Problem solved. It turned out that the locking rod, connected to the back of the door handle key barrel had come out of the spring retainer.

Pierre3.

OK, I have solved the door locking problem. I managed to get the drivers side door open, luckily I guess, by getting a piece of steel pipe, putting it on top of the plastic body of the lock and giving it a whack. It didn't do any damage to the lock but I heard a click and the door handle on the outside suddenly released the door. Result !!!

I have no idea what caused the lock to release, but when I opened the door, pulled off the door card and water shedder I put a torch in and found that the rod from the back of the lock barrel had fallen out of the spring clip that is on the lock barrel arm. The spring clip had opened slightly and it was enough for the locking arm, to the door latch, to pop out and set the BeCM in the lock condition.

As luck would have it I had bought about 6 of these funny spring clips about two years ago so I was able to get everything back working as normal. I am very pleased not to have to shell out for a new latch. And it looks like the garage guy did actually fit a new latch after all !!

So everything is now corrected, the keys lock and unlock the doors, and both key fobs lock and unlock the doors, all having normal service restored.

Pierre3.

Hi Richard, I will check the inner door cable this morning. But, I don't think that is the problem because I can feel the handle pulling on something when I try to open the door from inside. I did fit a new cable last year, after the end at the latch, pulled off. I also fitted new plastic clips, and a new outer handle release rod, plus the funny little metal clip that holds the rod to the back of the key barrel.

I do suspect that it is down to the micro-switches. The sequence of events would lead me to this conclusion. I used to lock the car with the key because I have recently been concerned about the key fob locking me out due to stray radio signals. So, I would lock with the key, but last Friday, after three weeks not being used, I found that only a new key fob would unlock the car. The keys had no resistance when being turned so the latch was not responding to the turn of the key. However, the inside door release worked fine.

Finally, yesterday I opened the car door, it was not locked, and went for a drive. The door opened from the inside when I got out, and I closed the door, and everything was OK. I didn't lock the car. But I went back to the car as I had left something in it that I wanted. The door opened OK, I collected said item, but as I closed the door it suddenly locked and the door was at half latch, so not fully closed but not open either. However, I could no longer open the door. Neither from inside or outside. Even when I pressed the remote and the door lock button hopped up the door stays locked.

The only way in is from the passenger side. Both rear doors will open briefly, as does the passenger door, which allows me to get into the car, but the locks almost immediately return to lock condition. So I press the remote, jump into the car, close the door and all the locks and the boot are then locked.

This looks like the very same thing when the micro-switches stopped working, about a year ago, and I had to have the car towed to e RR repair guy that I knew. It was he who fitted a new latch at the time, but I did always wonder whether he fitted a new latch, or one that he had from a scrapper in his yard, who knows ?? The only difference between now and then is that the alarm kept going off the last time, whereas this time, when I open the car with the key fob the doors open, except the drivers door, but the alarm doesn't go off, and I can start and drive the car, which I couldn't the last time. The system had the key locked out as well as the alarm going off every time the door was opened.

So that is where I am at, this morning. My main issue is how to get the door open, so that I can take off the door card and see what is going on. But I suppose if I have to destroy the lock by lowering the window then I won't actually know what happened !! At the moment, however, I'm not that concerned about that, I just want to get the door open. So any advice is heartily welcomed. I am standing by with a very large screwdriver in hand.

Pierre3.

Hi guys, sorry about this but I need more advice ! I posted earlier about an issue with the key not opening the drivers' side door, but the key fob works fine. Unfortunately, I have to look for further help as the problem has become worse.

I went out in the car today and the door, which I left unlocked, opened fine. I traveled about 10 miles and got out of the car, walked away, but then realised I had left something in the car and returned. I opened the door door, which again I had left unlocked, but when I closed the door it didn't fully close but it was locked, as were all the other doors. I couldn't open it at all, but, with the remote, I could open all the other doors. So long story short, I climbed in through the passenger door and drove home.

I had someone fit a new latch about 12 months ago, but, looking, back, I have my doubts that it was new. So I am thinking that the micro-switches are acting the maggot, and I now need to fit a new latch myself.

So the biggest problem now is - how do I open the drivers' side door ? I can open everything so I can lower the window. I read a topic here on the forum about getting a metal spike and breaking the top of the latch, but I wonder whether there is clearer advice on how to do this ? Or a video showing how to do it ? I think that Richard [Gilbert] has some good advice and maybe he could give me some more help !!!

All suggestions really appreciated.

Pierre3.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the advice. I will check with the guy selling them in Australia which ones he has. I believe that the ones that he has are in good shape because they are generally dry and warm, with little rain or bad weather getting at them.

Pierre3.

Well, it's me again !!!!

I am thinking of buying a couple of Wabco rear wheel sensors, from a guy in Australia. He has a few in stock, but without getting under the car how do I know which sensors are fitted to my car ? How do I know if they are the sensors with long leads, or sensors with shorter leads ?

Pierre3.

I used to have WIS but, again, I did find it difficult to use, so I only used it occasionally. I guess I am not very good at reading through motor on-line manuals. I never had any similar issues reading through the big parts and workshop manuals that we used for the airport airbridges and elevator systems !!! I think that it is just what you are trained to use. Our manuals for parts were over 1000 pages, and you could be an hour looking for some specific parts. No wonder my eyesight is so bad !!

