E30 Zone

...Sorry, another cl thread - but if only for completeness sake, I can't find anything on this and it is a bit of an emergency.

Soft top up, central locking has worked fine (including an alarm/remote fob). We got a Wiesmann hardtop and noticed that when it was on the central locking didn't work - you'd have to lock each lock individually.

I do know I'm going to have to check how the top is fitting as the rear windows have difficulty coming all the way up on their own steam but wondering what might be happening here with the locking.

Right now...I need to understand the red/black solution as, even with the hard top removed from it's mounting points only the drivers door is unlocking - passenger door, boot and fuel flap are locked and I can't get them un-locked. And we're low on fuel...

So, should red/black help this? If so can someone point me to a definitive thread on this solution? Looking at it initially, is there some trim-removal required (sill cover, underside of dash)? What tools/materials are required?

Again, apologies for raising another thread on this but I'm not sure some of this experience isn't new.

Edit: btw, if it matters, the interior light isn't working. Not sure for how long though. And when I try locking at either door there is a noise emanating from the drivers speaker area...

I've just read this...

"All of you. Every single one of you out there with an E30!
Remove the driver's footwell speaker, find two seperate red/black wires going to two seperate pins on the back of the driver's door socket, cut them off and join them together.
This will cure and prevent 90% or so of all current or future central locking problems."

..and now feel really bad posting on this...

No,you should never feel bad about asking for help.

When you get behind the driver's side speaker and locate the harness leading to the driver's door,you will find three red/black wires,not two,as cabbies are a little different.
Principle is the same,though,snip all three wires short of the socket and join together those leading back into the harness.

The buzzing you are hearing is the c/l module,it lives in the front of the cill held by two bolts.Inside the module is a re-solderable link,this overheats and un-solders it's self.

Quite why your problems are linked to the hardtop I do not know!

Just back!

Got in behind the speaker - I'm (just about) seeing one/two black boxes below where the speaker sat - feel to be fixed to something. Are these what I'm after or am I feeling for wires leading off into the door?

Edit, sorry daimlerman, just re-read your post - so they're the modules I see/am feeling. Don't need to go near them so?

You may need to get inside the c/l module,that's the larger of the two down there,it's held by a pair of 10mm bolts.
But let's start with the red/black wire mod first.

With the speaker out of our way you should be able to pull a lump of wiring harness into view,we want the section that goes up to the socket on the door post,in that bundle,there should be three red/blacks,what we need to do is cut them and join them together.Do not worry about the ends going up to the socket,it's the one's running back toward the c/l module and the harness that we are after.

What we are trying to do is eliminate the live(red/black)looping through the driver's door,it causes all kind of mayhem as the socket connectors corrode.

Now if doing this mod does not get things working again,we need to look futher.

BTW,will your boot unlock with the key?

Ok, is this the offending plug with the three red&blacks....?



..and should I be able to un-plug it for better access or is the cutting, etc. done in-situ?

daimlerman wrote:You may need to get inside the c/l module,that's the larger of the two down there,it's held by a pair of 10mm bolts.
But let's start with the red/black wire mod first.

With the speaker out of our way you should be able to pull a lump of wiring harness into view,we want the section that goes up to the socket on the door post,in that bundle,there should be three red/blacks,what we need to do is cut them and join them together.Do not worry about the ends going up to the socket,it's the one's running back toward the c/l module and the harness that we are after.

What we are trying to do is eliminate the live(red/black)looping through the driver's door,it causes all kind of mayhem as the socket connectors corrode.

Now if doing this mod does not get things working again,we need to look futher.

BTW,will your boot unlock with the key?

No, boot won't unlock with the key.

To be fair though, we've just recently taken the hardtop off - run with the softtop for a week or so and then put the hardtop back on. As the cl seemed to react to the hardtop being on what unlocked when and with what is somewhat confused. I do remember with the soft top unlocking any lock unlocked all locks. Not now...

So I do the required cutting, etc. in the well where the harness sits (as opposed pulling it out into the footwell)?

That's the fella!

You may be able to work with the plug in place,or you may find it easier to dis-connect it and pull it back into the car.

daimlerman wrote:That's the fella!

You may be able to work with the plug in place,or you may find it easier to dis-connect it and pull it back into the car.

Sound.

Need to get myself some soldering equipment.

Thanks for all your help so far daimlerman (not the first time I've said that either, iirc )

That's the socket.
Don't unplug anything, or move the wiring top the socket more than is necessary, or more problems may develop.
Just find the three red/black wires in that bundle (careful - there's a red/brown as well, cut them, and join the three ends that do not go to the socket together, preferably by solder and insulated with heat shrink sleeving.
This should repair both the locking and the interior light.

Brianmoooore wrote:That's the socket.
Don't unplug anything, or move the wiring top the socket more than is necessary, or more problems may develop.
Just find the three red/black wires in that bundle (careful - there's a red/brown as well, cut them, and join the three ends that do not go to the socket together, preferably by solder and insulated with heat shrink sleeving.
This should repair both the locking and the interior light.

Thanks Brian (you must get rightly pee'd-off with this issue continually being raised...ever considered a write-up? Or charging ?).

Crash course in soldering about to commence so we'll see how we go....

Wow!

Crappy soldering n'all! All locks working. Interior light not, and I' haven't fully replaced the hard top but the r+b seems to have done the trick.

Now...to get everything back in it's place....

Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated.

Yes, hard top on and locking still working!

Well done!