Polo central locking .. not!

[grahamf]

Hi- my son has a T reg 1.4 CL (match) and the c. locking has packed up. One day working ok, the next nothing! All doors lock / unlock ok manually so i assume its the c. locking pump in the boot - yes? All wiring and air tube connections ok. (Oh, and I have checked the fuse!).
So is it just a case of replacing this unit? cheers, graham

[dukla2000]

Hi- my son has a T reg 1.4 CL (match) and the c. locking has packed up. Not sure if this is in time for you, but the C locking on a 1996 1.4 CL I just got for my daughter was dead. Got a quote from the dealer for a pump for £210 so decided it was worth taking a very careful look first.

Fuse was OK. Had 12V on the connector between the one thick reddish cable and an adjacent thickish brown, so figured power was broadly OK.

Removed the unit from the car, unclipped the white plastic bottom cover which exposed the solder side of a PCB. Quite a few signs of water damage to the board (hard to tell whether condensation or leak or what, but who cares). The PCB is pretty basic technology: mostly a whole bunch of resistors and caps with the odd IC and relay thrown in. I presume for £210 the new ones are hewn from solid gold ingots to prevent the same corrosion damage?

On closer inspection it appeared 1 of the tracks had corroded completely away by one of the pins on IC1, and again the same track runs the length of the PCB past a capacitor where the track seemed to have lifted and possibly broken, past another electrolytic cap and finally to a resistor at the other end of the PCB. (Sorry about the imprecise description - the unit is back in the car and it will take a few beers or some other bribery to get me to get more precise details!)

Anyway, I cut a wire and soldered it to on the component side of the board to the leg of the resistor, around the leg of the (non-electrolytic) cap and on to the pin of IC1.

And her C locking now works fine.

Hope this helps someone else.

[grahamf]

Thats helpful, thanks. Although yesterday I changed the unit to one I acquired via eBay (recovered unit I believe) for £50. The replacement unit works fine and C-lockingis now ok. But, I will now recover the old unit from the bin!! and check out whether it is the same problem.... If so maybe it will be worth eBaying it!! thanks again, graham.

[dukla2000]

Damn - seems I was not even first. http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2180#2180

[grahamf]

indeed! checked out my unit here and found it to be the same as this other related post... a corroded link near to one of the relays.

[NHolland]

Ive got a W reg polo 1.4 tdi with totally sporadic central locking. Is this likely to be the same issue. Is the pump located in the boot on these models?

also had anybody ever had the pleasure of removing a headlight from these models? I know it sounds extremely simple but i have a cracked one that needs replacing and after some very frustrating attempts it seems like the only way it can be done is by removing the front bumper, is this correct??

Any info would be greatly appreciated

[s0niX]

Yes you must remove the bumper first unfortunatly.

Now if you was terying to remove the back ones you would jusst unscrew a screw in the boot under the carpet. then pop out it comes =)

[dukla2000]

Ive got a W reg polo 1.4 tdi with totally sporadic central locking. Is this likely to be the same issue. Is the pump located in the boot on these models?I would certainly reckon that as the corrosion is nearly complete, the locking must become intermittent for a short period before it dies completely. So yes, I figure there is a fair chance it is the same problem (and same design).

Check the rhs of the boot - the 1994/99 range have a polystyrene block behind a flap in the boot carpet for a first aid kit, and also a cut-out in the polystyrene for the c-locking pump. If yours is the same it is pretty easy to unclip the vacuum pipe and electric connector and then remove & check the pump itself.

[NHolland]

Thanks for the info guys, havent managed to get any of it done yet though. But will let you know if i get it sorted!

Thanks again

[maxeymoo]

Not sure if this is in time for you, but the C locking on a 1996 1.4 CL I just got for my daughter was dead. Got a quote from the dealer for a pump for £210 so decided it was worth taking a very careful look first.

Fuse was OK. Had 12V on the connector between the one thick reddish cable and an adjacent thickish brown, so figured power was broadly OK.

Removed the unit from the car, unclipped the white plastic bottom cover which exposed the solder side of a PCB. Quite a few signs of water damage to the board (hard to tell whether condensation or leak or what, but who cares). The PCB is pretty basic technology: mostly a whole bunch of resistors and caps with the odd IC and relay thrown in. I presume for £210 the new ones are hewn from solid gold ingots to prevent the same corrosion damage?

