I have a 2005 Grand Caravan in which I have removed the back seats and installed a bed and a cabinet, converting it into a camper that I sleep in when I attend Rainbow Gatherings. It usually remains parked in one place for at least seventeen days. (I will lose my parking place if I move it.) It is always at the end of June going into the beginning of July, and when I sleep in it at night, I often like to keep the sliding door on the passenger side open.

But this causes the open door warning light on the dashboard to go on, as well as all the numbers on the odometer, even when the engine is not running. I was afraid this could run the battery down, and it did, even when I disconnected the battery before turning in every night and reconnecting it in the morning, so that I could push the button on the key to lock it up for the day. (I also hate that antitheft system, but that’s a tangent.)

I want to retain the warning light for when I am driving, but I don’t need it at night, so I want to manually bypass something so that the lights will stay off when I’m camping. I looked for the push button switches that have been on all my previous vehicles, but I can’t find anything that looks like one on this newer car. How does the computer know that a door is open? What does it use to sense? Can I put in a manual switch somewhere?

 

manually close the latch with a screw driver? the sensor is built into the latch.

Also, I believe the warning light on the Dash will time out in 5 minute if no other action is detected even if the door is open.