eastersm

I've got an '89 944 Turbo that just started to intermittently lock and unlock the central lock mechanism randomly with no input. I can push the central lock button and both locks will engage but then they immediately unlock. The same will go for when I try to lock the door from the outside locks as well. I've dug around and don't think the connecting rod is the issue given that the locks engage. Does anyone here have any ideas about what could be at the root of the issue? I've seen microswitch listed as a potential culprit but I'm fairly new to the 944 world and trying to at least be able to lock my door when I leave the car. Greatly appreciate any help!

951Tom

The control module is a black box located on the steering column under the dash. You can disconnect the plug until you get it figured out. Roll the window down and test to make sure you can still lock and unlock it manually.

I recently got my central locks working again and here's what I found. Took the doors apart and discovered both electric solenoid connecting rods were broken & the manual linkage rod on the passenger door disconnected. Put in all new rods (electric & manual) but they still wouldn't work. So next I went thru all the diagnostic steps in the service manual and discovered the contacts in the switch needed cleaning. This got everything working intermittently and/or sometimes not at all. I noticed the red light on the switch would stay on constantly so I decided to try a used control module off eBay and that finally fixed them. During this process, I discovered some chaffed wires in the door sill boot but they weren't broken. I wrapped them with electrical tape the best I could.

My alarm has a keyless entry option so I hooked that up too. It's a really nice feature to have.

eastersm

This is great, looks like I'll be removing some door cards this weekend! Thanks for the insight and hoping it won't require an all-new control module, those bad-boys are pricey!

951Tom

You might not need to take apart the door cards just yet. The window has to be removed to access the lock assemblies and was by far the hardest part. Download the chassis service manual online and go thru the diagnostic steps. You make a pair of jumper wires and go thru the tests along with a multi-meter. It was straight forward and didn't take long to find out what was wrong.

DSMblue

Eh, removing the window and regulator isn't hard, just time consuming to put it back together. I've had mine out multiple times, generally can do in about 15-20 minutes to disassemble. I agree that he should go through diagnostic steps first.