Dome Lights Not Turning On With Door Open & Driver Door Lock Issue

[yervs]

Hey guys, brand new here, just got my first E30, a 1991 318is! Totally in love with it so far. I was going over the car and noticed a few issues. I've done a bunch of research but I can't find any threads that can replicate my exact issues.

Dome Light Issue:
Dome lights turn on when manually switched on, but will not turn on automatically when the door is open. Presuming the door ajar sensor works because I hear the dinging sound when the car is on and the door is open, but the lights will not turn on. Any ideas what it could be? Just replaced the interior dome lights with brand new ones from Hella, and still having the same issue.

Driver Door Lock Issue:
Lock will not go up or down when manually pulled and pushed. When key is inserted, I'm unable to turn it at all. The driver door lock will work and engage, however when I use the trunk lock to lock everything. Bad actuator? Bad cylinder? Any ideas?

Heres the car btw :)

[tomstin]

For the dome lights, time to break out the wiring diagram. Do they come on when you open the passenger side door? On some models (not sure which or all) the driver side has a timer on it, and that maybe your problem if when opening the passenger side lights will work.

Real dumb question, the dome lights have a three position switch, off, on and timer (door open)...are you sure you have it in the right position (mentioned as I chased my tail on that issue)?

As for the door locks, if they don't go up an down manually, time to open the door panel and take a look, something is probably jammed. If they don't go up and down smoothly and easily, the mechanism won't be able to operate them.

[yervs]

checked the light position and they are in the right spot. they don't come on with the passenger door either. also, why would the door locks work from the trunk but not at the actual door, could it be the central locking controller?

[Gregs///M]

Regarding the dome lights, classic BMWs have a real problem with the pin switches making poor contact due to copper oxidation. Take each pin switch out and re-work it, cleaning all contact areas and ensuring good electrical connections to the dome light wiring and chassis ground bonding. That usually repairs it.