W124 central locking not working from drivers side

[tpv01]

just bought the car (E300d multivalve) and the central locking by key only works from the passenger door and boot lock but when i try driver side it only opens that door and not the others.
the guy who was selling it says it was because it was designed as a LHD the mech is in the passenger door.

Is this right or should the c/l work from every door and boot?

how can i fix this?

also the door pins seem quite laboured and slow to pop up. i guess that could be vac pump on the way out or small leaks somewhere. Is there anything simple (i dont want to have to follow the lines all the way round the car) i can do to help this?

 

[Number_Cruncher]

Did the car originally have infra-red remote locking? - if so, you'll see a small plastic square just under the drivers door handle, and onother one on the boot.

If so, and the remote locking had failed, it's possible that the previous owner fitted a key lock in the driver's door instead of the blanking panel originally fitted, and so, the driver's door wouldn't be connected to the rest of the system.

I found that the petrol flap actuator had failed on mine, which caused sluggish response, and for the motor to run on for a while after working the locks. Does your petrol flap lock properly with the central locking?

 

[tpv01]

doesnt look like it had the infra red from the door handles but looks like there might have been an alarm installed at some point as there are the microwave sensors and non-standard red LED (could be dummys i suppose) if that is a factor.

Central locking works on all doors (inc. drivers & petrol flap) but can only be functioned from the passenger and boot lock. When the key is turned in the drivers lock it only locks/unlocks the drivers door. Same functions inside the car with door pins.

how does the system work?
1/ when a key is turned does it sense the vac being pulled and pulls the vac on the other locks
or, and more likely to me,
2/ there is an electronic signal sent to the vaccum pump when one of the locks is turned telling the vac pump to pull a vacuum to pull the other locks down/up.

So in the 2nd case my problem could be explained by the electrical connection between the drivers door lock and the vac pump could be lost so a signal is not sent to the pump when the driver lock/door pin is functioned??

cant tell anything from the russian manual does anyone have a W124 Haynes to hand or no anything about this to help me?

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>the electrical connection

Yes, it's probably worth checking for breakage where the wires flex as they go through the door shut.

 

[jpskiller]

>>the electrical connection

Yes, it's probably worth checking for breakage where the wires flex as they go through the door shut.

But why would it not work from turning the key if it was electrical.. as my car is doing exactly the same thing..

mine did work.. then stopped and i've noticed on the drivers side the is no force required to lock/unlock whereas before the was a little

 

[tpv01]

because the electrical connection was broken (caught in hinge, during alarm fitting, wear and tear) so the vac pump will not recieve the lock/unlock signal anymore from the drivers lock.

 

[Dieselman]

Isn't the CL operated from a switch on the door lock.? If so, check it's not fallen off.