Howdy again, y'all...

My '97 JGC has recently started complaining that the rear door glass is ajar (actually, it just says "liftgate ajar" or something to that effect). This lil' issue also sometimes irks my neighbors when my alarm suddenly starts going off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason ;)

I'm pretty sure it's the liftglass, rather than the liftgate, because if I gently push on the glass, the warning on the info display panel quits blinking and beeping at me.

Going to the dealership, I am told the sensor is part of the whole latch assembly for the glass, and the price is (as I recall) $120 for the assembly. I would rather just disconnect it than pay $120, but since I have yet to even pull of the plastic around the liftgate and look at it, I am wondering if there is any way to adjust the latch/sensor? I will probably pull off the trim and try to lubricate everything, or perhaps even rig something up that will push the sensor just a little farther in when the window is closed.

I know the sensor is not off by much, because when driving, sometimes the warning will come on and then go off again after just going over a small bump or a rough road. So I don't think the sensor has FAILED, per se, just that it is not quite positioned correctly.

Has anyone been inside thist part of the beast and discovered anything about it that will help me out? I'm not necessarily a cheapo, but $120 to stop a little annoying warning chime/blink seems a bit steep to me (though the wife, who apparently is more easily annoyed, has decided I need to do something about it one way or the other before she drives anywhere with me again *LOL*).

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Heyyyyyyy...another thread made me think (ouch, never a good idea right after lunch )

My outside rear liftgate latch is loose. Just a little, but enough that every once in a while I have to push in on the trim surrounding the latch while I lift up on the latch.

Could the two issues be related? I would think not, as I think the two latches are locked/unlocked/opened/closed independently of each other and with different actuators...however, if anyone knows different, holler!

I guess I can just get in there and look this weekend, but am just trying to steel myself against what the task might be.

Thanks!
Paul

Well, figured it out. Took the back panel off, looked at the switch, and wouldn't ya know it, turns out when I push the end of the lil' plasic sensor in toward the latch, the light goes off. So, I remove the glass switch sensor from the latch (and they say at the dealership you have to buy them both (sensor and latch) because they are one unit?!?!?! WTF???? I think the parts guy is whacked.

Anyway, I take the sensor out, squeeze the pot-metal edge down a bit so it holds the plastic end cap of the sensor a bit tighter, reinstall the switch, and viola!! A working switch. No alarms in the middle of the night for the past week since I did it. It's good for another few years, I suppose.

Never underestimate the usefulness of vice-grips when working on technologically advanced auto components *ROFL*