central door locks issue. not working from drivers door, ghost unlocking etc

[FetusGoulash]

copy and pasted from e30 tech not seeming to get a response there. maybe someone here has some ideas

So three problems here.
first and most annoying is that i cannot lock the car by inserting the key in the drivers door. It will only lock the drivers lock but not the other 3 or trunk.
I use the passenger side and it works flawlessly. The car unlocks via either door though

2nd:
I can not unlock the passenger front door when using the drivers side door lock or trunk. all other 3 doors and trunk unlock but not pass. front. this used to be intermittent but now it never unlocks

3rd.
when using the key to lock the trunk and therefore all the other doors it will lock then half a second later all doors unlock themselves. it happens randomly probably half the time they stay locked half the time the pop open again.
the trunk stays locked no matter what though.

Any ideas? could they all be linked to one common problem? Would the cheapo ebay keyless entry eliminate the problems or leave the pass. door lock problem?

car is a 85 318i sedan

[jeffw]

keyless entry would eliminate most likely. I had the same problem and it fixed mine. Or get the central locking checked with wiring and all

[StereoInstaller1]

1. Rebuild the drivers door lock cylinder
2. Most likely, your passenger side actuator is failing: test and replace if necessary
3. Sticky actuator (again, sounds like R/F door) can make locks pop, as can bad central control module.

[stumble_t]

3rd.
when using the key to lock the trunk and therefore all the other doors it will lock then half a second later all doors unlock themselves. it happens randomly probably half the time they stay locked half the time the pop open again.
the trunk stays locked no matter what though.

this exact thing just happened to me this morning. Its cold outside so the actuator got stiff. went inside the car and pulled up and down on the d door lock a few times. problem solved.

[wodcutr]

You are getting a bad connection on one of the pins in the drivers door A pillar. You need to pull the connection block behind the rubber boot and look at the pins. Clean with a good electrical cleaner spray and then put dielectric grease into all the connection holes and reassemble. Your problems should go away if done properly!

[FetusGoulash]

You are getting a bad connection on one of the pins in the drivers door A pillar. You need to pull the connection block behind the rubber boot and look at the pins. Clean with a good electrical cleaner spray and then put dielectric grease into all the connection holes and reassemble. Your problems should go away if done properly!

Sounds simple but i just want to clarify this. When open the door and see the rubber accordian looking boot that is where i will find this connection block? Or will i need to dig deeper into the car for it? like behind the door card or into the foot well by the speaker??

I actually just read a post on e30tech about something with this connection block collecting water and causing issues. Sounds like i need to check it out

[wodcutr]

The connection block is just behind the rubber boot...very accessable! If the pins are really corroded then you might have to get into the footwell to replace the receiver pins, but that would only be a last resort.