It looks like the door jamb switch no longer pops open so I am wondering how in the world do I replace it? Someone suggested grabbing pliers and just pulling on it till the tabs break off and it comes out. Is this the correct way? This is a 2004 Chevy Cavalier and some of the symptoms of my problems include the radio not turning off when you open the door after getting out of the car. Nor do the dome lights come on when I open the door to get in. Thanks in advance for your advice.
IF its a pin type door jamb switch like near where your door hinges…then you just unscrew it…and replace it… If it is near where your door latches…then you need to pull off the rear plastics that cover up the sides of the car… Which involves removing the rear seat etc… Depends on which type of switch you have… Its either by the door hinges…or latch…
Blackbird
I believe it is a pin-type switch, but for the life of me i don’t see how there is any way to unscrew it.
Does it have a rubber boot over it? Some do, and you can remove the boot, and get access to the bits underneath…one being the plunger, the other the screw.
Once you get it out, you may even be able to use something simple and clean it up. They’re pretty simple devices…mostly a contact to ground, a single wire and a spring. Use some sort of spray. I personally hate WD-40, but that’s me.
Chase
No, no rubber boot over it. It just looks like a one piece plastic housing with a plunger in it. No screws, nuts, or threads.
go and buy a new switch. When you see the new switch it will help you figure out how to remove the old one.
It is worth a try to try some type of cleaner lubricant to see if you can make the switch operational again.
Two versions offered at http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Duralast-Door-Jamb-Switch/2004-Chevrolet-Cavalier//N-jlellZ9ciqb?counter=1&itemIdentifier=229378_0_1792
Maybe you can match the old one, maybe you have to go to a dealer to find out. (The dealer’s parts person might even be able to tell you how it’s done.)
I don’t see anything that screws together on either version. The $23 one looks like it snaps into place from the outside … and cannot be removed without breaking it (but so what? it’s already dead). Tricky part would be to extract the back end (with the wiring) after you break off the front end.
The $7 one also looks like it snaps into place. But maybe (very faint hope) that outer ring (with the two little slots) might be a locking ring. Maybe if you give it a quarter- or half-turn it will loosen the switch body in the hole, and you can carefully pull the switch out (“carefully” so as not to detach the wiring plug). That is, it might work like one of those expanding plastic fasteners that they use to hold things together (e.g., trunk upholstery). Something like c-ring pliers or a sharp needle-nose might work in the little slots.
If not that, then maybe it’s accessed by going in behind the door jamb.
As Uncle Turbo already said, get the new one and see how it works. Or go to a salvage yard and play with one there.
Or hope that the problem is merely that the button’s slidey part is sticking. Spray some contact cleaner/lubricant on the button and see if it frees up.