E30 Zone

Hi I recently baught a 318is but the centrol locking doesnt work and the only key I have doesnt open the boot. How can I get it open?

no offence my friend but for your first post on how to effectively break into an E30 boot you are not likely to receive many answers!!

answer is

1. get a key from BMW using the vehicle VIN number as you can normally assume the boot key is the original key
2. fix the central locking and open like that


and welcome to the zone.

Fix the central locking first. Use the search function for "red AND black" and my username.

Ok I'll try that. I have replaced the centrol locking relay in the drivers foot area but it still doesnt work.

Ive looked for the red and black thing but cant find how to do it. just people mentioning it. The E30 I baught was from Chicken on Sat. Its a lovely car but I would like the centrol locking to work and to be able to get into the boot.

G-Man22 wrote:Ive looked for the red and black thing but cant find how to do it.

Follow this guide...

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... t=infamous

The only thing I don't like about Smithy's guide is that he removes the door plug from its socket, and then the socket from the door pillar to gain access. This isn't realy necessary, and disturbing the door plug may introduce a few new problems that you didn't have before. Ideally, of course you should clean up or replace all the pins, but that's a different job from sorting the locking.
If you remove the footwell speaker you should be able to identify and cut the wires through the speaker hole, possibly with the help of a mirror. It's not necessary to cut the wires right at the pins of the socket.

Still chuckle at Brian's comment about males having alternative ways to de-ice a door lock...

Thanks will try it out befor I take it to the electrical guy. I hope it works.

The test for c/l motor is to "disconnect the control module" and supply 12v to the 1.5 blue wire pin 1 and ground the 1.5 white wire pin 2 that will force the doors to lock. This is the ETM BMW test found in the Links section of this forum under technical and wiring diagrams. The complete and retard proof testing of the central locking systems is in there so long as you can read and have opposable thumbs you will find the fault be it wiring, c/l motor, power, ground or control module.

Hi Thanks for all of your help. The red/black wire thing helped and c/l is now working and the boot can be opened.

One thing though, the petrol cap lock is not working. Is this easy to fix and how?

might just be a bad connection to the solenoid. You can operate the lock manually from inside the boot if you're running out of juice also.

insertnamehere wrote:might just be a bad connection to the solenoid.

Highly unlikely - except for a few specific connectors with specific reasons, BMW doesn't do 'bad connections'. BMW wires are covered in a high quality plastic that retains its flexibility, and the connectors are generously rated and well designed.
It could be that the connector isn't pushed fully home or the lock motor has failed.
The fuel flap solenoid is connected to the same wires as all the other lock motors, and there are no plugs and sockets involved, other than the ones at the ends of the loom.

Well, once again experience trumps hopeful theory!

I just thought that maybe there could have been corrosion due to water in the boot at some point...