door locks don't work....stuck open

[motuman]

I just purchased a 1990 535i and the door locks are all stuck open. None of the locks can be closed manually or with the key. I tried searching some of the forums, but this is not a failure mode I was able to read about. (I ordered a Bentley manual, but has not arrived yet). I need to try and sort this out over the weekend, any ideas where to begin?

Thanks to all.

[Kalevera]

If the previous owner ever incorrectly jumpstarted the car (connected negative to positive and positive to negative), it would've caused all of the motors in the lock actuators in the car to spin in reverse at such high speeds that the gears get stripped. Most idiots (especially the redneck mechanics around here) don't know that brown is ground on european/german cars. Digression: tell them that the battery's under the rear seat and they go, "I ain't touchin' it!" and/or, "It's a gawddamn beeeemer!"

If the lock can't be manipulated from the inside of the car or the exterior door lock, chances are that's the problem. The gears strip and the actuators seize. Lucky for you it didn't happen when they were in the "locked" mode.

I bought my car with the same problem. The actuators are not serviceable with this problem, they have to be replaced. Only the trunk locked on my car - manually with the key. I had to pull all the door panels and replace all of the lock actuators (and the ones for the fuel door and trunk lid) to make it work right. If you don't feel like doing the work, expect to pay at least $800 to have a mechanic do the four doors with used parts. I can only imagine what the stealer charges. I got the entire thing done for less than $150 and my time.

Bentley's doesn't cover the idiocy of the PO. I could f'ing kill the guy, though (read my thread from a few months ago entitled, "$@#% Previous Owner" [sic]).

Here's a pic:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v736/suzpectx/lockacutator2.jpg

...and I still haven't gotten all of the electrical gremlins out of my car (down to TWO).

best, whit

[motuman]

Wow, it sounds worse than I thought!

Using the glint of hope that used BMW buyers use as currency, I was hoping it was just a fuse, relay, or reset situtation.

Did you buy the actuators new or used for $150?

Thanks - Rob

[Kalevera]

Hi Rob. They're a few hundred each when new. These units are actually robust. I wouldn't be concerned about buying good, used parts for this. Just make sure that they're not in teh same condition as your current ones are.

I bought pass side front, both rear doors, and fuel actuators from Bret (Rigmaster) on the board. He's got great service, and he may still have the driver's actuator that I didn't need. I bought the other two (driver's and trunk) on eBay. Total for the parts was less than $150.

One piece of advice: there are two kinds of lock actuators used in the e34 - an earlier "submarine" style (shown in the pic because that's what our cars have) and the later box type. The earlier ones have to be synched. Unfortunately, they're not interchangable. I bought some of the newer style accidently. The only cars that have the style that will work in our cars are: 88-92 e32, 89-92 e34. Earlier e28 may look similar, but they've got different connectors. I think Javier confirmed that the 92 MY is when they were changed...check the online ETK to confirm -- http://www.realoem.com -- if that becomes an issue.

If the locks can't be manually manipulated, I can almost guarantee that this is the problem. If they can be set manually, then it's an electrical issue.

It's not a big thing to fix if you're mechanically inclined, but it is a pain. I couldn't lock my doors for a few months until I got the parts; as well, I had the door panels off for most of that time to reglue them and because it's a pain to take them on and off, so the car's interior looked as ghetto as the lack of paint and dents do on the exterior :)

best, whit

[motuman]

Thank Whit, it appears you are correct. I removed the drivers side doors panels. Both front & rear actuators were seized, did not work work when power was applied, and could not be moved by hand. So it looks like all 6 actuators are going to be smoked.

This is a real eye-opener for e34 owners, be careful jump-starting your cars!

Thanks again Whit, you saved me a ton of time.

[Kalevera]

lol...my pleasure, mate. I'm sorry that we weren't able to inform you prior to purchasing the car -- ya probably coulda haggled the price down a bit further :)

best, whit

[motuman]

I consulted 3 different mechanics, "BMW specialists" prior to the purchase (only 1 saw the car). They all said "probably no big deal" a fuse, or a relay or a maybe a module is out. When I called looking for used actuators yesterday, the first scrapper said, "yeah, happens all the time, we're always selling the actuators for that reason".

Live and learn.