Door lock unlocking itself

Michael-- Some of us 456 owners have experienced this. Search the forum for locking problems.... IIRC, the consensus was that water was getting to the ECU (computer module) in the driver's door that controls locking. Several of us used plastic bags to seal the ECU in the driver's door and the problem went away.

So, the question is: was the car exposed to rain or washing before this happened?

If not, you may need to adjust the turn-buckles on the rods that control the central locking..... don't freak-out... but, this requires removing the door panels... which thanks to other 456 members is well documented in the "Window Fix" threads.

Please let us know if you find out anything.

Regards.... Mark

 

Michael- On other Ferraris that has been cured variously by disconnecting and reconnecting the seat ECU and by adjusting the lock rod, which sounds like it has gone over center. That means pulling the door panel, but lots of info here on how to do that.

 

At one point when I had the problem, Craig (Monza 456) mentioned that the servo was weak and that the mechanism got hung up and resisted closure, i.e., it was a mechanical problem that caused the lock to kick back. Locks are working fine now. Anyone else have that?

 

Michael-- I think Taz was referring to the window/lock ECU in the driver's door. I don't think our 1995's have a seat ECU... no memory seats.... The lock ECU is the one I was referring to that many of us have bagged to keep it bone dry....

But, if the unlocking didn't occur after the car was wet, I'll bet it's the rods... Look at:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/456-550-575-sponsored-bradan/397523-456-window-problem-update.html

After looking at that thread and IIRC, you can access and adjust the rods by just removing the door armrest with one screw..... don't hold me to it...but it seems the door panel needs to be in place to make the adjustments. I think I misspoke about having to remove the door panel(s).

No pun intended but, "some say" screwing with these rods can drive you screwy.... I was able to adjust mine after retrofitting the window lifting mechanism without incident....

Which begs the question... Have your window regulators (lifts) been updated? If not, now would be a good time... again, see the thread above.

Good luck.....Mark

 

Sounds like it might be a good idea to take it back to the dealer if they are prepared to look at it under warranty.

 

Door ECU can be faulty. They can be rebuilt. I thing the automatic opening and closing by itself can damage the relay in the ECu. Other opinions?The doors and windows are the only real Achilles heel on these cars,but one can live with that.

 

I am not familiar with the 456 mechanism. However on a 550 there are two rods from the handle. One is for the door latch mechanism and the other is for the central locking. If the central locking rod is not properly adjusted, the "lock" tab will pop back up when you push it down. If you push it down firmly from inside the car it might stay down because of the extra force applied. That extra force cannot be applied when using the remote, so the car will unlock when you try to lock it that way. Suggest you remove the arm rest and adjust the central locking rod accordingly. On a 550, two 7mm open end wrenches are necessary to perform the adjustment; perhaps the 456 is similar. Just a very minor lengthening of the rod should be all you need.

 

Michael:

To adjust the rods on my 550, I did this:

1. remove the armrest to view the rods.

2. make sure the rear adjustor rod is tight. Note: The adjustment is done only on the front threaded rod.

3. loosen the locking nut on the front rod, hold the large section steady with one of the wrenches during this loosening process. You are loosening the nut just a couple of turns. Note: The forward end of the front rod screws into a boss underneath the lock tab.

3. To begin the adjustment, sit in the car (windows down). Doors unlocked. Lock tab should be fully raised...I'm guessing around 75 degrees up.

4. use you fingers to rotate the front rod until you see the lock tab just begin to lower.

5. At that point you are very close to the sweet spot of the adjustment. Push the lock tab down (gently) and see if if stays down and locks the right side door. If it doesn't, rotate the rod a bit until you get the desired outcome.

6. Important: (a) You should not need to do a lot of rotating of the rod to get the desired result. (b) if you are testing the locking from inside the car use only a gentle motion to push the tab down; at this point you should be approximating the normal force applied by the locking solenoid..do not force it. (c) this is a trial and error process.

I am somewhat familiar with the process because I recently had my door handles and lock tabs out of the car for refinishing by StickyNo More (fantastic results!, btw) and I used this process during re-assembly and achieved a perfect operating outcome for the locks..

See attached photos and notes for reference. The image on the right is of the underside of the lock tab. The threaded forward short rod threads straight through the boss.
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Don't worry Michael,relay and try again in a few days. This is a design fault with the 456,not your fault. To take the panel off,first have a beer, Remove the top of the armrest. From the bottom of the arm rest remove the screw and special boss it sits it, You will see a 10mm bolt t the back of the armrest filler,remove it and the front of the armrest slides forward and out There are 2 more 10mm bolts to undo. The tricky part is later putting the door handle back on. the screw under the opening part of the handle is hard to put back on unless you remove one rod from its clip(usually yellow). Remove the window switches from their connections remove the other screws in the periphery of the panel and you are done. The controller is a rectangular black box. It comes apart so you can check for corrosion on the inside. I have a spare if you are stuck.They come up on ebay. There is one for sale on the german site-I just bought the other as a spare.Dont get frustrated,the rest of the car is great,you can live with thr window issue,but not the window misalignment which was an aluminum pin controlling the scissors mechaniam. Formula one imports in Florida will fix it for you for a very reasonable price. You cant adjust the windows without this fix-don't even try.

 

My 1999 456 drivers door (LHD) is showing the same problem. What "servo" are you referring to that was weak and where can the part be obtained?

 

hello Ferrari gurus,

Sorry to reopen and old thread, but I have a really frustrating situation and I thought I had solved it, but apparently not.

spontaneously while driving or while parked with the car off the door locks wlil lock and unlock continuously for a set cycle (maybe 10 I have not counted) and the windows will lower all the way when closed and yesterday with the drivers window down and the door open the window raised as if it were closed and the door shut (the drop down feature).

I know I need to get the regulator replaced or repaired (the pin mentioned on a thread here), but I am at a loss as to what to do.

I had a corrosion issue at the door connector pins but I cleaned that and applied connector grease to enhance and protect connection and the problem was fine last summer. I drove it around for 2 days after pulling it out of summer storage and attempting to adjust the window (when I researched and realized) the pin in the is required.

any advice and direction will be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi everyone....Yes I am trying to resolve the door unlocking bug .I would like to adjust the lock rod on a 2005 575M, but just how does the arm rest come off? I have the three screws out from below but is seems glued in place, or how does the entire door panel get removed? Thanks, bobg.

 

I had this exact problem when my 456M was relatively new to me, only it was just the door locks and not the windows. The main ECU that controls the door locks and windows had corroded contacts and had to be replaced. Once it was replaced, perfect for over five years. I don't know the specific part number, but I'll ask Jim the next time I see him, which will be soon, as we're currently restoring my 360 to concours condition, and I have parts to deliver.

 

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Bob, I’m assuming you have the map pocket out (six small screws). The WSM provides some insight to removing the door panel however after executing all the instructions mine was still not free. And extensive searches of the archives found no solutions yet either, at least in my case. Plan is to quiz my Ferrari tech with the missing piece of the puzzle. In the mean time there is some access to several rods behind the map pocket.
Should you find all the steps necessary to remove the 575 door card/panel, please post them. Hope to do the same at some point.
Also should you need a WSM contact Dave at StickyRX, he can help.
Bill
FL