Central Locking System Problem
 

Have 1987 3.2 with central locking system giving me fits. Passenger side stopped working. Replaced metal locking rod with broken nylon socket connecter with updated plastic rod. Now it works fine. My problem is that I also replaced the driver's side rod with the updated part. I note that the new part is not adjustable (the old rod was threaded on both ends such that the overall length could be lengthened or shortened). Now the driver's side is not functioning poperly. Unlocking is fine. Locking is where the problem is....I must usually try locking four or five times....system labors then will finally lock. I have thought about opening up the door again and adjusting the actuator position up and down to see if that fixes the problem. Manual locking of the driver's side is much stiffer than the passenger and unlike the passenger side, the driver's side cannot be namually locked unless the door is closed (normal?). Could the actuater be going bad? Any ideas?

Thanks!

The locking mechanism is working correctly in the aspect that you should not be able to lock the driver's side door unless it is closed (either from inside using the knob or outside using your key).

Since the updated actuating rod is not adjustable, you need to adjust the height using the actuator mechanism itself. It has two screws that secure it inside of the door. Disconnect the battery and try moving moving the actuator rod up and down slightly to see if the resistance lessens. Adjust the height of the mechanism until the resistance is where you would like it (if you have the passenger door opened up you can check its resistance as a gauge for yourself). After you think you have it right, re-connect the battery. Close the door and turn to use you key to lock and unlock the door. You'll have it right after a few adjustments.

Good luck!

Let us know how it turns out,
Matt

Matt, thanks for the reply. Question: I have not disconnected the battery in the past? What does this do? Anything specific to the locking system?

In hindsight, I should have followed the "if it aint broke, don't fix it"rule. I can lock the car, but don't feel good about the car sitting unlocked after turning the keys over to a restaurant valet!

I've had to work on my central locking system for just over a year until I was able to work out the bugs.

If you have to fiddle with it to get the locks to finally work each time, then I would suggest fixing it as soon as possible. I broke my nylon socket caps at the end of each actuator rod because I fiddled with the locks until they would stay locked.

You should disconnect the battery when you working on any elecrtical items so that you can avoid damaging the components you're working on. Specificly for the central locking system, you can unintentionally cause the locks to operate while you're working on the system (bumping a botton, grounding out a wire or so forth) which could cause some damage or minor injury. This was a particular problem with my system because I had two wires (a hot and the ground wire) inside of the microswitch bundle that had damaged insulation. Each time I touch the bundle, the wires ground out and the locks actuated. Helped me find where the ground was, but also caused some damage to one nylon cap.

It also helps to have the battery disconnected when you're putting the window switches back in so there is no arching. That finally convinced me that I really should have the battery disconnected like the book says. I was lucky and there was no damage to the window switch or myself.

Your repair should be very straight forward.
-Matt