SOLVED: Window regulator fixed, now locks not working properly

[haigha]

Preamble: I’ve mentioned before that I have a mechanic friend who does most of the work for me. I’ve known him since 1989. He was the first BMW certified master tech in our city. He has been retired since the early 2000’s but continues to tinker with his classic car collection and helps close friends. I help him in areas where my talents are.

Problem: After fixing the left--driver’s for those with RHD-- front regular yesterday, the doors no longer unlock with the key or the center console locking button. The key works in the door. The door lock plunger seems to be at the same height as the others (level with the door when locked and about 1/2" above when unlocked).

We ran out of time yesterday, so we didn’t take the door panel off to investigate.

First question: Does the locking mechanism go through the window/mirror control module? After the repair the white connector is a little lose. When he pushed the module all the way back into the body panel, the window and mirror controls didn’t work except for the driver window. He fixed this using a shim on the side of the white connector. Now all the windows and both mirrors work. When we found out the door locks didn't work, we tried reseating the other two connectors.

While he has great talent removing and replacing components, he hasn’t done much work on X5’s. I think mine and one more. We didn’t have to replace any body clips, but had to learn how to do several parts as we went along, despite my prior research. *I* broke the LED light clip (only on some models?) on the inner door handle when we were removing the panel. We reattached that with some of the black sealant.

One thing we struggled with was getting the door handle latch reattached. It took about 10 minutes! Partly because we had already put the LED light on and there wasn’t much room to work with. When we got everything reassembled, the inside door handle now has no slack, compared to the other three which have a slight amount of slack. It feels different than I remember but seems to work fine. Any ideas as to why this could be and if it could be contributing to the problem?

Thanks!

Tip: We put the foam padding in a sunny spot for a few minutes to warm up the black glue. I had brought my heat gun, but this works better, if it's warm enough outside.

[wpoll]

All the locks go through the driver's door module, so that is certainly suspect, esp. in light of the fact that you had other issues with the module (connectors).

[haigha]

Originally Posted by wpoll

All the locks go through the driver's door module, so that is certainly suspect, esp. in light of the fact that you had other issues with the module (connectors).

Thanks, Wayne. Do you know which of the two remaining connectors is for the locks? The black one with the gray swing lock, or the all black one with the sliding lock?

[Themoog]

Chances are it's the driver door window switch plug connectors. Same thing happened to me several years ago. I just cleaned the pins with some wd40 if I remember correctly.

[wpoll]

Originally Posted by haigha

Thanks, Wayne. Do you know which of the two remaining connectors is for the locks? The black one with the gray swing lock, or the all black one with the sliding lock?

X1129 18-pin, black Plug connector Driver's door module

[haigha]

Thanks, Wayne & moog. I'll report my results

Odd that the diagram only shows two connectors.

[haigha]

Update 2: I found the thread below and tried the trick with removing the connectors on the window/mirror module with the key in position one twice. Once only the two with swinging locks (as stated in the last post in the link) and the second time disconnecting and reconnecting all three. No luck. I suspect the hall sensor thinks the door is open.

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...e-carrier.html

Update: I cleaned the contacts with CRC QD Electronics Cleaner and re-seated the connectors. Now the mirrors, windows and all the door locks *except* the driver's door are working.

I can still raise and lower that lock manually with the key. When I unlock with the remote, I can hear the three other doors mechanisms engaging both on the first step (which would only unlock the driver's door) and when they open after the second press on the remote. No sound from the drivers door either the first or second time.

Ideas?

[haigha]

I checked for codes with my Foxwell 520 pro. The only relevant two were under Body, 41 ZKE Central body electronics:

- 59 GM Central-locking drive, driver's door, open circuit

- 94 GM: LED for anti-theft alarm system, open circuit

I cleared them and they haven't come back so far.

I tried the live data option for the Central locking system (ZV):

Driver's door: Closed
Passenger door: Closed
Driver's door lock barrel: Off
Central locking button: OFF
Status of the central locking button: IMMOBILIS

So it thinks both front doors are closed. Even when I opened the doors, the FOXWELL doesn't change state. I tried both simply opening the door while in the Live Data screen and opening the doors and doing a scan again.

As far as I can tell, there isn't an individual fuse for the driver's door lock. I see F20 (30A) for the Driver door module above the glove compartment.

Is there a diagram of the wiring harness for the driver's door? I have the circuit diagram, but want to make sure all the connectors are seated properly.

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

I see this on realoem, but it doesn't show where the connectors run:

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=61_1314

[wpoll]

At this point, it sounds like the electrical connector on the door lock module itself has come undone (yellow arrow in image below)... You'll have to remove the door card again to check that.

[haigha]

Thanks, Wayne. That picture helps

Robert and I are going to tackle the passenger side regulator tomorrow. It hasn't failed yet, but I can hear it creaking. Easier to replace the rail clips and the window support clips before they break (or worse the cable breaks)!

We'll also remove the driver's door card, if there's time. I still suspect the white connector on the window control module. I'll try to figure out a way to make that connection more solid.

In my searches, I think I saw a post about how to override the hall effect sensor. I may go that route if nothing else solves it.