Central Locking system and locked out trunk

[Dave PA]

This weekend I went up to try to get my (new to me) 90 535. On the surface the biggest problem with the car is that it was parked for about a year with the car deadbolted shut.

The first thing we had to do is to get into the car somehow. This car locks itself down like Fort Knox. We tried most of the options that are on the e34 website (sans the jumping off of the starter) but none of them worked. So with the help of my brother in law, we assumed that there is a jump box in the engine bay. So we started with removing the front bumper. Then the kidney grill piece that is attached underneath the lights (painted to match the car). We got to where we could unbolt the latch piece and loosening the hood bolts from the frame. This gave it enough room the pop the hood open where we did find the jump box. So we put a jumper box on it to see what would happen. The inside domes lights came on, but the doors & trunk/gas door still would not open.

After reading more in the Bentley about the central locking system we needed to get to the rear gang of fuses to see what is up. At about 9.00pm (after starting at 7am and going pretty much non stop) we decided the only other way to get into the car was to break out the passenger side front window. Man those sucker can take some abuse!! We did eventually get into the car, but those doors were a bugger and a half to get open still! So my thought is that the fuse cluster in the rear needs some attention for the central locking system. This should rule out that the micro switches are bad or something else.

After all of it, about midnight we fired it up and took it down the street to a self wash and vacuumed out all of the glass. It’s running rough…really rough…there’s no doubt she needs a good tune up and some miles on the open road to get her legs stretched out again. But she turned over. At one point I was really ready to throw the towel in and just go another direction for a daily driver. But I don’t know…there’s something about that car. I can’t put my finger on it yet. It’s not like the 02 to drive, and it’s not like the ix…it’s something different.

So right now I think I need to get into the trunk to get those fuses. It’s locked down solid. The key will go into the key hole but will not budge left or right. It’s in a North/South direction. Can I pop out the back seats and hopefully crawl back into the trunk to pop the actuator to get it open? Also the door locks are VERY flaky at best. When you lock the drivers door it’s like dead bolting JUST that door and it takes one person on the inside and another on the outside to open it.

Something else we realized what the electric windows don’t work either. I thought I’d mention it b/c it might be clues to the puzzle on the central locking mech.

Thanks for the advice from everyone here, especially about the battery and what/where to get parts that I need at. After I can get her up, running and inspected soon to follow will be updating the suspension. But that’s another post for another day.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Dave

[Ross]

Sounds as if the lock actuators are stuck, pretty common. There are no fuses in the trunk of a '90, they are under the rear seat on the left side.
I recently was able to free up a stuck actuator with about half a gallon of WD40 and lots of luck I'm sure but it works for now.
The door panels can be removed with the doors shut. Pull the weather stip out and pry at the edges of the door panel to release the clips. You need to lift the panel up over a clip in the middle, once the edges are free you barely have enough room to do so.
Commence drinking.

[Dave PA]

Ross-
thanks a ton for the suggestion. i had to do the same thing on the 02 when i first got it (30 some years of graphite and sprays really junks stuff up!)
that's what i'll try next and report back.

any ideas on the trunk? just go to costco and get one of those super huge wd-40 bottles and spray til it works?

thanks
Dave