Door locks

[Chris227]

Hey everyone..

I've got a 1993 325i with a pretty weird locking problem...

well today at lunch time i unlocked my car like usual and went to the local supermarket... when i got back to work and attempted to lock the car, it wouldnt lock.

No doors lock at all, but i can hear them *try* to lock... if i play with the key in the door i can get them to go down half way... and the sound from them locking is about 1/4 of what it used to be. i have an aftermarket alarm and the controls for locking and unlocking do the same exact thing.

i checked the fuses and swore a lot but thats about it.... any ideas anybody? this thing is going to drive me crazy. please dont let me goto the honda dealership tomorrow and buy a civic, just because my locks are broken.... lol... ok jk but you get the picture...

thanks a lot in advance

[Rickman]

Firstly, check the batteries in the key fob unit. That's always a good start. My understanding with aftermarket fitted central locking is that the sender unit works off the driver's door. If this unit stops working, then none of the rest will get the signal. Another thing to check - check inside your door panel (driver's) as the actuating unit basically just "lifts" the metal door button post. It may be getting stuck on the way up, or down. All of the above happened to mine and I have worked some of it out by pulling the trim off myself to actually see what was happening. It is not a very technical system - it works electronically and mechanically. If it is the electrics you will need to get a new sender unit. Each door has a sub-unit that also may need replacing, but this is the worst case scenario. Hope this helps.

[Chris227]

I can understand what you are saying regarding the lock getting stuck on the drivers door... this happened to me on another BMW...

i'm coming down to thinking that its simply just the entire door locking unit in the drivers door... it seems like i need to press fairly hard on the button now in order for the doors to attempt to lock, and let me just say again that it seems like the locks try to lock... but with less effort it seems.... its really weird... and it has the same effect when i use the key in the drivers door and passengers door...

thank god i have a parts car in the back yard!!! :)

[Chris227]

actually, one more thing.

i know for a fact i wired the aftermarket alarm central unlock to the factory alarm plug.... and NOT to the drivers door directly....

damn, that just threw me off completely.... any other ideas??

[Rickman]

Well you got me there. My car was bought with the system already in it, but it was definitely aftermarket. My simplistic view is that you just add an actuator to the standard unlock button post and it wires into the system. You can use the key to unlock it or the key fob. Mine cost $500 to fix and the dealer wouldn't cover it under warranty as it was aftermarket. I needed the drivers door and 2 other doors replacing. Have you pulled anything apart to have a look yet? I'll bet it's the driver's door actuator.

[Bimrpwr]

Take the aftermarket keyless entry out or disconnect the power to it and see what happens. I am betting that is the issue. I have seen them do weird things to our cars. It is also possible that one of the door lock actuators is causing the issue. Also assuming that you checked your fuses to make they are good for the locks

[Chris227]

Well now to stir things up a bit...

i sort of found the problem. well not really, but its a start....

its not related to the aftermarket alarm, i unplugged the unit completely and the doors still wouldnt lock.... but then i unhooked the negative terminal on the battery for a minute and reconnected it, and then the locks worked!! so then me being so happy i started fixing other things on the car.... and when i went to lock it probably half an hour later it did the same thing....

im thinking door lock module? this is the black box on the right hand side behind the glove compartment right?

[zimmerhaus]

The drivers side door lock on my 328I stopped working yesterday. The POD will lock and unlock the passanger side, gas cap and trunk but not the drivers door. I can insert the key in the drivers door and it will lock and unlock all doors. I am thinking the solenoid is bad!

:dunno:

rz

[robertplattbell]

I just completed this on my 1997 328iC.

Power door lock actuator failures are a common problem on the E36. Heck, they are 10 years old - or more.

Pelican has the part for like $50.

BavAuto had it for $72.

If ALL of your locks are not working, chances are it may be something else (or the laws of probablity are standing on their head and they all failed at once).

If it is just ONE lock, then it is likely this actuator. Usually the driver's side fails first (for obvious reasons).

I did this the hard way. Learn from my mistakes. The lock acturor SNAPS into the door latch. Once you get the door panel off, it is a pretty easy job to swap them out.

BUT, if your door panel hasn't already delaminated (pulled away from the clip bars) it likely will when you remove it. So have some glue ready.

Here are some pictures you may find helpful:

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/557789582nyYUxv

Good Luck. I got it all back together and everything works great, and the door panel has no rattles or issues. Happy Camper!