Hello all

An odd thing, the central locking failed which I was able to fish out and remove a bit of corrosion on the connector. All three outlets expelling and sucking air now. However the boot/trunk lid won’t open, despite trying all the pipes in all outlets. Doors and petrol cap opening fine. Any ideas? Is there an electrical switch that could have failed too? Or have I been unlucky in that there has been a secondary mechanical failure at the same time somewhere..?

 

Ok something mind blowing that we can leave here for posterity. The trunk opened once I lifted the spoiler. Seems to have reset a switch somewhere. Utterly bizarre.

 

Hi,
I'm glad that it's working now, is it a coupe or roadster?
Check your connections and if you're getting corrosion, look for signs of water intrusion.

 

Sorry I should have said, its a coupe.

I am contemplating sealing the connectors and the base of the central locking module, but I’m not sure if that will make it worse…

 

Do anything you want to do - no matter what you do, in time, the module will fail.

We have been thru this time and again in the 15 years I have been on this forum.

See, the CLP/SSM module has supervisory control over the convertible top (as well as powered wing). Because of this, we Roadster convertible top fixers have become well versed in failures of the CLP/SSM. Once you have water damage in that (or any) module, the corrosion progresses. You can "seal" connectors if that makes you feel good - but the contact area between the wire and the crimped pins is corrupted with corrosion. The space under the ICs on the boards, if water got that far, is corroding as we speak. You can't stop this.

The long term fix is the same for us all:
Go find a "donor" car, yank the CLP/SSM and the last 2-3 feet of wiring harness.

Transplant all of the above into your car and you are good to go.

 

AND fix the leak!

 

Thanks guys. The module was rescued from an SLK un-corroded a few years back. Maybe the answer is to stop any water ingress in the first place? I understand that the petrol cap might be a culprit but also just the seals around the windows…