Electrics: 70: S70 Central Locking Door Switch

[savanna]

I have a problem with the central locking switch on the driver's door of my S70. While driving yesterday, I tried locking the car from the inside with the door switch, but the doors would lock and then unlock straight away no matter how many times I pressed the door switch. I like to lock the doors when I am driving in certain areas at certain times, so I would like to get this fixed asap. Anyone know why this is happening and what it might cost to fix it?

Thanks.

[christheancient]

Sounds like one of the doors is having a microswitch problem.

Do the footwell lights stay on (or have they been 'removed')?

Does the interior light stay on (or are they set to permanent off)?

Does one of the door edge lights stay on (or had the bulb removed)?

Try this... http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=124280

[savanna]

Thank you for your helpful reply. A friend of mine who is an apprentice mechanic in training used the info in your post to fix the fault. It appears the passenger door switch was out of kilter. Anyway, the central locking button is working again, thanks to the information you provided. Thank you!

[christheancient]

Glad it worked for you.

[savanna]

The central locking/interior light fault has resurfaced and I have lost touch with the acquaintance that helped me in the past. The doors won't lock when I use the switch in the window pack, and the interior courtesy lights stay on when the ignition is off so I have had to leave them in the off position permanently. I am obsessive about personal security and I want to be able to lock the doors after I get into my car at night (especially when using certain car parks). Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of cars so can't do anything myself. Should I take the car to a mechanic or an auto electrician?

Thanks.

[capt jack]

The car's locking system thinks that one of the doors isn't shut, which is why it won't lock the car or turn off the courtesy lights.

As previously, one the of the microswitches in one of the door locks is stuck. The problem is identifying the culprit!

I can't say for certain that this will work, but it's worth a try: Each door has a red marker light on the rear-facing inner panel. These should light up when the door is opened and go off when the door is shut.

Wait until it's dark, and then have a careful look along the lower trailing edge of each door in turn, with the doors shut. It might just be possible to see the red glow from the offending door!

If you're not car-minded then there isn't much more that you can do, but at least when you take the car to a garage you'll be able to tell them which door is causing the problem.

Were I in your position I'd start by taking the car to a local Volvo dealer and explain your situation. I don't know about your area but my experience of the Volvo dealers in Yorkshire is that they are a cut above the average garage and will try to help and not rip you off.

Good luck

Cheers

Jack

[savanna]

Thank you Capt Jack. I think I know which one is the offending door (the front door on the passenger's side), as when this problem first occurred, I searched this forum and printed off the steps that someone had kindly shared. I showed this to a mechanically capable acquaintance of mine. He detected the stuck hinge or something in the door, tweaked it with his finger, and the locking button and courtesy lights started working again. I sprayed the door locks with lubricant (after I read a suggestion by someone on this forum) and everything seems to be working okay for now. If the problem resurfaces, I will take the car to a garage.

[capt jack]

You're welcome.

One thought - very often switches etc can stop working if they're not used very much.

One useful thing to do is to make sure that you open and close the door regularly.

Mechanical things are made to move and if they don't they get grumpy!

Cheers

Jack

[savanna]

Thank you for your replies. Looks like I spoke too soon. Locking problem is back. I can lock the doors from the outside with the remote fob and from inside the car the remote fob locks all doors when the key is not in the ignition. It's the switches on both the driver's side and the passenger's side that don't work. The window switch pack on the drivers door was recently replaced with a new one after the electric windows switch speed working.

Is it worth replacing the central locking motors in both the driver's and passenger's doors? I could buy these and take to a local garage and have them fitted.

[scutyde]

I would replace the microswitches in the locks (all of them) If your car has deadlock function, there are 2 per lock, otherwise one. The "operation" is not very complicated.