Xantia central locking - mind of it's own!

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kernowguy
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Xantia central locking - mind of it's own!

Post by kernowguy »

I have a Xantia Dimension TD and the central locking has a mind of it's own.
Seems to have a major aversion to being unlocked for any length of time and with a door open it cycles round and round. Even when it behaves normally it will lock of it's own accord so I never leave the key in the ignition no matter what! Getting in to the car is sometimes a real work of art lifting up the door handle quickly in the unlocked stage of a cycle!
Every now and then I hear a second clunk of a solenoid on the offside, so is it 'lazy' or out of phase causing this cycling?
Summat simple and obvious, or is it a complicated problem?
H-E-L-P!!
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Panjandrum
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Post by Panjandrum »

Suspect damp around the central locking ECU?
Well, that was the problem with a neighbours VW couple of summers ago.
One good thunderstorm and it was flashing lights, locking & unlocking, windows going down and up all on their own!
PJ
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Is it one and the same door that causes it to cycle ?
kernowguy
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Post by kernowguy »

Forgot to mention it's an "M" reg pre-facelift car. I don't use the remote locking facility at all just the door key alone.
It appears to be the offside rear door solenoid which gives an extra 'clunk' only now and again - sometimes accompanied by the 'cycling' sometimes not.
I don't know where the central locking ECU is located so can anyone tell me where to look? Had a search around the car and can't find any obviuous signs of damp.
kernowguy
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Post by kernowguy »

At first I thought it was the driver's side door lock that provoked the cycling, but using the passenger (nearside) door lock produces the same results.
Do the inner door lock buttons have little 'windows' that look like sensors? There appears to be one on the buttons themselves plus another one on the trim just behind or are they just decorative?
Richard Gallagher
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Post by Richard Gallagher »

I believe the central locking ECU is located under the centre console down by the handbrake. Try pulling out the small trinket tray and you may see it under there.
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Post by citroenxm »

The door buttons DO NOT have sensors. They are attached to the Lock which has an Electronic control in them. It can play up, if the rods inside the door have moved or slipped slightly and recive incorrect readings for closed locks.. remove your door cards and check the operation of the rods and linkages
Somthing like that, hope it helps
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Panjandrum
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Post by Panjandrum »

A door not closed right - or one that thinks it is not closed right - will make the locks unlock when you lock them. I wonder what would make them try to lock again, causing your cycling problem.
Cycling problems belong on a different forum (sorry - sense of humour overload).
Can you watch the buttons on the doors to see if there is one of them that does not go down properly when you lock? I have a different peculiarity of the locking system - subject of a separate thread on deadlocking - hence I am particularly interested.
wrinklet1
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Post by wrinklet1 »

Give this a try :-
remove the interior lock 'button' thats on the front passenger door, you know, the thing that you press down to lock the car from inside.
I had a problem on my car, one that when I locked the car, the lock 'bounced' back unlocked, it turned out that the 'button' was giving resistance and therefore the lock thought it should be unlocked.
Give it a try,
Paul
kernowguy
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Post by kernowguy »

There is a pattern forming with this problem now.
When I lock/unlock the car and it's as 'normal' i.e. one motion of the central locking then it behaves.
However, when I get the extra additional 'clunk' afterwards from the offside doors then it will randomly start the cycling process without any prompt at all - even while driving along. In this state if you try to pull up one of the front door lock buttons from the inside the C/L doesn't respond at all, nor do the doors unlock either so the poor passenger has to stand there while I get the C/L working again by using the key in the driver's door.
I more convinced now than ever it's this extra 'clunk' that's the source of the problem, which is probably a sticking solenoid. Next step is to take the door panels off and squirt WD40 all around the solenoids, locks and links.
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Post by JohnG »

The extra 'clunk'suggests that the system is deadlocking itself somehow.The fact that pulling up the door buttons has no effect seems to bear this out.Sorry I can't solve your problem,but this might help towards a solution.
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Post by Forth »

Got a similar sounding problem with the ZX (td sx, R reg) -- off, on, off, on, off, on... maddening! It seems to be down to the master control unit on the driver's door locking mechanism... hope so anyway as have bought a new one but cannot fit it till the weather improves. Do your locks respond to plipping when the car is being driven?
wrinklet1
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Post by wrinklet1 »

Just had a thought (first this year!),
Give this a try:- Remove both front door panels and once you have gained access to the door locks, remove one of the lock wiring connectors. Now I suggest you try the passenger side one first, then try to see if you still have the problem, if not, replace that connector and do the same on the drivers door. If the problem still persists the problem must then lie with the central locking unit itself. (or both door locks which is doubtfull).
Another test I just thought of is, open both doors and push the latches on the doors to make the car think the doors are closed, now try and lock it, if it locks okay and no problem, then the problem may lie with resistance being felt by one of the lock sensors thinking the door isnt closed (hope you can follow what I mean).
The interior door buttons do not have sensors Citroenxm, your quite correct, but the locks do feel the resistance and reopen the car if they think your pushing the button up.
Paul
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Post by TheWorker »

i have seen this so many times, its usually the multi-plug on the drivers door latch, a dodgy connection. try spraying the plug with WD, or with the windows down and the doors closed, press each button inside to see if it does or doesnt do anything.
kernowguy
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Post by kernowguy »

Thanks guys.
It does this locking business sporadically when driving along, although only locking once, never the whole cycling process.
More than once now I've had to roll the window down and unlock the door with the key from the outside to get out of the car then wind the window up again.
I'm going to pour several gallons of WD in all the door lock mechanisms the next dry day we have (some hope!).
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