has anyone ever fixed their central locking on an e30?

[nando]

Anyon ever remove the lock cylinder on a 4 door? I'm guessing i need to get the window regulator out of my way..

[Navarone]

I need to do this soon, passenger side is stiff, driver side doesn't lock all of them. I have to lock from the trunk to make all the locks work. But hey, at least they lock!

Here's another article.

http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_lockrebuild.php

[Kevinl]

mine works ok but it seems like when it is cooler out side the key wont lock the drivers door without a couple tries

[bastianshaw]

I am in the same boat, my keys fits everything but I have zero power sound etc. I found this troubleshooting guide that looks pretty solid. Depending on how long it takes to knock out the brake job this weekend, I will take a crack at the central locking and report back.

http://nomad-bmw.blogspot.com/2012/1...ng-issues.html

this is good info

[Mwishlist]

my key fits everything but the drivers door but its like there is no power to the CL system, no clicks, trunk is manual and can be locked same as pass door....fuse? relay? any ideas?

I am in the same boat, my keys fits everything but I have zero power sound etc. I found this troubleshooting guide that looks pretty solid. Depending on how long it takes to knock out the brake job this weekend, I will take a crack at the central locking and report back.

http://nomad-bmw.blogspot.com/2012/10/e30-central-locking-issues.html

[F34R]

Hmmm, mine locks...then unlocks super annoying.

[bastianshaw]

my key fits everything but the drivers door but its like there is no power to the CL system, no clicks, trunk is manual and can be locked same as pass door....fuse? relay? any ideas?

[DrLeadFoot]

I have my work cut out for me! Mine needs some TLC.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[JHZR2]

This is a real good thread so I would like to add a question here. I have keyless entry in my 91 318i for about 10 years now. It worked perfectly for about eight, and intermittently (the whole system, not the keyless which I believe to be fine; the system acts up even if the key is used) until just very recently.

I'm hoping someone can advise me as to what parts may be the culprit.

If I use the keyless entry function to lock or unlock, I can hear a relay click from behind the driver side front speaker. However the locks do not regularly work. It is more common for them to properly go down then to go up. If I manually press down the driver side door lock from the inside, I can hear motion on every actuator in the car. This is not the case during unlock.

So it works intermittently, the trunk/keyless doesn't always work, and lock is better than unlock.

So it would seem to me that based upon reading this and other threads, that an actuator may be the culprit. But which one? Is there a good test for these? Is it just by feel, say, if one is stiffer than another?

Thanks!

[nando]

do NOT put WD-40 in your locks! unless you want to make them worse.

use graphite. you can get it anywhere they sell keys..

[txtorquemade]

What about some lithium grease shot all up in there? Pardon noobish question but Im having mine not pop the door button up top all the way, and feel like its not moving the mechanical part internally.

Or.. just WD-40 or penetrating oil??

[2002maniac]

Here's a tech article I wrote a while back explaining why the lock cylinder jams like that.

Note that you can order replacement lock cylinders with or without the double-lock mechanism.

The new double-lock cylinder I ordered lasted only about five years before it too jammed. Then I said screw it and replaced it with a non-double-locking cylinder. It has the elbow arm solidly pinned to the tumbler barrel, with none of that spring-loaded ball or roller gizmo at the end to mess with.

Great article!

Instead of buying new cylinders, it looks like this kit provides all the parts to rebuild a locking cylinder. Is this correct?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/...C%2FiX%2C%20M3

[themitchster359]

i just lock/unlock my car by the trunk. i don't even care to fix it. i gotta worry about oil leaks first :)

[Ferdinand]

i have the same "turn to the right and get jammed problem." everything else works fine with my locking system. im going to try the wd40 trick and then, just replace the actuator if that doesnt work.

Here's a tech article I wrote a while back explaining why the lock cylinder jams like that.

Note that you can order replacement lock cylinders with or without the double-lock mechanism.

The new double-lock cylinder I ordered lasted only about five years before it too jammed. Then I said screw it and replaced it with a non-double-locking cylinder. It has the elbow arm solidly pinned to the tumbler barrel, with none of that spring-loaded ball or roller gizmo at the end to mess with.

[accident]

Cool. Any idea what they charge?

I paid about $26 to get mine last year. Was there in about 3 days.