Central locks help please

[fdourado]

So,
When I go to unlock my car (1991 318is) on the drivers side, my locks will jump up and down various times, in which time I have to jump quickly into my car and put the key into the ignition. Also on the drivers side lock, my key will turn a full 45 degrees when i try to lock it (and thus will not let me lock the car). On the passenger side, I can lock the car just fine, but again when i try to unlock it, the locks jump up and down.
If i try to push the pin down manually on the drivers side door to lock it, it will not work. but i can push up on it fine. the passenger side door allows me to manually push up and down with no problem.

I've already replaced the control unit under the drivers side speaker to no avail. can anyone speak to this issue? many people have problems but from what ive read its mostly their control box.

[reelizmpro]

What does jumping in the car and putting the key in the ignition have to do with your door locks? Is there an alarm installed? If so, why are you still using your key to lock/unlock? Sounds like you have a couple of issues. What happens when you use the trunk?

[fdourado]

well the lock jumping seems to stop once i put the key in the ignitition (but it stops on its own after a bit). there is no alarm installed. i can lock and unlock the trunk as i please. Are the trunk locks supposed to lock and unlock the whole car, because it doesnt.

[reelizmpro]

Yes, the trunk is supposed to lock/unlock the whole car. Did you clean out the door jamb terminals in the connector? look for corrosion, then clean or replace damaged terminals. Do this first before changing any actuators.

[fdourado]

i have been looking for corrosion and i will continue to do so. But dont you think there is something mechnically wrong with the drivers side door if i can turn the lock 45 degrees? it doesnt seem normal. also, i cant physically push down on the drivers side door pin and lock the door.
guess i just have to jump in the and poke around. just wanted to see if anyone else had this specific problem. thank you very much

[German Audio Specialties]

i cant physically push down on the drivers side door pin and lock the door.

I assume you know that the door must be closed to lock it, right?

You can fool the latch into thinking the door is closed by flipping the latch, is that what you have done? I have such a knack for closing the door with the latch down...es no bueno.

As Barry said, there is no connection between the ignition switch and the door lock system, but it is a common "feature" of aftermarket alarms. If I were you, I would look very carefully in the dash to make sure you don't have an alarm, unless you are 100% certain. However, to me, it sounds like you have an actuator that is binding or something.

Let me see if I can shed a little light:

The actuators have 5 wires. 2 of them run the motor in a typical reverse polarity configuration, 2 others tell the central lock module what to do and the last one is a ground wire that is only a signal input.

So, when you move that actuator, it sends a signal to the module, and tells the other locks what to do, right?

So, if one of those actuators (2 front doors and trunk, all other are only 2 wire) is sticking for some reason, it will send an incorrect signal to the module...and you are saying that the passenger door is sticky and acting weird, right? Sounds to me like that might be the issue here.

So, first thing to do is unplug that passenger actuator and test the rest of the system. If all is OK, replace or repair as needed.

GL!
Luke

[fdourado]

I assume you know that the door must be closed to lock it, right?

You can fool the latch into thinking the door is closed by flipping the latch, is that what you have done? I have such a knack for closing the door with the latch down...es no bueno.

As Barry said, there is no connection between the ignition switch and the door lock system, but it is a common "feature" of aftermarket alarms. If I were you, I would look very carefully in the dash to make sure you don't have an alarm, unless you are 100% certain. However, to me, it sounds like you have an actuator that is binding or something.

Let me see if I can shed a little light:

The actuators have 5 wires. 2 of them run the motor in a typical reverse polarity configuration, 2 others tell the central lock module what to do and the last one is a ground wire that is only a signal input.

So, when you move that actuator, it sends a signal to the module, and tells the other locks what to do, right?

So, if one of those actuators (2 front doors and trunk, all other are only 2 wire) is sticking for some reason, it will send an incorrect signal to the module...and you are saying that the passenger door is sticky and acting weird, right? Sounds to me like that might be the issue here.

So, first thing to do is unplug that passenger actuator and test the rest of the system. If all is OK, replace or repair as needed.

GL!
Luke

Luke,
Thank you for your response, I'm well aware the door must be closed in order for me to lock it. I'm not the "noob" my title suggests lol. I'ver researched the schematics and I was going to check for continuity and all that jazz like you suggested, but guess I was just looking for a quick fix. Unfortunately this seems like one of those things im gonna have to spend a few hours working on. I will report back when I get a chance to crack it open.

[twistednut]

Sound like a problem I had a few months ago. There is a micro switch that disables the other locks if you turn the key in the drivers door 90*. Disconnect it and see if it solves your problem. It did on mine.

[StereoInstaller1]

Sound like a problem I had a few months ago. There is a micro switch that disables the other locks if you turn the key in the drivers door 90*. Disconnect it and see if it solves your problem. It did on mine.

Wait, you had high security locks on an M42 car?

[fdourado]

I had some time today, so I took a crack at this again. One of you brilliant gentlemen said the trunk was supposed to lock and unlock the doors, I had never known this because that feature wasnt working on my car. so naturally, since that part was not working I started looking there.
Turns out the actuator in the trunk is garbage, so i unplugged it and BOOM, instant power locks, but no trunk lock so i plugged the actuator back in and the looks were still working... so im just going to call this one a win.

Door does still not lock on the drivers side so there is still an issue there. It's a classic case of 2 problems appearing to be one problem.

Thanks fellas, hope this helps some poor bastard in the future

[German Audio Specialties]

and thus, we type.