On closer inspection it appeared 1 of the tracks had corroded completely away by one of the pins on IC1, and again the same track runs the length of the PCB past a capacitor where the track seemed to have lifted and possibly broken, past another electrolytic cap and finally to a resistor at the other end of the PCB. (Sorry about the imprecise description - the unit is back in the car and it will take a few beers or some other bribery to get me to get more precise details!)

Anyway, I cut a wire and soldered it to on the component side of the board to the leg of the resistor, around the leg of the (non-electrolytic) cap and on to the pin of IC1.

And her C locking now works fine.

Hope this helps someone else.


Dukla - you are a genius, thank you...bought 2000 x polo tdi for the wife but c/locking didnt work...was going to bust a vessel at the dealer but had a look on line and saw your advice...took bottom cover off the pump to reveal the circuit board and one small connection was a bit rusty...bit of wd40 on a cloth and gave it a good rub, squirted some more wd40 into the key locks and hey presto - works like a treat...was really peaved as the dealer is 35 miles away and couldnt be doing with driving up there only to be told they would have to order parts etc....now I just have to dry all the carpets as when they valeted the car i think they stuck a hose pipe through the window and turned it on...took 7 litres of water out of the carpet with a vax wet and dry vacuum...initially thought that was the cause of the c/locking problem - anyway, thankyou again from a very chuffed new polo owner...

[Heavertron]

Hi Guys,

The Misses has a 2000 1.4 16v Polo. The central locking does not work. I checked the pump, it does make a clicking noise when I turn the key, but after placing my thumb over the air line hole, it felt no air pressure. If it works, I should feel it move some air right?

The circuit board is spotless, so it looks like I will try to buy a new one on ebay. The passenger door lock is very stiff to move when I pull the pin, might this have burned out the c-locking motor?

Another issue is that there are three different keys for the vehicle as the passenger door and the boot were broken (vandalised) in two separate incidents. What's the best way to go here? Can I buy three lock barrels (bad terminology, sorry) which use the same (new) key? Would this be too expensive?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Heavertron]

Right,

I replaced the pump, and now both doors open/lock fine when I turn the key, except the boot.

When I turn the key in the boot, the other locks do not open. Also the boot is not opened when I turn one of the other locks.

Any suggestions guys? I am going to check if the air tube has come away in the boot lock, but shouldn't it still open the other locks when I turn the key in the boot? Is there some small electronic part (actuator?) that might be at fault.

I've tried to search, please can someone give me a clue, I almost have this little Polo back in usable order again.

Aaron

[daveshawpolo]

Not sure if this is in time for you, but the C locking on a 1996 1.4 CL I just got for my daughter was dead. Got a quote from the dealer for a pump for £210 so decided it was worth taking a very careful look first.

Fuse was OK. Had 12V on the connector between the one thick reddish cable and an adjacent thickish brown, so figured power was broadly OK.

Removed the unit from the car, unclipped the white plastic bottom cover which exposed the solder side of a PCB. Quite a few signs of water damage to the board (hard to tell whether condensation or leak or what, but who cares). The PCB is pretty basic technology: mostly a whole bunch of resistors and caps with the odd IC and relay thrown in. I presume for £210 the new ones are hewn from solid gold ingots to prevent the same corrosion damage?

On closer inspection it appeared 1 of the tracks had corroded completely away by one of the pins on IC1, and again the same track runs the length of the PCB past a capacitor where the track seemed to have lifted and possibly broken, past another electrolytic cap and finally to a resistor at the other end of the PCB. (Sorry about the imprecise description - the unit is back in the car and it will take a few beers or some other bribery to get me to get more precise details!)

Anyway, I cut a wire and soldered it to on the component side of the board to the leg of the resistor, around the leg of the (non-electrolytic) cap and on to the pin of IC1.

And her C locking now works fine.

Hope this helps someone else.


Fantastic! This also helped me enormously. My central locking failed and petrol cap would not open on my 2001 polo. This was after a very heavy period of rain, and we're talking Welsh rain here. I think water got in through the gap above the light cluster and collected in the foam that cradles the pump. I manged to get the blue pipe disconected from the pump and took the unit inside where took off the white cover and what do you know, I found some corrosion! I cleaned it up and made sure it was dry, put it all back and it worked, although has stopped once since, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Replacement pump from VW is around £200, so was very pleased! Thanks for taking the time to help others!

