Strange Central Locking Issue

[Andrew Jones]

Hi All

I have a strange issue with my central locking. It's a year 2000 Z3 with the 3 button key. When I press the unlock button on the key all doors including boot unlock. When I press the lock button all doors including boot lock and alarm arms. So far so good.

However when I turn the key in the lock of the driver door to unlock only the driver's door unlocks and the passenger and boot remain locked. Same if I unlock the boot with the key, the boot unlocks but both driver and passenger door remain locked. Inside the car if I push the lock pin down with the doors unlocked the passenger door lock pin doesn't go down nor does the boot lock.

Help!!!!

 

[colb]

First thing to check on a car of the age yours is must be the boot wiring loom between the body and the boot lid (The loom of doom). Broken wires in there will cause all sorts of central locking problems. Rather than trawl through the previous threads on this issue here is a pdf on the subject I put together using info posted on the subject. Had to do mine and another members mine had a couple of wires broken, the other was multiple breaks and a build up of green gunge on the copper, that one required cutting back to find clean copper to solder them back together. You can get a replacement loom usually on ebay that can be used to replace the bad section of the loom if its past saving.

 

[Andrew Jones]

Thank you colb, you were absolutely right! Loom of Doom repair it is!!

 

[colb]

Preety sure that would be what you found, strip them back to good copper slip some heat shrink over one side before soldering them back together then slip the heat shrink over the joint and shrink it over the joint. Once you have repaired them all, rewrap with insulation tape and try to get it shaped so there is no strain on the run of the loom, I found it better not to clip it back on the hinge as thats where it puts strain on it causing them to fracture. Best left unclipped so it has free movement when the lid is opened and closed but make sure its not able to be crushed. Once they are repaired it should resolve any central locking problems you had. Seen worse than yours.

 

[Andrew Jones]

So latest update, look of doom soldered and heat shrunk, every wire had a break!

so now the central triggers from the boot lock, the passenger door from the lock pin and opens on pulling the inner door release, progress!

However the drivers door lock, door pin and door release don’t trigger the central locking? All doors work when using the remote. Is there perhaps a switch in the drivers door that has failed

thanks for all your help so far!!

 

[the Nefyn cat]

Something similar happened on mine a while back, turned out to be a small problem at the back of the lock, a bit had disappeared and I had to bodge it back together. You may have to take the handle out and have a good look at it.