320i Central Locking Probs

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Hi Gang, are having one heck of a problem with the central locking and petrol cap security flap (Is it on the same fuse)on our 86 321i Bimmer,can anyone tell me if there is a common fault on this model or even where to start..

TX...

[Guest Andrew]

What specifically is going wrong?

[Danny Kiwi 0]

What specifically is going wrong?

WEll they are dead and will not work...the odd thing is the Petrol Cap Lock does not go either and needs to be activated from the Boots

[hotwire 352]

Hi there, Have you tried operating from passenger door or boot locks -they all operate c/locking.

If not working from all 3 locks check fuse 27. If thats ok it is possibly the door lock control module at fault - these are known to fail.

It is located in the bottom of the drivers side kick panel -remove trim -under a plastic cover. If this proves the to be the fault I have one listed on trademe -auction 64272995

Also petrol flap lock is on same cicuit hense that not working

Good luck

Edited July 26, 2006 by hotwire

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Hi there, Have you tried operating from passenger door or boot locks -they all operate c/locking.

If not working from all 3 locks check fuse 27. If thats ok it is possibly the door lock control module at fault - these are known to fail.

It is located in the bottom of the drivers side kick panel -remove trim -under a plastic cover. If this proves the to be the fault I have one listed on trademe -auction 64272995

Also petrol flap lock is on same cicuit hense that not working

Good luck

Thanks Hotwire have added to watchlist...No locks at all working or Petrol Lock but I do hear a relay clicking over so i hope the device that pushes the snip button up itself has not failed this car was left out in the rain we had down here in welly..

But thank you so so much for your tip....now i know what fuse the lacks are on...This Vachel was purchased without even an owners handbook

[will 169]

The central locking module is prone to water damage where it is located. That would be my first port of call. If it is water damaged, find the source of the water and fix the leak, also make sure the drainage holes in the sills are clear, if they are blocked it won't help.

If the module is full of water, clean it with a good electrical cleaner (dick smith has these) and dry and retry. This will often fix them, but not always.

Check the pins in the plug connecting to the module are not corroded, another common fault. Again clean with a cleaner and spray with a water repellant compuund when assembling.

Will

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Thanks Will ,when you say central locking Module I presume you are referring to the one that was mentioned that is behind the Drivers Side Kick board?? also do the Solenoids pack up???we have taken the Trim off the drivers side door and should be able to feel it yes??

Also when you talk about the connector ,is it the one that is covered by a Rubber Sleeve that comes from the Right Guard to the Door???How do i find this main connector ??as there are about three????

Thanks so Much Gang for your input??

God I need a Bentlys Manual....hahahahahha..The Haynes one is Crap..

[Danny Kiwi 0]

We have taken out the Kick Board and have spotted the Black Plastic Box that must have the Central Lock Module in ,,But how on earth do you Prise it up???It does not seem to want to come up??are the two Screws below perhaps Anchoring it???

TX,,

[will 169]

The box is held in by those 2 self-tapping screws that will be below where the speaker hole is.

The connector is the plug that joins the wiring to the box, the one I think you are referring to would be the wire that goes to the indicator repeater lamp.

Refer to the pic, I have circled the 2 self-tappers you must remove. The circled wire is the one that goes to the repeater lamp and has nothing to do with the locking unit.

I will attach 2 more pics below..

Will

next pic is of the locking module with the connector plug circled. Check this for corrosion between the plug and the module pins.

The last pic is a plastic thingy which should be above the module just below the speaker.. you need to get this out before you can get to the module. It is not held in with screws but can be a bitch to remove sometimes.

(just discovered I can put more than 1 pic up at a time... silly old git that I am! )

I have a mountain of bits here so yell if you need anything or need more help.

Will

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Man this is awsome.....and i thank you so so much for your help...is the plug that plugs into the Central Locking Unit the one that they say can get corroded pins ????

I notice that there is a rubber Boot covering a group of wires that go from the back of the Front Guard to the door?,I get the impression that there may be a Plug and Socket some where in there or in the door too that they refer to as a problem...how do i get to see that as i cant seem to roll the rubber surrounding the wiring loom back??

TX a Million..

[will 169]

Yup, the plug into the bottom of the C/L module does corrode... check that when you get the module out and spray with a corrosion inhibitor before reassembly.

Yes, that rubber boot on the door jamb can be difficult to remove. Just persevere. Separating that plug is also a b*tch. I will post photo of how to do it when I get home if you don't succeed.

Essentially when you get the rubber off, you will see 2 tabs on either side of the plug... these you need to squeeze inwards, even helping them release with a fine flat screwdriver, while pulling on the wires to separate the plugs. Undoing the door stop pin will help you get some more working room but be careful you don't open the door onto the fender and dent it... use a bit of cardboard on the fender edge to prevent this.

The pins in that plug do corrode quite badly but normally your c/l will still work from the boot lock switch even if the driver's door is corroded and not working. You said yours isn't working from anywhere so I am targeting the module first and working outwards...

Will

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Thanks again Will and Hotwire..Your help is absolutely awsome...I am sure we will get this fixed in no time as it appears to be the CLU or the Actuators that seem to go wrong with this setup(Jese I hope its not just a faulty earth)..hahahhaha

Tell me what is the best Plug to use in the E30 320i a Boch or the NGK Equivulent???I find that with my 535i it make quite a bit of difference to the Idle if you use the German Plug..

[will 169]

Mate, the earthing of these cars is the root of all problems!!!! you need to check that the wires to the earthing points are clean and functional. So many problems caused by bad earths.

Your main earth points are behind the cubby, under the rear seat and in the boot, depends on the model as to what goes to where. There are other minor earthing points around, ie the column switches earth on the column and DO work loose causing wiper etc faults...

I have found Bosch to be better in BMW and NGK to be ok in other makes, NGK didn't seem to last well under severe driving in my bm's, but seemed ok in my various hotted up fords etc. My opinion anyway.. stay away from Champion plugs is all I can say...

Will

[Danny Kiwi 0]

Hi Gang we have finally fixed this problem and it was the Central Locking Computer behind the Kick Panel that had to be replaced and thanks to a Guy called Ian ,who lives in Park Ave, Loer Hutt, we have finally purchased a unit and got it going..P.S,,(I added the Ian bit because he may just read this column..)