Pierre3.

Ha-ha-ha, I will whisper it, as my wife will batter me about the head for using profanities - "f+++++++++++".

Pierre3.

Thanks, Richard, that is perfect. I looked through RAVE but I couldn't find this diagram. Thanks for your great help.

Pierre3.

Richard, thanks for the advice. I have a feeling that I have to pull out the fan and cowling to get at the fan belt because on the diesel everything is covered in. But at least I have had the fan and cowling out a couple of times, just a couple of months ago to fit a new alloy radiator, so I know that I can undo everything easily enough.

I know that you don't have precise knowledge of the diesel but I am wondering whether you might just have the part numbers for the tensioner wheels ? I can find the tensioner itself, but I can't find the part numbers for the idlers fitted to the diesel. Unless Dave3d is reading this, because I saw thar he discussed the same issue with someone on a different forum, about 4 or 5 years ago.

Thanks again, Richard.

Pierre3.

Hi Richard, I was thinking that. It feels like something has detached because there is no pressure or tension on the key, and none of my keys open the door. Bit of a nuisance as now I will have to take the new water shedder back of the inside of the door. I would like to express my frustration by using a rude word that rhymes with "duck" and "muck" !!!

Pierre3.

I am not sure whether this comes under "Electrickery" but here goes !!

I left the P38 with my local garage guy [who I do trust] while I was away. He was changing the heater matrix while I was visiting my son, to help him move, and my guy did the job and dropped te P38 back at my house. Now, I only lock the car with the key to save key fob transmission issues [ the fob works fine at the house but I can't go near the supermarket and use the fob as I may not be able to open the car again] but when I went out to the car yesterday afternoon, after tree weeks sitting, the key didn't work to open the car.

There doesn't feel like there is any pressure on the key when I turn it so I suspect that something may have come un-attached, such as the locking rod. The door lock opens, but only with the remote key fob that I left with the garage so is this a case of needing to resyncing the key fobs ?

Does disconnecting the car battery prevent the physical key from working in the door lock ? I thought that the key would always open the lock, but am I wrong about this ?

There are no other problems, and both keys start the car. So I am wondering if the door lock has disconnected something, or do I just need to resync the keys again ?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Pierre3.

Hi, just a quick, rather vague, question - when I start up my P38 the fan belt bits rattle or squeak for a while, until the engine drops back to a regular tick-over. I am guessing that this may be the belt tensioner but I just thought that I would ask the question anyway.

Pierre3.

I would just like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and that the effects of 10 year single malt whisky don't last too long !!!!

Pierre3.

Hi to all, and a Happy New Year.

Thanks for the replies. Harv, I can't remember what my motor does in the summer. For some reason I never took account of how long it took to sink, if it did so. But I am in the same position as you, I want warmer weather before going looking, as I have to do it outside on the drive.

Richard, that's an interesting observation, dropping on only one corner. What, do you think, is causing that to happen ? Is it the airbag, or is it the valve block ?

Pierre3.

That's fine, thanks everyone. I do have a spare compressor in the garage that, like many owners, I want to rebuild. I do have a leak somewhere as my car will sink from road height to be on the wheels over a week. I haven't started looking yet due to cold weather, but I do know that the air bags are a bit worn.

So, obviously, the first thing is to get out with the soapy water spray and see what happens !!

Pierre3.

Yes, Happy Christmas to everyone, and many thanks for all the valuable information and advice provided by everyone over the last year.

Pierre3.

The first thing I will do is wish everybody a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Thanks for the Fish [ a reference to Hitch-hikers Guide To The Galaxy], or, in fact, for all the advice given throughout the year by all the members here.

So what I would like to ask on this occasion, before I head to the hills, and my daughters' house, is which valve seal kit is the best one to buy when rebuilding the compressor block ? A lot of people seem to buy the XR8 [have I got that right, I am relying on memory alone, which is a dangerous thing to do at my age], but I have a recollection of people saying that they had had problems with some of the seals in this kit.

Perhaps there is some consensus on this issue ?

Pierre3.

Hi guys, very many thanks for your views on this issue.

Aragorn, I have read that the best way to remove leaked coolant is to hire a wet and dry vacuum, like the Rug Doctor that is widely available. A couple of people posted on other sites and suggested putting some small amount of clean water onto the carpet and then use the wet and dry vacuum to hoover it out, along with the coolant. The suggestion was to do this a few times to get as much coolant out as possible. Then put in a dehumidifier.

That sounds like a fairly sensible solution but again fairly long term. The very immediate issue is stopping the leak, and Richards' point is probably the best one - to put in a by-pass link tp prevent coolant going through the heater matrix. The only thing that I have against this is that I will be driving a cold, cold motor if I have to use it. But, obviously, there has to be some sort of compromise, there's no point in constantly complaining that there's a leak and then doing nothing about it !!

Pierre3.

Kbs - my own vehicle was doing something similar for a while, but it appears more pronounced now. A couple of short runs, say 20 miles, and the coolant is at the bottom of the expansion tank.

Richard, I had indeed wondered whether the coolant circulated all the time. I thought that to be the case if only because, in years gone by, on way to help cool a hot engine was to put the heaters on full in an effort to reduce temperature. But - I had sort of hoped that, for some unknown [!!!] reason, the coolant wouldn't circulate if the heaters were left on cold.

Pierre3.