New 944 owner with a couple small issues...

[alexlocke]

Afternoon all,

I'm fairly new to all this, having purchased my first 944 last week. A nice red 2.7 (I'll get some pictures up at some point soon!)

Anyway, my point in this post is; everything on the car works perfectly, except for the central locking, and the boot.

Firstly the central locking. If i use the key in the drivers door, just the drivers door unlocks, and locks. However if I use the key in the passenger door, both unlock and lock. I would usually just live with this, an unlock it from the passenger door all the time, but, after unlocking from the passenger side, I press my immobiliser fob thingy in the slot, something beeps, I turn the key, and the alarm goes wild. This leaves me with the only option of opening the car from the drivers door, and pulling up the door pin (which I have already snapped and had to glue back on) to unlock the passenger door. Any ideas?

I'm thinking of fitting one of these remote central locking kits, but are the door cards a nightmare to get off without wrecking, and will it further confuse my alarm/immobiliser?

Secondly, my boot catches release fine, but is the boot lid supposed to lift itself? mine needs a gentle helping hand. The struts feel strong, but the catches seem to stick very slightly.

Sorry for such a long post, any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks, Alex.

 

[zcacogp]

Alex,

Hi.

Locking - could be any one of a number of things. How good are you with a screwdriver and a multimeter? Take the door cards off, chase the wires and see what you find. Test things to see how they work and if they work ... you'll find the problem somewhere. If this is beyond you then you're into the realms of alarm installers (a reliable alarm is always a good idea on any car), so find a local recommendation and go to them, emphasising that you are a fussy git and want a good job done ...

Boot - the catches sometimes >ahem< catch a little, and there are lots of threads on here about that. The boot may be intended to open all on it's own, but not everyone agrees on this. If the struts are good then consider cleaning out the catches and adjusting them to make sure that they are releasing fully. Just make sure that you don't over-adjust them such that they don't catch fully ... it's not hard, and simply removing years of caked-on grease and dirt (goes like toffee) may well solve the problem.

Best of luck. Stick around and post some piccies. 2.7's are slightly rare beasts ...


Oli.

 

[AndrewS]

ORIGINAL: alexlocke

Firstly the central locking. If i use the key in the drivers door, just the drivers door unlocks, and locks. However if I use the key in the passenger door, both unlock and lock. I would usually just live with this, an unlock it from the passenger door all the time, but, after unlocking from the passenger side, I press my immobiliser fob thingy in the slot, something beeps, I turn the key, and the alarm goes wild. This leaves me with the only option of opening the car from the drivers door, and pulling up the door pin (which I have already snapped and had to glue back on) to unlock the passenger door. Any ideas?

I'm thinking of fitting one of these remote central locking kits, but are the door cards a nightmare to get off without wrecking, and will it further confuse my alarm/immobiliser?

Secondly, my boot catches release fine, but is the boot lid supposed to lift itself? mine needs a gentle helping hand. The struts feel strong, but the catches seem to stick very slightly.

Sorry for such a long post, any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks, Alex.

Hi Alex,

All could be easy fixes. As you plan to take your door cards off, you should be able to get to the source of the problem in the drivers door - the central locking micro switch.

The central locking uses a micro switch in the door lock to activate the central locking (it operates as you turn the key). The misbehaving security system could point to why the central locking does not function on the drivers door; an intentional change used as a workaround by a previous owner perhaps?

Removing door cards is easy - they are made of a flimsy particle board but remain fairly intact if you remove them carefully, Removing the plastic covering the door aperture can also be done without tearing the plastic. Just keep the door cards in a dry place (take them inside for an evening if you can) as they may well be 'moist', especially if the door drain holes weren't totally clear. The x-head screwdriver in the car's tool kit can be used to remove the door cards. Manuals to help with all of this are available on the website (just go to my profile, click on the link and then locate the Manuals link at the base of the navigation page).

The alarm system you have is probably to be found behind the foot board in the passenger floor foot well. Careful examination and a sympathetic approach should enable easy removal (better done with a wiring diagram though).

With respect to the rear hatch, check for pin alignment. Most likely problem is dirt and dry grease in the pin latches; these can be taken apart (10mm spanner) and cleaned and lubricated. With strong struts (and clean well lubricated hatch pin latches), the hatch will open on the press of the button.

Let us know how you get on.

Regards,
Andrew

 

[SteveSJS]

Be careful with the 'door pins' as you've found they are indicators of locked/not locked only - if you pull them they - 'just came off in me hand m'lud!'

 

[DivineE]

If it helps my central locking on my old car was due to a bad earth in the passenger footwell near the bonnet release catch (I think it might have been alarm related). Fixed the wire everything worked. Happy days[]

p.s. most boot catches do that. I've only seen one 944 where the boot rose on its own when you pressed the button and that was due to a new boot seal (4m of standard door seal bought from halfords) and two new struts

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: DivineE

p.s. most boot catches do that.

Only if the tailgate struts are a bit worn.

New struts will enable the boot to rise all by itself when the button is pressed [] They tend to last a few years and then you get to the point where the boot will only open slightly ajar. I think of them as a consumable

 

[alexlocke]

Thanks for all the help guys!

Cambelt is going on this weekend, it had one about 25k ago, but just for my peace of mind thought I'd get a new one. If I get the car back with a bit of time to spare I'll try your advice. (Don't really fancy scrabbling round with a torch after work during the week!)

Thanks again, Alex

 

[beeRS]

Welcome to 944 ownership!

I've just had the door cards off on mine (had them off to access the central locking - but a different problem to yours). A word of warning though; I snapped a few of those pesky black plastic fastenings on the back of the door cards when removing them, and had to buy some spares on ebay. So, if you have the same trouble give me a shout - I've got a couple left over that I'll happily send you.

Removal is quite simple. (Procedure for all oval dash models 1986+)

1) Start by undoing the 4 or 5 screws at the very bottom of the door card that run allong the bottom of the door pocket.
2) Unhook the top of the door pocket from the underside of the arm rest and remove it.
3) Undo the three screws under the arm rest. They are sunk into deep holes. The arm rest won't come off though as it is anchored at the top.
4) Pull the inside door release handle to its maximum open position and undo the single screw hidden behind.
5) The door handle trim will now slide out of the way.
6) At the top of the door card at both sides there will be a screw (and if your lucky there will still be a little plastic trim that covers them). Undo these.
7)If a speaker is fitted the front grill should be prised off, allowing access to the four screws behind. undo these and remover the speaker.
8) The door card can now be gentally pulled away. There is a correct tool for prising away the door cards without damaging the plastic fasteners. I didn't have one of these and so broke a few.
9) There is a plastic sheet behind the door card that needs to be peeled away to gain access to the door lock, window winder mechanism etc.
10) Fitting is a reverse process. use fresh gaffer tape to reseal the plastic sheet if necessary.

I hope this helps []