[dukla2000]

An update a few months on. Daughter reports c/locking has stopped again. Remove pump & white plastic cover. Nasty signs of corrosion again, one of the wire links (near the external connector) looks like it has corroded away from the PCB island. Drilled another hole through the island, soldered in a new link and all is well.

Have decided to put in place some (hopefully) preventative measures. Am busy painting the bottom of the PCB with a couple of coats of clear nail varnish to try prevent further corrosion. Also plan to re-site the pump round-bit/motor side down (connector side at the top) as opposed to white cover side down. This means the PCB will be orientated vertically rather than horizontally and so any condensation will hopefully run away from it.

[jamesM]

Hi there,
my g.f.'s polo is also suffering intermittent c/locking probs. I was astonished to find such a useful forum post, and one that almost exactly describes the problem!
I've pulled out the pump, exactly where the forum said it would be, but I cannot get the pcb out of the housing... I've removed the little bolt on it, and that didn't free anything up.

Any ideas on how to get this out?

There isn't very much sign of corrosion on the outside of the board, so I'm eager to see what's on the flip side.

Any ideas?

Thanks for the help so far, everyone that's posted on here!
J

[Heavertron]

You have to inch the pcb up as the pump nozzle is attached, and so you have to slid it up quite some way to get it out of the housing. I recommend sliding two flat head screw drivers under the pcb and inching it up from opposite sides.

I found this really hard to explain. Hope it makes sense!

[jamesM]

Thanks! A little bravery, and gentle persistence prevailed in the end!

Happened exactly as you suggest.

Looked in the board, and the voltage regulator seems to be pretty coroded. everything else looks fine. gonna fit another one. (78p from rapid electronics) just need to remember how to solder now!

There's quite a few of these units on fleabay at the moment, so if everything else fails, I might grab one off there. Fancy the idea of a 78p cure for something vw would want to charge us £300 for though!!!


Thanks again for your help,
J

[jamesM]

oh, part is a 8-pin DIL packaged LP2951, by the way.

[Heavertron]

Yes, the Misses was quoted £300 when she asked for advice at a VW garage. It's such an easy job on the Polo. I ended up cobbling together the pump part from the her existing one, and the PCB from one I got of ebay. Still working to this day. Glad I could help. :beerchug:

[Clem]

Hi
I think the boot can be set to work with or without the central locking.
It depends which way the lock is left. i.e. to the left or right.

The boot lock will not open the doors.

Hope this helps.

[scruffychinn]

ok so im a stupid sissy girl who's central locking has packed up :zx11:. i have a 1.6 cl i think :) and it has been a little sluggish for a while now so i kinda figured it would die soon :( as i have almost no idea about cars i dont want to go the garage and get fleeses by some ******* LOL. how much is it going to cost to get put right and is it something a novis can attempt to look at?
or hay do u know any cheep relaiable garages in gloucestershire LOL :D

[Heavertron]

Hi
I think the boot can be set to work with or without the central locking.
It depends which way the lock is left. i.e. to the left or right.

The boot lock will not open the doors.

Hope this helps.

Very good point. Yes, don't let the boot lock confuse you. It will not activate the central locking system, and can only be activated by the CL system when the lock is left in the key turned right position. :o

[Millerman]

Ok, done a search on central locking issues for Polo 2001, i can hear pump working and the 4 lock buttons raise on each door but only rear doors and hatch open!! The 2 front doors refuse to budge even with the lock buttons raised, i've even got in the back and tried to open the fronts on the door handle with no joy. Could this still be assosiated with the pcb board in the boot???

Cheers, Phil.

[aviationkid]

a

[dukla2000]

Ok, done a search on central locking issues for Polo 2001, i can hear pump working and the 4 lock buttons raise on each door but only rear doors and hatch open!! The 2 front doors refuse to budge even with the lock buttons raised, i've even got in the back and tried to open the fronts on the door handle with no joy. Could this still be associated with the pcb board in the boot??? No - if the PCB dies then the pump doesn't run and the locks dont move (except on the door where the key is.)

