has anyone ever fixed their central locking on an e30?

[TDE30]

TDE30, rubber disk? no idea what that could be. What i'm talking about are clear plastic cylinders that act as bushings for the linkages. There are like 6 per door, something like that.
the only way to fix broken lock actuators are replacement. new or used. get the one off your trunk or gas door if youre going used. that way, if the used one sucks, its easily accessed via trunk.

Yeah, we're talking about the same thing, I just thought they were rubber.

That's what I was figuring about the door actuator, oh well, at least it will get rid of that painful noise.

[Knockenwelle]

To order new key the hard and cheap way, you can remove the tumbler, take the pins out and note down the code. This code can be used for reproducing an e30 key.

i think.... right? ive never gone through with it but i know that that code is essentially the key's cut.

Is this true? Also true about the VIN matched key? I've been wanting to get a new properly matched master to make spares from, rather than my old worn version.

[LaserAWD]

I just fixed my central locking last night. I traced it down to the drivers door actuator not working properly. It would work from the inside but not with the key. Once I replaced the actuator it's working good as new.

[TwoJ's]

I just said fuck it, got keyless and shaved the locks on the doors.

[mikeedler]

Is this true? Also true about the VIN matched key? I've been wanting to get a new properly matched master to make spares from, rather than my old worn version.

go to the dealer with a copy of your title, and your drivers license and they can have a key made for you. the easiest way.

[Gooch]

Mine has never worked, the previous owner said he disabled it, but I have no idea what he did to disable it. I haven't found any cut wires near the control module under the drivers speaker, and I also tried replacing that module and still nothing. My doors and trunk lock like normal non-powered locks.

Maybe someday I'll pull the door panel and have a look, I really would like to get keyless entry, but I need my central locking working first.

[Knockenwelle]

go to the dealer with a copy of your title, and your drivers license and they can have a key made for you. the easiest way.

Cool. Any idea what they charge?

[accident]

Cool. Any idea what they charge?

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

[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.

[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 :)

[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/smart/more_info.cgi?pn=51-21-9-061-343-M9&catalog_description=Door%20Lock%20Repair%20Kit%2C%20Left%20(Only%20for%20cars%20with%20central%20locking)%2C%20E30%20318i%20(from%209%2F84)%2C%20318iC%2C%20318i%20M42%2C%20325%2Fe%2Fes%20(from%209%2F84)%2C%20325i%2Fis%2FiC%2FiX%2C%20M3

[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??

[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..

[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!

[DrLeadFoot]

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

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