Central locking....

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miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:15 am

Todays niggle.....

The central locking on my touring appears to have stopped working, but only on the rear passenger door!!!
All the other doors lock/unlock as they should, just that one door that no longer wants to play!!!

I've had a look in the wiki, but I'm assuming (maybe incorrectly?) it won't be the relay, or that section of the wiring???

So where should I be looking??? How does it get to that door???
Any connectors, etc, hidden away???
327 Touring with bass!!!

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Rav335uk
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:38 am

Sounds like the Actuator
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miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:53 am

Didn't see that mentioned in the wiki?!?!?!

Is there one for each lock then??? Where would I find that & how would I test it???
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:01 am

Each door has a separate actuator.
Door card off, plastics membrane removed, then look inside the door.
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CR24v??? Where's it all gone?? LOL
miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:33 am

Just read in the wiki that a broken actuator would lock solid, meaning you can't operate the lock by hand - I can operate the lock on this door though!!!
I realised it didn't lock with the rest of the car yesterday, so simply pushed down the pin and locked it myself.

So does that rule out the actuator - or is it still a possibility???
327 Touring with bass!!!

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Rav335uk
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:39 am

Still possible.
The actuator locks solid when the deadlocks are applied.
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If you Got "Haters",Then your doing something Right!
CR24v??? Where's it all gone?? LOL
miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:43 am

Ok, I'll add dismantling that door to my list then!!!

How will I know if that is the problem???
Can it be tested - or is it just a case of swapping it out???
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Brianmoooore
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:38 am

What build date is this touring? Late ones had different, and extremely unreliable (as well as inaccessible) ones.
miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:43 am

Is there an easy way to find the build date???
It was on a H plate originally if that helps??? (1990)
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Brianmoooore
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:50 am

If it was on the H, then it should be the earlier system.
Actuators are extremely reliable, and only normally fail when they are cooked by a faulty (=flooded) locking ECU, when they are likely to seize solid, but, there are exceptions to any rule, and being an electro-mechanical device, one off failures are possible.
There's also a remote possibility that the loom has failed where it bends every time the door is opened or closed, or the plug and socket inside the B pillar might not be pushed together properly.
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Brianmoooore
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:55 am

If you want to check whether power is getting to the actuator, pull the plug off and connect the blue and the white wires to a 12 volt bulb.
The bulb should light briefly when the locking is operated.
jmc330i
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:11 am

Brianmoooore wrote:What build date is this touring? Late ones had different, and extremely unreliable (as well as inaccessible) ones.
Any idea what the cross over date is Brian? And can the actuators be swapped between the two systems?
James
'91 325i Sport
'93 318i touring 16v
miniblob
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:41 pm

I'll have to have a poke about then - cheers Brian!!!

Luckily it's the least used door on the car, but still annoying!!!
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Brianmoooore
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:50 pm

I wouldn't expect to find the later type on anything except an 'L' reg., but I could be wrong.
It should be possible to swap to the earlier version, since the doors have the mounting points.
May include swapping the door catch as well, and the loom inside the door will need re routing and a different actuator plug splicing on.
jmc330i
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Post Fri Apr 04, 2014 2:05 pm

Thanks Brian. One of mine is an L reg and the other a K.
I've got some earlier doors, so should have all the bits to swap if needs be.
James
'91 325i Sport
'93 318i touring 16v