Freelander 1 Taildoor Microswitch

Hey.

So I have a 2003 FL1...... and its going surprisingly well as a bangermatic daily driver.

When the sun shines on the tailgate, the microswitch in the door LOCK (not handle) goes wrong. The window jumps back up when the handle is released and sometimes I get a red tailgate light / courtesy lights at strange times. I never lock the car and if left in sun, the courtesy lights can come on and flatten the battery.

Replacement locks are available but are disproportionately expensive. Looking at photos of the part, it looks like (in true rover group style) the microswitch was an afterthought with a floating connection and blue connector. Has anyone managed to replace said microswitch? I havent taken the door apart to remove it yet...... seeing if I can fact find and potentially order a stock microswitch before diving in.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Iain

My new replacement actuator just arrived today.
Below are some pic's of how it looks inside the door. It's the lower bit with the white plug...

htr said:

My new replacement actuator just arrived today.

ALR8702

Tailgate Door Actuator - ALR8702 - Genuine​

1​

£61.96​

00​

Below are some pic's of how it looks inside the door. It's the lower bit with the white plug...

Click to expand...

Hi. I thought it was more of a heath Robinson looking thing as below?

Yes looks correct. Blue plug is microswitch. White plug is solenoid to open door.

The bit you have fits to the plate with the door lock on. Think it is screwed on.

andyfreelandy said:

Yes looks correct. Blue plug is microswitch. White plug is solenoid to open door.

The bit you have fits to the plate with the door lock on. Think it is screwed on.

Click to expand...

I successfully dismantled this assembly when my Hippocrates showed the same symptoms. It’s actually not a solenoid but a small motor which spins a helix and drags the latch down. Mine was full of water and rust but after blasting it with WD40 it started working again on the bench. I stuffed as much silicone grease into the casing as I thought it could reasonably take and reinstalled it. It worked faultlessly until I regrettably sold the car three years later.

Yes have done similar work !! Thought I'd keep it simple and call it a solenoid as OP is working on the switch only. But you are correct !!