Thread: Gremlin in the central locking - 300tdi

I have a Disco1 without remote for the central locking. They are a little different in that yours is controlled by an ECU and mine is controlled by the drivers door motor/switch unit.

However I started having trouble with mine when I began replacing factory door lock motors with aftermarket ones. Problem being that the aftermarket ones draw more current and the factory wiring is not up to the job. My fix after much stuffing around was just to rewire the whole system. A simple task and made simpler due to my aftermarket alarm. Not sure how you would go about connecting the OE remote with the aftermarket central locking if you were to go down that path.

Maybe you burned out your ECU by drawing too much current?

Either way I'd be pulling out the CL ECU and pulling it apart. I think it is located behind the glovebox near the electric windows ECU (fix the solder joints in that while you're at it) and the cruise control ECU.
EDIT: Your Tdi won't have the cruise control ECU

I had a Tdi with the central locking, I replaced the whole lot with an aftermarket alarm.

This was the cheapest way out only cost $200 and the guy at the end of the street fitted it. He use to sub-contract for Blue Ribbon in Ipswich.

Hope this helps

Danny

if i rip out the ecu and pull it apart, how do i know if it is faulty?

Should i run some multimeter tests on either side of the ecu, or even on either side of the master actuator?

maybe it is easier to get a new central locking kit installed. will that mean that the immobiliser function wont work anymore? or do kits now come with immobilisers standard?

If you fit a complete door lock motor kit and a new alarm then that will also immobilise your car. If you just do the new locks then you will be relying on your old immobilser.

If it were me I'd fit the new lock motors and a new alarm. Much more secure and reliable than what you have.

There is a spider or something or other that you can get to bypass the old immobilser for when it fails. I guess it could be used to disable it in this situation too.
Did you fit the spider for your old immobilser Danny?
Or did you just 'unlock' it and leave it be? Pull a fuse maybe?

As for the ECU question, I'd just pull it apart straight up. Otherwise you could be chasing voltages etc for nothing.
If it is anything that can be fixed it will be fairly obvious. It will either have dry joints which is when the solder joints become cracked/brittle or there will be a burnt out component or copper track.
It could look fine and still be stuffed but at least you'd have ruled some more things out.
Wouldn't hurt to go to a wrecker and grab one from another vehicle. Would be only a couple of dollars and you could swap them in and out to check things.

thanks for your suggestions guys. i have taken the disco into my local auto elec and they are going to inspect the ecu for me and we will take it from there.

i dont really want to have to install a whole new system if i can help it. perhaps a second hand ecu will do the trick.

i'll post the results when its fixed

cheers

I had a similiar problem with mine when the remote started playing up and found that the drivers door would not operate the central locking system but the passenger side would.

When I pulled the trims off the drivers door, i found two actuators for the locking mechanisim. It appears one operated off the key and another off the remote.

Because the remote was playing up and I wanted the laziness of remote central locking i had a new remote immobiliser fitted and central locking kit by the auto elec.

As you know the central locking kits are only about $40. the big cost is in the alarm/immobiliser option and what you want that to do then plus fitting. I think I spent about $250 - $300 all up.

I for one think alarms are a pain in the rear but a simple one that operates on voltage drop if the door is opened (interior light comes on) is a good solution.

well I have my disco back now and all is working again - for $140.

The ecu was fine, it was actually a faulty aftermarket actuator which I had replaced in the back door which was getting stuck and shorting the fuse under the steering wheel.

so the auto elec replaced the actuator and fuse and all is now working.

however, one of my two remote keypads is now not responding. might be a battery but is strange because it was only replaced recently and was the remote I was using before it went belly up.

if it aint one thing its another with this baby.