Door Switch Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Ensure accuracy of exterior lights with routine care

Routine checks of your door switch will ensure your exterior truck lights are functioning properly. Your door switch is found on the box side of your door jamb, while the magnet is located on the door.

When functioning properly, your door switch is considered a closed magnetic switch with a ground signal. If you notice that scene lights remain on or you’re getting a ‘door open’ warning on your front switch panel when your doors are closed, it’s time to test your door switch functionality.

Troubleshooting Your Ambulance Door Switch

Start your door switch troubleshooting by turning your truck key into the ‘run’ position, but do not start the engine.
Next set the parking brake, then verify that all doors are properly shut.
- In RC Tronics Systems you will have to isolate your lighting issue by slowly opening the compartment door to see which of your compartment lights is already on.
- On the VMUX Systems, you’ll have to take the additional step of putting the transmission into the ‘drive’ position. Then your front switch panel will indicate which door is signaling as ‘open’.
Now put the transmission back into the ‘park’ position.
Then go to the indicated door and verify that the magnet is still in the door.
- If so, find another magnetic source and using the back of a magnetic tool, place that magnet against the switch in the door jamb.
- If your compartment and scene lights go off when the magnet is placed against the switch, your door magnet needs to be replaced. If not, your door switch is not working properly.
Using a small screwdriver, pry the switch out of your door jamb. After it’s removed, place your alternate magnetic source against it to see if your compartment and scene lights respond.
- If they do, you can reinsert the switch into the door jam, and again, verify that it’s functioning properly. Sometimes the hole is just a little too tight and taking the switch out and reinserting it fixes the issue.
- If after reinserting it, you note the switch is still not responding to the alternate magnet source, your switch needs to be replaced.

Alternative Testing Method

Another way to verify that your switch is bad is to cut the wires on the switch.

If you cut the wires and your ‘door open’ warning on your front switch panel doesn’t go off, then your wires are likely shorted out from the ground.
Alternately, if you cut the wires and the ‘door open’ indicator light do turn off, then the switch is bad.

Replacing Your Ambulance Door Switch

To replace the switch, strip the wires back. Then using a small screwdriver, loosen the small wire inserts in the switch and insert the stripped wires into them.
Next, tighten up the screws making sure that there are no wires crossing between the inserts. If there are this would cause the ground signal to bypass the door switch and show a ‘door open’ indicator all the time.

Use this same procedure if you have a door switch not coming on, the door isn’t turning on compartment or scene lights, or the switch is stuck open instead of closed.

Taking steps to ensure your door switch is properly functioning will prevent injury and allow your equipment to operate as designed. As always, if your ambulance is experiencing any electrical issues, our experienced technicians are here to diagnose and repair, so you can get back in service as soon as possible.