Relocation of central locking ECU

[ChrisHC]

I worry about the central locking ECU in the void behind the speaker, I have never managed to find how it should be positively located, there is mention of a screw but it was not present on my car when I got it and there seems nowhere on the triangular mounting plate for it to go into, so the ECU dangles in space, which is not good. I worry that the drain hole will be blocked by mud and the void fill with water from the sun roof before I can clear it. When I got the car the ECU had been drowned out.

I have just had to take out the ECU to solder up the thermal cut-out device and I was wondering about relocating the ECU inside the cabin. There is a clip holding the rear of the dash undertray on the right hand side and just enough space to fit the ECU above it, and all the wires reach it there. Located there it would be positively located and away from any possibility of a soaking, also more accessible if any further attention is needed.

Is there any reason why the ECU and its companion the interior light delay should not be relocated there?

Having soldered up the thermal cut-out the central locking is working but the Rightclick remote worked only once and not again - is that a sign that the battery needs replacing?

[Brianmoooore]

The locking ECU contains an accelerometer, so needs to be firmly mounted and in the same orientation as standard. Apart from that there's no reason why it shouldn't be relocated, but there's also little point.
All cases of blocked drains that I've seen have been caused by over enthusiastic undersealing of the car.
Never had a Rightclick remote fail to work, but of course it won't if the battery is flat. Possibly might require 'pairing' to the receiver after the battery has been replaced.
Don't they come with two remote fobs? Unlikely that both failed at the same time.
Do you know a reason why the thermal fuse in the ECU failed? Don't forget that it's soldered with a special low melting point solder, that mustn't be mixed with normal solder, especially the lead free stuff that's everywhere these days.

[ChrisHC]

Thanks Brian. I did get some low melting point solder previously when attempting to repair the original ECU, but actually there was sufficient solder on this one not to need any more. No idea why it should blow but the ECU may just have been banging around in the void and shaken it loose. One reason for relocation is it facilitate a firmer fixing. I do have two Rightclick remotes but I gave a spare to my navigator on a recent event and he forgot to give it back at the end, and as he lives miles away I could not try that this evening. I was worried about mud on the drain hole because we went down some unmade roads but actually it was OK, I found the end of a small cable tie could poke up nicely. When I had the car undersealed I did make a point about taking care of the drain holes.

[ChrisHC]

I decided in the end to put the central locking ECU back in the void but use a cable tie to locate it firmly rather just dangling as it has before. When I opened the Rightclick fob to replace the battery I found the battery had shifted sideways and lost contact. All is now well and the remote central locking is functioning again.

[Brianmoooore]

Cable tie won't be good enough for the G sensor.
The control module and the light delay both mount, side by side, on a triangular metal plate, the whole assembly is slid down inside the sill, via the 'speaker hole, and the metal plate is secured by two self tapping screws, in the cabin, through two holes vertically below the 'speaker aperture.
Are you missing the bracket?

[ChrisHC]

I have the triangular metal plate, but there are no holes in it other than those for the small self-tappers that secure the central locking ECU and where the bracket that carries the delay unit clips in, so although I see the two holes below the speaker aperture I have never seen how screws through those holes would hold the triangular plate. Is there some other bracket I am missing?

What I have done is put a cable tie through one of the holes, round the triangular plate (through the gap between the plate and the ECU), back through the other hole and secure on the cabin side. I accept that in a crash there might be a very small initial movement of the triangular plate relative to the car body, but would that be enough to make the G sensor inoperative?

[Brianmoooore]

There are actually two metal mounting plates, which could both be described as triangular, when a light delay module is fitted.
The delay module mounts onto a black metal plate, which is secured to a gold coloured plate by the same screws that attach the locking module to it. The gold coloured triangular plate is fitted to the inner sill with two self tapping screws that engage with holes punched in the plate.
I'm beginning to think that you just have the black plate.

[ChrisHC]

Yes that is it, I am missing the gold coloured plate, I only have a black plate. I will have to see if I can source a gold plate from a scrapper.

[Brianmoooore]

Part number is 61 31 1 370 734. It's priced at about £2 new in my hopelessly outdated price list.