Driver's side door will not unlock! Button seems stuck

[Dick Schneiders]

The lock button on the driver's side door of one of my 1991 525i's won't budge using any normal methods. I can't pull it up when using considerable force, but not really giving it all of my strength for fear of breaking something. All of the other doors plus the trunk lock and unlock normally from all three of the key receptacles, including the one in the driver's door. However, nothing seems to budge the button on the door and I cannot figure out what to do to get it unlocked. I can't imagine that this can be an electrical problem. Is this simply a mechanical problem that I can resolve easily?

Anybody have any ideas what it could be or how to get it unlocked? I am too large to crawl over the console very many times without getting chafed in uncomfortable places. :-)

Thanks,

Dick Schneiders

[winfred]

usually when this happins the solonoid is seized and needs to be replaced, you gotta take the door panel off and play with it to tell for sure

[ryan roopnarine]

this might help

http://bmwe32.student.utwente.nl/johan/deadlocked_door.html

[ryan roopnarine]

other door lock concern procedures there in the menu, if that doesn't help.



this might help

http://bmwe32.student.utwente.nl/johan/deadlocked_door.html

[Dick Schneiders]

Is there any way to "force" the door open to make working on this easier?

Thanks,

Dick Schneiders


usually when this happins the solonoid is seized and needs to be replaced, you gotta take the door panel off and play with it to tell for sure

[winfred]

getting the panel off with the door shut is a mother without killing the panel, i've never had to atack a front door, it's usually a rear door that's stuck so i am not sure if my usual plan will work, i break the black aluiminum trim around the handle off, then i can unbolt the handle push it inside the door and reach in through the hole and cut the white plastic end of the lock solonoid, then i can unlock the door and open. this is how i do a rear e34 door, this may not work on a front door

[Dick Schneiders]

I like that idea much better than taking a chance of ruining the panel.

Dick Schneiders


getting the panel off with the door shut is a mother without killing the panel, i've never had to atack a front door, it's usually a rear door that's stuck so i am not sure if my usual plan will work, i break the black aluiminum trim around the handle off, then i can unbolt the handle push it inside the door and reach in through the hole and cut the white plastic end of the lock solonoid, then i can unlock the door and open. this is how i do a rear e34 door, this may not work on a front door

[Dick Schneiders]

when I started to work on the door locking problem this afternoon, I decided to try to fiddle with the key and lock a bit more before breaking out any trim pieces or trying to remove the door panel. To my surprise, after several minutes of no success, the drivers side door button lifted and the door unlocked! It didn't jump right up quickly, as it normally does, but lifted slowly and not all the way. But the door was unlocked. Last night, when this happened, I spent almost an hour trying to use the key and locks in every combination I could think of and it never budged.

Now I have a different problem and different questions. Certainly this is a much better situation than previously, but I am not very comfortable with locking the door any more without knowing what is going on. Would you venture a guess as to whether I should still order a new solonoid and replace the old one, or if something else might be going on? Could it be that the solonoid has shifted, like the article Ryan referenced in this discussion, and I need to get in there and adjust it slightly? Or should I just ignore this situation and go ahead and lock the car and *hope* it never happens again? :-)

I really prefer the last choice, as it means doing nothing, but I doubt that this was simply a fluke due to the position of the earth to the moon last night.

Thanks,

Dick Schneiders


getting the panel off with the door shut is a mother without killing the panel, i've never had to atack a front door, it's usually a rear door that's stuck so i am not sure if my usual plan will work, i break the black aluiminum trim around the handle off, then i can unbolt the handle push it inside the door and reach in through the hole and cut the white plastic end of the lock solonoid, then i can unlock the door and open. this is how i do a rear e34 door, this may not work on a front door

[632 Regal]

i pulled my door panel, it's not hard...really.

[Dick Schneiders]

never taken one out and it looked a bit daunting to me. However, since I was prepared to have to do this, I should go ahead and do it. Especially since now it will be much easier with the door open.

Dick Schneiders


i pulled my door panel, it's not hard...really.

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/window5%20acopy.jpg

See the location of the clips that hold it in around the perimeter. Disregard the bolts part that I have in the center.. thats my own addition















never taken one out and it looked a bit daunting to me. However, since I was prepared to have to do this, I should go ahead and do it. Especially since now it will be much easier with the door open.

Dick Schneiders

[Dick Schneiders]

You don't miss a trick, do you? :-) Thanks for the picture, it will help a lot.

Dick Schneiders


http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/window5%20acopy.jpg

See the location of the clips that hold it in around the perimeter. Disregard the bolts part that I have in the center.. thats my own addition

[Bill R.]

http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/window4.jpg
You don't miss a trick, do you? :-) Thanks for the picture, it will help a lot.

Dick Schneiders

[632 Regal]

whats the trick when removing the panel, isnt it to lift after all the clips are out so the armrest releases?

[Unregistered]

Look here....the procedure is right under your nose on E34net...

http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/Body/DoorRemoval.htm

[Deltor]

I appreciate that this is an old thread, but I am new to the forum, and have some issues with rear door trim. One of my rear locks seems to have jammed UNLOCKED, and no amount of force will lock the door. All the procedures I've seen for removing the trim panel involve 6 clips at the top, and mine refuse to budge. Do the clips need to be unclipped vertically or horizontally? Like everyone else, I really don't want to damage the panel..
PS managed to get all the other plastic clips out without breaking one..!!

[Bill R.]

clips out then you have to raise the panel vertically to take it off the big center clip in the middle of the panel. Then the 6 upper clips you speak of you
take ahold of the upper panel where the clips are and twist upward while pulling the upper part toward you... Difficult to explain exactly.. its easy after seeing it once...




I appreciate that this is an old thread, but I am new to the forum, and have some issues with rear door trim. One of my rear locks seems to have jammed UNLOCKED, and no amount of force will lock the door. All the procedures I've seen for removing the trim panel involve 6 clips at the top, and mine refuse to budge. Do the clips need to be unclipped vertically or horizontally? Like everyone else, I really don't want to damage the panel..
PS managed to get all the other plastic clips out without breaking one..!!

[Deltor]

Just to tidy this one up, I managed to get the door panel off... eventually. I used a 3" wide paint scraper, inserted between the silver trim inside the window and the door panel, and twisted to pop the 6 clips along the top edge. Once the screws and other clips were removed around the trim perimeter, the panel just lifts up and off (obvious to those of you who have done it before, but may help any newbies...)
Replacement is easy as well, although you have to retrieve the plastic clip from the door and replace it on the trim panel before pushing it back on again - it really is easy when you can see what's happening.
As far as the door lock goes, the central locking solenoid was completely full of water and totally seized - I've pulled it out awaiting for a replacement, and the door lock perfectly, albeit manually
Thanks for you help guys.