Talk to me about.... Central locking

[Mechagran]

That only works from the boot!

Now, it's possible this is a common problem and Rudi has her fair share of foibles. Can anyone suggest or summarise any potential problems this indicates and what I should try / am for?

Haynes manual arrives Friday....!

Many thanks!

[Grrrmachine]

If this is a Technical problem, let's move this to the Technical section.

And when your Haynes manual arrives, chuck it straight in the bin. Pretty much everything is covered in better and more accurate detail in the Wiki, including the Central Locking:

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... al_Locking

[Mechagran]

Oke doke thanks

[Brianmoooore]

Haynes manual has its uses, but suffers from two main problems. First, for some unknown reason they combined the E30 manual with the E34 manual (two vastly different cars, except for a very small number having the same engine), which has the potential to cause great confusion when using it, and secondly, the manual was written too early in the E30's production run, with the result that quite a bit of stuff, especially wiring diagrams, isn't accurate for the cars that most of us have.

This is the correct diagram: ww.autolib.diakom.ru/CAR/BMW/1989/325i/WIRING%20DIAGRAMS/fig10.pdf
As you can see, the boot lock uses different lock and unlock request line connections to the locking ECU from the door switches, so there is the possibility of an ECU fault, but also the lock and unlock request wires from the doors run through the door pillar plugs and sockets which are prone to corrosion if not reassembled properly at some point in the cars life.
Another possibility is an old and faulty remote locking/alarm/immobiliser shorting out the signal from the door switch wires.

[Mechagran]

thanks or that Brianmoooore. Much appreciated!