Suspect the linkage between the handles & the latch has gone - there is a silly paddle like thing. Strange both doors should go at once - was the car vandalised? Which also raises a trick question - hw do you open the door if both inside & outside hadles are ineffective?

[Millerman]

Thanks for you're reply, car was not vandalised, we put a new lock barrel in the drivers door recently, it was also involved in an accident recently which resulted in a new o/s rear quarter being fitted, strangely which is where the pump/pcb board are situated!! So, we have 2 front doors that dont open, so i cant even get the door cards off to investigate inside. Also, why would both front doors fail to unlock at the same time?? I'm at a total loss at the mo.:confused:

[Robdog]

I have got a 1998 1.6 GL Polo and the CL has just stopped. The key will open just the drivers door and the passenger door independently, there is no noise when I turn the key like there used to be, which I guess was the pump.

Does this sound like the pump has failed, I just want to check prior to buying one off ebay

Thanks

[Millerman]

My problem was i could hear the pump working and could see the lock buttons raise but the locking mechanism itself inside the door was not working, after stripping and giving everything a liberal coat of graphite grease all is now ok. Your problem i rekon is the pump/pcb board as mentioned earlier in this thread, if you cant hear the pump when turning the key and the two front doors are opening individually with the key then yes, i'd say that is where you're problem lies.
Wait for more experienced guys to come on and confirm before ya go stripping things out.;)

[Robdog]

Does anyone know if the central locking pump parts are interchangeable, e.g. mine is a 1H0 962 257 F can I only replace it with another F or will a D work ?

[dukla2000]

I have got a 1998 1.6 GL Polo and the CL has just stopped. The key will open just the drivers door and the passenger door independently, there is no noise when I turn the key like there used to be, which I guess was the pump.

Does this sound like the pump has failed, I just want to check prior to buying one off ebay

ThanksYup - it is most likely the pump. Replacements are not cheap, even on ebay, so it is worth playing with your existing one first.

[lennylegs]

Hi
I have a problem with my polo (97 1.4 16v). The central locking will unlock the car but it won't lock the car. I can manually lock all the doors/boot etc and it's fine when I come back to it because the central locking will unlock.
It started about 5 days ago, it just did it one morning then went back to working fine then on Friday it stopped locking again.
Does anyone know if this means its the PCB, the pump, a leak in the air line or another ..... (i had thought if it was the pump it just wouldn't work at all but that may be nonsense! :) )
Thank you !

[dukla2000]

I would reckon the PCB. Similar to you I figure if the pump works ever then it is OK. And I haven't heard too many stories of the pump breaking.

Th PCB is corroding and so its intermittent failure makes sense. The trick is to remove it and try work out where the corrosion is causing problems.

ps - should clarify that the pump and PCB are all in the same housing. So in theory replacing the whole housing (at some ridiculous VW price) would kill both birds, but in my experience the PCB is the weak link and is generally fixable if you have even the most basic soldering iron skills.

[lennylegs]

Thank you ever so much for your reply, it has got worse in that it won't lock on the central locking/key in door at all now.
What it does is unlock fine with the central locking fob/key in the drivers door, but doesnt lock with the central locking fob/key in the drivers door. We run around pushing down the locks on all the doors and do the drivers door with the key.
I have no soldering experience but my dad will most probably be able to help me out with this one :D
The drivers door lock seems a little stiff though ... hope that's nothing to worry about!
Thank you !!!:beerchug:

[Millerman]

We replaced the drivers door lock on my son in laws Polo because it became really stiff and played up in cold or freezing weather, all was well throughout Spring and Summer, but, now the Winter is here again the central locking is playing up again when its damp. I'm now convinced its the PCB, whats the location so i can remove it and hopefully repair/solder?

[lennylegs]

Hi
Just a quick update....having been using the car with the pump in on and off since I posted as we took it out and the corrosion to the pcb board was awful. Decided that due to Xmas posting and stuff going on we'd soldier on as it was (took pump out as it meant I could lock/unlock the one door rather than it unlocking everything every time then having to race round the car locking it all again :) )
Ordered a used pump off ebay for £25 inc delivery last Sun eve,arrived today, just fitted and central locking working as good as new !
Thanks for the help!
:beerchug:

[dkw]

Hi

All the pumps eventaully get wet at some time. It is best to spray the PCB with WD40 and then seal the electrical plug with silicone sealant as used in the bathroom. Then and this is the most important - wrap the pump in a supermarket plastic bag and tie the handles together. This has preserved my original pump for over twelve years now and I would recommend anyone to do this.

