1989 BMW 535i Door Lock problem

[bcasanova@earthlin]

Hello,

I have a door lock problem as follows:

All doors, except the driver's door, unlock and lock from either the passenger or driver's side key switch.

You turn the key to lock and they lock immediately, except the drivers door lock.

You turn the key to unlock and they all unlock, again except the drivers door (since it is not able to be locked to begin with). However, the other doors unlock momentarily, and then lock themselves back. If you do this three times, on the third time they remain unlocked.

I have been told to replace the actuator on the drivers side, by a repair shop, but this is a $190 part at the dealer.

I also saw a thread about a microswitch behind the door latch (on the door frame) that recognizes whether the door is open or closed. If this switch is not working properly I suspect the door is always viewed as open, and the lock will not go down, intending to prevent accidental lockout. As a matter of fact you can never lock the drivers door, not even manually.

Any advice is welcomed. All other locks work fine, except for the thing about having to turn the key three times. This includes trunk and gas flap.

Thanks for your help

[FiveCarsRule]

I have had the opposite problem on my 1990 535i. When the car was locked it would automatically unlock itself. This was due to some of the wiring in the car being broken in the trunk. The wiring in question broke from being repeadedly stretched by opening and closing the truck lid. I fixed it by saudering the ends back together and it completely fixed the problem.
Sounds like your having bigger problems than that with the driver door but you may want to check the rest of the wiring for your locks before you spend $200. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

[jeffreyb4me]

The most common L/F door lock problems on E32's and E34's is the bracket of the door handle itself breaking which the door actuator bolts to. There's no realiable way to repair it though some have tried 'fixes', they're unlikely to last due to the mechancal load of the actuator operating. Be sure this is inspected when your door is appart ! !

If your inclined to attempt this yourself, visit some previous posts on removing these door panels first.

[bcasanova@earthlin]

Door handle works fine, nice an tight, no looseness. I don't suspect this is my problem. But I will be sure to inspect it if I attempt it this weekend.

Thanks

[jeffreyb4me]

Yes, I know the door handle 'feels' fine, because the only piece that breaks holds that actuator in side the door....it doesn't effect the opening or operation of the door....just the locking functions

[emrah bayboru]

I had the same problem the other day. I have an alarm and it's hooked onto the central locking, but I accidentally pressed the alarm button as the door was open. I played around with it for 20 mins and couldn't fix it, then I got my key and turned the key to lock the doors, it didn't want to go past a certain point, so I forced it and walahhhh, the door began locking and unlocking. Try it, it might work, or maybe I was just lucky.

[django99]

Originally Posted by FiveCarsRule

I have had the opposite problem on my 1990 535i. When the car was locked it would automatically unlock itself. This was due to some of the wiring in the car being broken in the trunk. The wiring in question broke from being repeadedly stretched by opening and closing the truck lid. I fixed it by saudering the ends back together and it completely fixed the problem.
Sounds like your having bigger problems than that with the driver door but you may want to check the rest of the wiring for your locks before you spend $200. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

Can you please give me more details about the exact "LOCATION" of the wire in question ?
I am having the exact same issue after someone installed an aftermarket alarm in my 1997 528i: All doors unlock automatically when you lock the car, and they also unlock when the alarm kick off.

Thanks

[jeffreyb4me]

Quick note, any info about a '90 E34 will not help you in your quest to repair your '97 E39, the vehicle systems are vastly different. I'd recommend a quality installer as the cheapest 1st answer [ their labor rates are usually mich lower than the Dealer (ahhhhh) or a Quality Independent shop]