Grand Caravan V6-4.0L (2008)
Door/Trunk Ajar Indicator/Lamp: Description and Operation
Description
DESCRIPTION
Door and liftgate ajar indicators are standard equipment on all instrument clusters. The ajar indications appear within the fixed segment odometer
Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) unit on vehicles not equipped with an optional Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). On vehicles equipped
with the optional EVIC, the ajar indications in the odometer VFD are electronically suppressed so as not to duplicate indications that are provided by the
EVIC. The odometer VFD ajar indicators are textual door or gate messages that appear in place of the odometer/trip odometer information. The EVIC
ajar indicators combine a textual Door Ajar or liftgate message with an appropriate International Control and Display Symbol icon for Door(s) ajar
or Boot (rear trunk) ajar .
The odometer VFD unit is soldered onto the cluster electronic circuit board, and is visible through a window with a smoked clear lens located at the base
of the cluster overlay right gauge dial face (Dodge) or the tachometer dial face (Chrysler). The EVIC VFD unit is soldered onto the cluster electronic
circuit board, and is visible through a window with a smoked clear lens located at the base of the cluster overlay speedometer dial face. The dark lens
over either VFD prevents it from being clearly visible when it is not illuminated. The ajar indicator textual messages and icons appear in the same
blue-green color and at the same lighting level as the other information displayed in the odometer or EVIC VFD unit when it is illuminated by the
instrument cluster electronic circuit board.
During daylight hours (exterior lamps are OFF) the odometer and EVIC VFD units are illuminated at full brightness for clear visibility. At night (exterior
lamps are ON), the VFD lighting level is adjusted with the other cluster illumination lamps using the panel lamps dimmer thumbwheel of the headlamp
switch on the instrument panel. However, a PARADE mode position of the thumbwheel allows the VFD unit to be illuminated at full brightness if the
exterior lamps are turned ON during daylight hours.
The ajar indicators are serviced as a unit with the odometer or EVIC VFD unit in the instrument cluster.
