Auto Lock Problems

bjanakos · 09-14-2007, 12:22 PM

I have been having some problems with my auto lock. It no longer works. I checked the fuse and it was blown. I replaced it and it blew right away. It's obvious that I have some sort of short, but I am not sure where to start looking. If any of you have any experience with this, I would appreciate your thoughts.

Also, it may not be related, but the passenger door latch acts up as well. It is almost impossible to open the door from the out side. It has to be opened from the inside. Could the auto lock and this problem be related?

Bear · 09-15-2007, 09:15 AM

Go here: http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e30

davbmw · 09-15-2007, 04:15 PM

This same thing happened to me last week. If you haven't already done so, check the wiring in the trunk for broken wires. See the sticky :

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79896

When I looked I found two wires broken in half, and two wires with all insulation worn off.
Fixed it (see thread) and door locks work fine now. Worth a try. Good Luck.

bjanakos · 09-18-2007, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear

Go here: http://www.bimmerdiy.com/e30

I have an E36

bjanakos · 09-18-2007, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davbmw

This same thing happened to me last week. If you haven't already done so, check the wiring in the trunk for broken wires. See the sticky :

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79896

When I looked I found two wires broken in half, and two wires with all insulation worn off.
Fixed it (see thread) and door locks work fine now. Worth a try. Good Luck.

Thanks for the heads up. I read your thread. I will check it out and report back. I dont have any other electrical related problems at the moment however.

I am suspecting that is has something to do with the lock mechenism on the passengers side. Shortly before the fault (fuse blowing) I noticed that the lock on the passenger side was slow and sounded stressed. The door handle problem also occurred before the fuse started blowing.

Bear · 09-19-2007, 04:29 AM

E30 or E36 I believe the lock mechanism is the same. On our E30 the passenger door lock was frozen tight and only replacing the central lock controller solved that issue (I also replaced the drivers door lock solenoid and both parts came from salvage). The drivers and passenger doors would now unlock but I could only lock the drivers door from inside. I ended up replacing the drivers door lock key cylinder with the rebuild kit from the dealer (about $30.00 us) and had it re-keyed, and now I have no problems.

bjanakos · 09-21-2007, 02:41 AM

**UPDATE**

I looked at the wires in the truck lid. I can see what you are talking about. There is a plastic holding clip that pinch the wires. The wires are OK.

I replaced the fuse (fuse #7) and it didnt blow this time. I noticed that there was a 5A fuse in there and I replaced it with a 7A. I am not sure what fuse that block should take. Anyone know?

The central lock system works for now and it is not sounding stressed like it did before. I used electrical contact cleaner to clean out the inside of the door latch and the striker plate. Then followed up with silicone spray. The door was a little sticky at first, but I counted 50 (yes 50) open/closes in a row with no problems. I usually drive alone except for the weekend, I'll have to make a point to open and close that door a few times a week to keep it excersised.

bjanakos · 09-24-2007, 02:40 AM

**UPDATE**

The gremlins are back. The central lock system worked for about a day then the fuse (#7) blew out again. Also the 10A fuse for the instrument panel blew out as well.

bjanakos · 09-25-2007, 12:46 PM

This is getting stranger and stranger.

Not only is my central lock screwed, and the console lights are out, when I was getting out of my car this morning, the window started freaking out. The window is supposed to automatically drop down an inch so I can get in and out of the car. It was going up and down and I couldnt get out. I had to drop the window manually.

bjanakos · 09-25-2007, 06:13 PM

**** FINAL UPDATE *******

Or so I hope.

I tried davbmw's suggestion of inspecting the wiring harness in the trunk lid. On first inspection, I did not find anything. But I removed the entire rubber boot and low and behold, every wire was exposed and melted together!

ANYONE with an E36 should check this out. This could be very dangerous!

I taped up everything with electrical tape, but I think I am going to cut each wire, solder them, and cover with high temp shrink tubing. Seriously, if pelican has some influence with BMW, there should be a recall for this.