 20 times. The light should go off. Follow up
with a shot of white lube (spray lithium grease) in the latches. If
the problem returns, one of the switches will need to be replaced. An
electrical manual and testing is needed to determine which one.

Left Rear Window-  The motor gets "stuck" from non-use or is damaged
from kids holding the button in the UP position way too long. Turn the
ignition switch on and watch the dome light. Push the window switch to
the down position. If the dome light dims just slightly, the motor is
"stuck". You may have to do it a few times to really see the dimming.
If so, open the door and stand between the door and the car. Push the
switch to the Down position and smack the interior panel below the
grab handle (toward the bottom of the door) with a rubber mallet, or
the side of your fist if you're tough, really hard a couple of times.
The window will probably go down and work fine for a while. It will
"stick" again eventually so a new window motor is in order soon. (bad
spot on the commutator).
If you don't get the "dimming" then further testing is needed. You;ll
need the electrical manual. (If it dims UP,and not DOWN, the switch is
usually bad).

Note: I'm not questioning your intelligence, but I've seen a lot of
cases where the user isn't familiar with how the controls work on
their car. For the mirrors and inst, panel lights, make sure you know
how the controls work. (Again, I only point this out  because I've
seen it very many times).
For the mirrors you twist the knob left or right to adjust the
respective mirror.
For the Inst. Panel Lamps, the dimmer is a thumbwheel to the right of
the headlight switch. Roll it upward to brighten the lamps.

Outside Mirrors- (Make sure you are twisting the mirror knob Left or
Right to adjust the left or right mirrors respectively, center is OFF)
The biggest culprit is the mirror switch itself. If neither mirror
will work in any direction, turn the L/R switch from left to right
about 20 times then try it. If the mirrors work now, cool. When the
switch stays in the centered position for a long time, the contacts
may not conduct well.  If not, you'll need to do some more testing and
an electrical manual is necessary. (the switch is probably bad)

Inst. Panel Lights-(Make sure the dimmer control is turned all the
way up)  Check the fuse first and foremost. Is there any aftermarket
electronics installed on the car (Radio, lights, etc)? If so, the
wiring to the aftermarket things is suspect. If no aftermarket stuff
and the fuses are good, the dimmer control for the lights is the usual
culprit.
The radio display should light up bright with the park/head lights
OFF and dim slightly with the lights ON. If the radio goes blank with
the lights ON, check the dimmer control setting and the fuse. If
that's not the problem, guess what?  Yep, further testing is needed.

I hope this helps.
voyagergibbs - 24 Nov 2007 18:10 GMT
> > Hello all,
> > I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 71 lines]
>
>  I hope this helps.

Thanks Bob and Tom

I got everything lined out except the dimmer but I really want to wait
til dark to be sure. The light in the ashtray is in the same circuit I
beleive and it does not illuminate but the bulb looks good. With the
dimer switch all the way up there is a switch that turns on the dome
light. Does that indicate that the dimmer switch is good? I know it is
a potentiometer but in the full position and the dome light working
that seems to indicate there is a closed circuit. Are they 2 separate
circuits?

Thanks,

Tom Gibbs
ScottM - 25 Nov 2007 01:06 GMT
>> > Hello all,
>> > I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 86 lines]
>
> Tom Gibbs

yes, two seperate things
Tom Adkins - 27 Nov 2007 01:51 GMT
> > > Hello all,
> > > I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 86 lines]
>
> Tom Gibbs

If I remember right, the inst panel lamps are supplied by the park
lamp circuit through a separate 3(?) amp fuse. Check for power to that
fuse with the lights on. If there is power to the fuse, work toward
the dimmer.
If no power at the fuse, make sure the park lamps work and look in
the direction of the headlamp switch.
The switch for the dome lamps is part of the dimmer but entirely
separate electrically.

Was I anywhere close on the other issues? Just curious.
voyagergibbs - 27 Nov 2007 15:04 GMT
> > > > Hello all,
> > > > I have a 1998 Ford Taurus and a compound electrical issue. The door
[quoted text clipped - 99 lines]
>
> - Show quoted text -

Hello Tom,

You were dead on with the other problems. I cant even tell you how
much I appreciate the time you must have put into writing the
explanations.

Thanks,
Tom Gibbs
Tom Adkins - 29 Nov 2007 07:47 GMT
> >  Was I anywhere close on the other issues? Just curious.- Hide quoted text -
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Thanks,
> Tom Gibbs

Great. Glad to help. I like to check myself from time to time.
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2009 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.