E34 door lock actuator on the fritz

[Roundal]

My left rear passenger door lock works when it feels like it with the other 3 doors. i know there is a little motor in there with plastic cogs that ware out. Can this be repaired or should I look for a good used one? Might also be corroded connection.

I plan to take the door panel off next weekend and look.

 

[maximus]

I was suprised to see all the sh#t that was in my panels and also the sh#t workmanship some people performed on my car :nonono:

Maybe try wriggling and disconnecting wires around...I managed to 'fix' my fuel door lock actuator by just disconnecting, cleaning the pins and then reconnecting them again. :thumbs:

Perhaps this might also be a good time to vacuum all the stuff that manage to trap themselves in there too :idea:

---

oh and also does your lock only do this now? i.e. in winter and not in summer?

because my driver door lock (when I lock it) and then want to unlock it (in winter or when it's really cold) - the door pin would not go all the way up however all the other locks open. so sometimes I have to open the back door and stick my arm through to open the front drivers door :nonono:

 

[Nic_s]

My passenger door lock will sometimes not lock with the other doors. Also during winter or when very cold. A few weeks back I pulled the door card to service the window mechanics as the motor was struggling to move the window up and down. While I had everything open I saw that some of the black glue stuff BMW used to stick the insulation on got onto the rod of the lock. When the door is unlocked it would then be held in place by that black glue stuff. Cleaned if off an now I have no problems. It looks like it came like that from the factory.

If you pull your door card it's worth having a look as it you only have to fit the insulation slightly incorrect and you end up with that black stuff on bits it should not be on.

 

[Thunder]

I had the same issue with my E36 right hand passenger door.
I took the actuator out and cleaned it put it back it but only works manual not on the rest of the central locking system.

So my best bet to you is if you can find a good working used one replace otherwise a dealer is your best bet.

Mine works when it wants to its gotten so bad that only my passenger door, boot, and pertol lid opens with central locking need to open my drivers door with the key.

 

[Raybimmer]

Nic did you just clean and lubricate the mechanism ? My drivers door window goes down about 10 cm , goes slow a bit then normal speed . Going up is ok !!

 

[Nic_s]

Nic did you just clean and lubricate the mechanism ? My drivers door window goes down about 10 cm , goes slow a bit then normal speed . Going up is ok !!

I pulled the door card and WD40'd everything that moved, but I also removed the side mirror and pulled the window seals (The black strip at the top of the pick below) and cleaned it with an old nail brush to get rid of the dust build up that was causing the squeaking. This takes quite a lot of brushing until you can't really see any dust coming out while brushing.

Also used some silicon spray on the window track on the inside of the door which made my window go up and down mmmuuuuccchh easier. Or you can just buy new tracks and seals, but I hear they are quite expensive to buy new.


Door Lock Actuator Repair write up:
http://www.bmw4life.com/doorLockActuator.htm

 

[Nic_s]

My left rear passenger door lock works when it feels like it with the other 3 doors. i know there is a little motor in there with plastic cogs that ware out. Can this be repaired or should I look for a good used one? Might also be corroded connection.

I plan to take the door panel off next weekend and look.

Might be of help if you need to replace parts :dunno:
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=32798