[EViS]

I can't find the pump anywhere in the boot of my 2001 mk3 (Seat Ibiza, based on the Polo mk3). I understand it is in a foam enclosure but still no joy in tracking it down.

Someone suggested to remove the bumper and it is inside there? How do I remove the bumper?

[Collectorman]

I have a weird issue, if i turn the key in the drivers door, all 4 doors open, but when i try and lock it, only the drivers door locks and not any of the other 3 doors. There is a noise from the boot which i assume is the CL pump?

[Crazy L]

hi guys, I have a similar problem too. I tracked it down to the pump in the boot, as my gf has a polo too. I've been bidding on pumps on ebay and keep losing out, and here's my query: the part number on my pump begins with the prefix 6NO, and while I've found, bid, and lost out on auctions for these, they are quite few and far between compared to the same looking part prefixed with 1HO. So does anyone know what the differences are between the two units. Plenty of 1HOs on ebay, barely any 6NOs. Cheers guys in advance.

[dkw]

I have a weird issue, if i turn the key in the drivers door, all 4 doors open, but when i try and lock it, only the drivers door locks and not any of the other 3 doors. There is a noise from the boot which i assume is the CL pump?


Hi

it important to try and find the correct fault. There are three scenarios:

1. The pump does not work? If it runs the the pump is fine.

2. If the pump continues to run even after closing or opening then there is a leak in the air piping.

3. There are micro switches in the door lock (easy to replace if somewhat fiddly) that tell the pump when to suck to close and blow when opening.

This is all there is to it.

Try and find the problem by disconnecting the air line from the pump carefully with a wide bladed screwdriver. Turn the key in the lock and see if pump blows and sucks depending on opening or closing. Stop the pump from running on by putting you finger over the air outlet.


if you think it is the pump go to a local scrap yard that has one. They will let you try one before you buy if they are any good. Ask VW about the numbers. They usually are very good.

Take good care of the pump as previously stated in my post - water eventually get to it via leaks in the bodywork at the rear.

good luck.

[mark0497]

Hi. Sorry to jump on the back of your post. But am new to this site and cant even work out how to start my own topic :-(

Anyway ... haha. I have a W reg Polo 1.4 5 Dr. And also now have issues with the central locking (key operated and not remote) ! Basically I can unlock from the drivers door, although its really stiff and clunky. But I cant even turn the key to the left to lock it. But when using the passenger door it all works fine.

Has anyone any ideas please. I am not mechanically minded, and would probably have to put it into a garage to get fixed, but really wanted an idea before taking it in and getting fleeced !!

Thank for reading

Mark

[dkw]

Hi
I have a problem with my polo (97 1.4 16v). The central locking will unlock the car but it won't lock the car. I can manually lock all the doors/boot etc and it's fine when I come back to it because the central locking will unlock.
It started about 5 days ago, it just did it one morning then went back to working fine then on Friday it stopped locking again.
Does anyone know if this means its the PCB, the pump, a leak in the air line or another ..... (i had thought if it was the pump it just wouldn't work at all but that may be nonsense! :) )
Thank you !

Hi


What happens on the passenger side?


if the pump works with the key to either lock or unlock the car the pump is fine. Get someone to turn the key and listen in the boot to hear the pump work it sucks and blows to lock and unlov
ck the car.

let me know how you go on.

also try squirting in WD 40 through the keyhole and waggling it with the key in. See if it frees up the lock.

[Crazy L]

I don't have my Polo anymore, gone Czech, but my missus still has hers and she is experiencing issues by where she can only lock/unlock the car via the passenger door. I have found out what this is though. Remove the door handle assembly from the door and you'll see a spade like bit of ali coming out of the back, the spade end locates in the valve assembly that operates the central locking, however, on the other end, the end that's attached to the door handle, there's a set shape that meets up with notches on the tumbler as you turn the key. On my missus car, half of the ali bit has broken off, leaving the notches nothing to turn when she turns the key in the handle. Be careful when acquiring new ones though as when I got hold of a load, all from Polos of similar age I might add. They were all different lengths. Also be careful as they break easily as they're only cast ali.

Hope to have been of some help