Small Problem

[Alexlind123]

My passenger side door lock unlocks but does not lock. I tried the resynch procedure as described by the owners manual but to no avail. When i unlock the drivers door to get in, the passenger side door unlocks like it is supposed to, but when i get out and lock the drivers door, all the other doors lock except the passenger side. Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions? Edit: Front passenger is the lock in question.

[632 Regal]

most likely the wires going to the lock unit are a bit loose or corroded, clean them and use stabilent 22 or similar and you should be good to go.

[Alexlind123]

Ill try it, but the door does reliably unlock, and it "trys" to lock. When i lock the drivers door the lock jerks like its trying to lock but it doesnt get all the way...maybe i should try some lubrication and check the wires while i have the panel off. Thanks 632 regal!

[Kalevera]

The older style actuators have oblong mounting holes in the door frame (like the front swaybar/swaybar link point). If the actuator is too close to the door jamb, it will lock the door and not be able to unlock it (then the door panel has to come off inside the car...or you have to do winfred's procedure of removing the door handle from the outside of the car...pain in the ass). If the actuator is too far away from the jamb, it will unlock but not lock the car. Incompetence during reinstallation or time can cause the problem.

Good luck!

best, whit

[Alexlind123]

OK, i know what you are talking about from when i fixed the drivers side lock, ill se what i can do. ty for help.

[Kalevera]

Alex, the quick and dirty way to diagnose the actuator is to pull it out and perform a few lock/unlock operations and see what it does. It will do its thing without being connected to the lock rod, as you probably know.

best, whit

[Alexlind123]

Just as you said, the actuator was as far away from the jamb as the hols wold allow. I moved it to the middle of the mounting holes. This made the problem even worse, now it wont lock even manually (like it did before). Ill take a picture.

[Alexlind123]

http://servo.postverket.us/alex/IMG_0001.JPG

[Alexlind123]

I think its seized. It may have been only partly seized before. Time for a new one i guess.

[Alexlind123]

I can get it to lock with the key from the passenger door if i turn the key all the way counter clockwise. If i turn it just enough to lock the other doors it wont lock. Sorry for so many posts...im just a bit frustrated.

[Kalevera]

Alex, pull the actuator itself and see if it functions as it should (do a few lock/unlock procedures with it connected to the door harness, but out of the door/not connected to the lock rod). The linkage and lock mechanism may need a little bit of grease, but you'd probably feel the resistance in it when manually manipulating it.


best, whit

[Alexlind123]

I unscrewed the actuator (didnt take it out of the door) and it seems to function fine without the burden of the mechanicals in the lock. i also tried to (after the door was "locked") to fully lock it by hand right by the actuator. I couldnt. But i can lock it manually from the stud. There is no resistance in the actuator itself so there must be something a bit jammed up somewhere, i guess i will try to use more wd-40 until i think of something better to try.

[Kalevera]

Use teflon grease to loosen up the mechanism. WD-40, while it has its uses, should be kept away from almost everything automotive. PB Blaster is a much better penetrating oil, and there are myriad specialty greases that should be used to properly lube things. I only keep WD-40 around for working on the "lawn monsters", as Bidoli would say :)

I think it's best to remove the actuator from the door and lock rod to confirm its operation. It's kind of hard to see what it's doing back in there.

best, whit

[Alexlind123]

I would but i dont know how to unplug it :s

[Kalevera]

Ah, good question.

First, disconnect the harness connector from the actuator:

- Get a pair of diagonal cutters (dykes) and cut the zip tie (visible in the picture). The harness connector is held in place by a horizontal slider clip -- stick a flat head screwdriver vertically in between the metal end and the harness connector and gently pry away from the actuator. Connector should pop off.

Second, undo the mounting bolts (2x 8mm FWIR....could be 6ers, I forget....as shown in the picture).

At this point, the actuator should be hanging by the post. The post is J hooked on each end. Fuss around with it and it will fall/eventually come off. Avoid excessive force -- it's not required to get it disconnected.

Once the actuator is free, pull it out of the door (should, quite literally, have already fallen out at this point), reconnect it to the harness connector and try the locks.

best, whit

[ScarletParadigm]

"Once the actuator is free, pull it out of the door (should, quite literally, have already fallen out at this point), reconnect it to the harness connector and try the locks."

Don't stop now! I'm up to this point and a bit further with the same problem with my 89 525i (driver's door won't lock). Actuator works fine and door latch has been removed and checked out fine too. The locking pin is still jammed. This only leaves the door handle/keylocking operation. All doors other than driver's door can be locked from drivers door using key, but door locking pin appears jammed and moves very little if at all.

I suppose the door handle shall have to come off next. I read in a thread somewhere about replacing somes bushes somewhere. Anyone know anything about these?

Locks have been synched and this has not helped

[jnj90]

I was wondering if you ever got this problem fixed? My car is doing the exact same thing.

[Alexlind123]

No, it sitll wont lock on its own, it will only unlock.

Edit: thank you for the help, everyone who answered when i first posted.

[joshua43214]

The motor can weaken with age. If it is trying to lock, and it is in proper adjustment, and the latch are not frozen, the motor is bad. I have seen many actuators that can move one way, but not the other.

operate the lock with your fingers, you should be able to lock and unluck it with finger pressure, replace the motor if its ok. Remove and lube the latch if needed, I have found it hard to lube the latch in the car if it has been neglected.

[Alexlind123]

I havent opens the door in several months, but when i did i noticed a couple things. First, i can unlock the door but not lock it by using my fingers from where the actuator is.

[joshua43214]

I havent opens the door in several months, but when i did i noticed a couple things. First, i can unlock the door but not lock it by using my fingers from where the actuator is.

There you go then, pull the latch assembly, and clean and lube it up. Start with penetrating oil to loosen things and then lube it with either a heavy spray grease or mutli lube. you can get finicky with it by useing multi-lube or other high pressure grease on the parts that cam against other parts, and then graphite on the rotating areas, but it can be hard to get good penetration with graphite. I have always liked the spray lube that goes on really thin and thickens up and sticks to vertical surfaces made by Zep, cant remember the name of the product, but there are other manufacturers of similar product.

I have done this to countless latch assemblies, only a handful had to be replaced.