Electrics: Driver's Door Module Playing Up...

[Miti]

We're having problems with the controls in the driver's door...

First sign was the driver's door lock "locking" whilst the car was in motion... Not all the time, just every now and again... Just the driver's door...

On a recent trip, the problems worsened... On the way out, the door locked itself... At our destination, I wound the window down to speak to someone... The window would NOT wind back up... RATS!!

Thinking that a fuse may have blown, I headed for the nearest Halfords... Parked outside, I took the cover off the RH end of the dash to expose the fusebox... Found the Driver's Door module fuse and whipped it out... No problems there... Re-fitted the fuse (all this with the ignition off I may add). The window started to work again... GREAT..!!

Drove home... Parked up and locked the car using the keyfob remote... Well 4/5 of the car locked... The driver's door remained unlocked...

This was a week ago... I've tried "resetting" the upper control module, after which the door locked/unlocked once then stopped working again and now the window doesn't work at all (but at least it's UP.!)

All the other doors are fine, central locking working OK, windows OK, it's just the driver's door... Any clues folks..?

Miti

[Karoshio]

Maybe a long shot but check the cable towards the door?
Is there any noticable damage?

[BestGear]

Originally Posted by Karoshio

Maybe a long shot but check the cable towards the door?
Is there any noticable damage?

Agree with the above - worth checking the door cables...not easy however.

If you are able to get a meter and test while its in the faulty state that will be the only way to diagnose without swapping parts I suspect.

When the fault is present, can you confirm if ALL the drivers door switch functionality is lost? If so, that should make things easier.

David

[Voley]

Won't help the window problem, but when my car was about three years old, I had the same phantom door locking issue (a back door). The Volvo dealership were pretty certain that it was a faulty solenoid in the locking mechanism, changed it (under guarantee) and it has been fine since.

Incidently, I had the same window problem with a Ford Galaxy a while ago; the problem there was a faulty safety cut-out which was self-activating and preventing the window moving. However, it would be curious if the door lock and the window were both misbehaving at the same time; this does suggest a wiring loom problem, the the most likely place must be the flexible bits were it goes past the door hinges.

Good luck.

[Miti]

Thanks folks...

OK... I see the flexible harness twixt body and door... Does it uncouple at the door end or is that just a fancy cable clamp that the harness passes through..? (Last door harness I played with as a '98 Astra and there was a connector at the A-pillar end of the door that the flexible bit connected into...)

I'm only asking in an attempt to prevent damage... No point in trying to undo a "connector" if it isn't a connector at all, eh..?

Miti

[400-ascona]

Its a connector. Quite easy to disconnect and reconnect.
Rob.

[Miti]

Ta!... Weekend job will be to expose/examine wiring then... I'll post up results...

Miti

[linas7012]

Originally Posted by Miti

Ta!... Weekend job will be to expose/examine wiring then... I'll post up results...

Miti

Hi Miti,did you get that sorted.I have very similar problem in my 04 xc90.Drvers door electrics not working;door mirror,central locking,el window as well.All other doors electrics works perfect.

[Miti]

Originally Posted by linas7012

Hi Miti,did you get that sorted.I have very similar problem in my 04 xc90.Drvers door electrics not working;door mirror,central locking,el window as well.All other doors electrics works perfect.

Can't believe we've carried this fault for over two years now...!! Doesn't time fly...

Here's more on this problem...

I checked the wiring harness in the door - no fault found... I checked the connector halves too - NFF... I removed the Driver's Door Module and pulled the case apart - WOW... What a complex piece of kit... Probably more computing power in there than it too to put a man on the moon..!! Anyway... NFF (no signs of corrosion, cracked PCB tracks, lifted or burnt components or dry joints...) I put it all back together and decided to seek help...

I took the car to Volvomax in Springboig. They called in an auto electrician, who "fixed the fault".

We collected the car and, sure enough, the door was working just fine... Great..!!

Well, not so great. The following day, the car had a totally flat battery...

I pulled the door panel and found that the auto-spark had connected two of the harness wires together with a 15A fuse (I think he had shares in 3M judging by the quantity of PVC electrical tape he used...)

I pulled the fuse and put the battery on charge... for a day!

The next day, I went back and inserted my multi-meter into the circuit... With the ignition switched off, the "fix" was passing 4 amps of current - constantly... No wonder the battery went flat...

Working on the premise that the fix actually made the door work, I replaced the new fuse with a 15A toggle switch, positioned just below the inner door handle... The door could now be swiched on or off, as required...

It's not an ideal fix... The remote locking and window only works with the switch set to on and it can't be left on overnight as it flattens the battery. So we've been opening the driver's door with the actual key...

More recently, the front passenger door has gone the same way... It can only be unlocked from inside and the window and mirror don't work at all...

I'm not convinced that either door module is at fault and suspicious that it might be the CEM or DIM not telling the DMs what to do properly... So I'm toying with fitting a similar mod to the driver's door, albeit now with couple of relays that close the connections when the car's electrics "go live". I know it's a messy fix, but the car has over 186K on it now and I'm simply not up for a four-figure spend that might not be a permanent fix...

Anyone else suffered gradually degrading door electrics..?

Miti

[Shadeyman]

This may help.

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=205350