Question about rear hatch- how to unhook door light from the inside?

[Chester]

Hey. I was just rear ended in stop and go traffic. It seems to have bent the bumper both up and down. I can't open my rear hatch and I can't get the door light on the dash to go out. Usually, I just open the hatch and close it again and it engages/ the door light on the dash goes out. I have disconnected the positive from the battery so I don't drain my new battery. My question is, what do I need to unhook inside the rear hatch / rear door to make that light stop draining my battery? I don't want to keep attaching and unattaching the battery. Thanks for responses! I guess I will be looking for a new rear bumper!

[timsrv]

Sorry to hear about that. Sometimes I feel like my vans have targets painted on them (my 3 best vans have all been hit........my cargo van twice).

It's the courtesy light switch inside the hatch that you want disconnected. If you can't open the rear hatch it's not easy, but not impossible. You'll need to take the interior panel off the hatch, then separate the harness connection to the switch. The switch is attached to the latch (bottom center). This should prevent the rear hatch from illuminating the dash warning light and the rear dome even when it's open or ajar. Tim

[Chester]

I got the inner panel off and I can't figure out how to undo the plastic toyota connector on the wire coming from where the latch is. I am willing to cut it ( especially as it is looking like I will need to replace the hatch back door itself) , but I want to make sure I will cut the correct wire. It seems to be the only one coming straight up to the the door lock mechanism from where the door latch is near the bumper. Is that the correct wire?

Update on my van, it is looking like they will "total it" because the impact on the rear bumper caused the passenger side body frame under the bumper to bend/ collapse. It also pushed the door opening into a strange shape- I can see daylight both under the rear hatch and on the passenger side of the hatch- about an inch to an inch and a half in both places. I see the daylight from the inside looking out.

[timsrv]

Cut the red/blue one.

[Chester]

Thanks, red and blue wire cut and idiot door light on dash is off. I got the hatch door open and because the impact actually moved the bottom of the door opening down, I put a few washers under the strike plate and adjusted where it is and now I can open and close that rear hatch.

Like I said earlier I think they are going to total it,and I will have the option to buy it back and keep it with a salvage title. I should find out in a couple of days. My question is if I keep it do I need to worry about exhaust gases coming in under the rear hatch because it doesn't seal correctly? Should I have the tail pipe shoot out the side or just stuff the area under the hatch door with an old blanket in the winter? Not so worried about the summer.
thanks

[timsrv]

Too hard to predict how back-drafts and air currents work at different speeds & varying conditions. To be safe, if you're not going to fix it correctly, then seal it off. How you do it will depend on your future plans for the van. If you never plan on fixing right, then perhaps use gorilla tape on the exterior seam, then use some spray foam around the crack on the interior. Spray foam is a roflroflroflroflrofl to clean off, so if you think there's a chance of fixing it right, use something less messy. Tim

Hopefully you can do a better job than this guy did :rol::roflmao::LOL2:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/timsrv/TVT%20pics/carpetbondojob_zps63b759b8.jpg