Driver door lock acting up..

[Bo525i]

My driver door seems to be able to send the lock/open signal but not receive it.

If I use the key in the driver door it locks/opens all the other locks incl. deadlock but if I lock/open the car using any of the locks; passenger door, rear trunk/boot it simply doesn´t lock/unlock, same thing with the remote, all but the driver door react.. And of course at the first try of locking using the other locks or the remote, the GM immediately unlocks the system again!

All fuses are checked and good, front and rear. Syncronizing sequence doesn´t help any, neither manual or disconnecting the battery for 15 mins etc, rear harness is good and recently fixed!

Could it be that the microswitch is fecked so that the circuit is disconnected and it doesn´t receive the signal from the other locks? Or is it the actuator thats worn down?

Any ideas where to start?

[bad_manners_god]

My driver door seems to be able to send the lock/open signal but not receive it.

If I use the key in the driver door it locks/opens all the other locks incl. deadlock but if I lock/open the car using any of the locks; passenger door, rear trunk/boot it simply doesn´t lock/unlock, same thing with the remote, all but the driver door react.. And of course at the first try of locking using the other locks or the remote, the GM immediately unlocks the system again!

All fuses are checked and good, front and rear. Syncronizing sequence doesn´t help any, neither manual or disconnecting the battery for 15 mins etc, rear harness is good and recently fixed!

Could it be that the microswitch is fecked so that the circuit is disconnected and it doesn´t receive the signal from the other locks? Or is it the actuator thats worn down?

Any ideas where to start?

I say check the microswitch first, make sure it's not stuck.

[525i winter driver]

My driver door seems to be able to send the lock/open signal but not receive it.

If I use the key in the driver door it locks/opens all the other locks incl. deadlock but if I lock/open the car using any of the locks; passenger door, rear trunk/boot it simply doesn´t lock/unlock, same thing with the remote, all but the driver door react.. And of course at the first try of locking using the other locks or the remote, the GM immediately unlocks the system again!

All fuses are checked and good, front and rear. Syncronizing sequence doesn´t help any, neither manual or disconnecting the battery for 15 mins etc, rear harness is good and recently fixed!

Could it be that the microswitch is fecked so that the circuit is disconnected and it doesn´t receive the signal from the other locks? Or is it the actuator thats worn down?

Any ideas where to start?when my ps door wouldn't lock (it unlocked ok tho) it was the mechanism that was all gunked-up and some wd40 followed by white grease did the trick. i couldn't tell you exactly where... i just let loose with the lube. i could see the lock button (plastic thing) struggling to move tho - if you are getting nothing at all then this might be completely useless information.:)

[Bo525i]

Already gave it a healthy dose of WD40, no difference yet! :)
Got a new used actuator from the scapyard, going to get a microswitch as well after I have checked ALL the wiring and connections from the driver door to the GM..

[nirvana19]

Already gave it a healthy dose of WD40, no difference yet! :)
Got a new used actuator from the scapyard, going to get a microswitch as well after I have checked ALL the wiring and connections from the driver door to the GM..

my neighbors car is doing the same thing. i'm going to tackle it soon, i'll keep everyone up to date.

[Ross]

Actuator
What is a 525iTU-M?

[Bo525i]

Technical Upgrade-Manual :)

[genphreak]

WD40 attracts dust adn debris and is a short-lived solution. Also, it easily damages plastic and other synthetic parts too. Once, I sprayed it on some bare steel nuts and bolts and put them in a drawer They were the only ones I had that went trusty within a year in that drawer and some feel caution is warranted with the stuff.

I usually remove the mechanism, clean it with a rag, brush and replace the worn bits. Then dust all moving parts with high-temp grease and powdered graphite. between the bad bits. Where you can't get to can require a good spray w/ WD40, but it should be wiped as dry as possible. The doors get dirt in em and this is not something to do too often, its too much like hard work.

[Bo525i]

Well, today it seems that my driver door decided to "oh well lets work for a while again till he thinks that I´m alrite and then go bust for 2 months again"

So for now all my central locking problems are gone and all is summerly well! :)


Thanks for all your input and I think I´ll clean out the WD40 a.s.a.p.

[BennyM]

when my ps door wouldn't lock (it unlocked ok tho) it was the mechanism that was all gunked-up and some wd40 followed by white grease did the trick. i couldn't tell you exactly where... i just let loose with the lube. i could see the lock button (plastic thing) struggling to move tho - if you are getting nothing at all then this might be completely useless information.:)

I've also had some temporary success using those anti-freeze cans that squirt right into the keyhole. Think they're like 50 cents at Wal-Mart.

[Bo525i]

For the love of god, I accidently hit the lockbutton on my rear pass. door with my elbow while the door was open and now my central locking is out of sync again and I´m not able to resync it in any manner at all.. Grrrrrrrrr! So I´m back to square one, everything works, interior lights, comfort close and the all doors except the driverdoor if I try to lock or open the car from the front pass. door or via remote..

SIGH!

[Bo525i]

For those that might be interested..

Finally got around to changing the driverdoor actuator, switching to a newer one which came from a 1996 E36 donor-car.. My old one has hardened grease all over the place and was to put it mildly very unreliable, so I greased the newer one thoroughly before mounting it!

All´s well now, what a relief :)

[elbasha]

Great, I need to change that on my car too, is it a pain in the a$$ or it shouldn't be hard?

[Bo525i]

It was a lot easier than I thought actually, tight space but definitely easier.. I didn´t even break any clips on the doorpanel. :)

Only thing that differed from Johans & Seans page @ http://bmwe32.masscom.net/sean750/doorlockMechanism/doorlockMechanism.htm was the hexscrew for the windowguide rail, it was located on the rail itself, in the bottom, behind the guide seal which was easy to move aside too!

Took me 1½ hour to do the job, including greasing up!

[elbasha]

This one you sent me looks too complicated, how about this one?
http://www.bmw4life.com/doorLockActuator.htm

I am thinking of following this one, looks a lot more simple.

One thing I don't get, what exactly do you do with the actuator? Do you clean it? What part do you clean? How do you test it to make sure it is still working?

[Bo525i]

That one works too :)

Altho he doesn´t mention the windowguide rail and I didn´t cut anything to remove mine.. ;) Mind you that I was working on the left front door and he´s doing a rear!

I just got a new used one from a much younger car at the scraps, couldn´t be any worse than the one I had in already so.. :) E36, E32 and E34´s will do for the actuator itself a.f.a.i.k..