93 Passat VR6 only passenger door locks all doors

93 passat VR6- i am only able to lock all doors from the passenger side. the driver side door can be locked and unlocked just fine but the other doors are not responding from this side.
i understand that the system works with air pressure- when using the passenger lock i can hear the pump working in the trunk (for about 30 seconds or so)- when locking on the other side i don't hear a thing.
i took the panel off and checked the connections- all seems fine....
plus the alarm activates every once in a while (the red light flashes) and i was advised by the previous owner to enter from the other side so i wouldn't trigger the alarm.
i assume these issues are connected but when it comes to wiring i'm pretty helpless.
from other threads i understand that these are common problems and i spent some time looking through the forum- without luck so far.
any help or hints would be appreciated.
thanks

MOre likely a problem with the lock position sensor switch or the wiring where it comes through at the door hinges.

hi boschman,
thanks for the reply- i was hoping you would be the one that has some advice.
the wiring to the door seems ok. i pulled the rubber cover and the wires are intact. however, i also removed the door handle and noticed 3 wires going straight into the handle. the black one (ground, i assume) in disconnected.
what are these wires for? the factory alarm? the blinking red light and the alarm works fine (only if i lock from the passenger side, though). the handle doesn't have any screws to keep the wires in place...
any thoughts?
thank you so much.

The wires are for the locking system & are most likely the problem. You'll need to remove the handle & see if you can repair, as the switch is not available seperately.

hi boshmann,
is played around with the wires and blew one of the fuses. i can't seem to get the wire hooked. the brown, red and black are very close together and there are no screws to hold them in place.
in order to fully remove the handle- what's the trick? so far i wasn't able to remove it. i don't want to break it any further.
thanks

93 passat VR6- i am only able to lock all doors from the passenger side. the driver side door can be locked and unlocked just fine but the other doors are not responding from this side.
i understand that the system works with air pressure- when using the passenger lock i can hear the pump working in the trunk (for about 30 seconds or so)- when locking on the other side i don't hear a thing.
i took the panel off and checked the connections- all seems fine....
plus the alarm activates every once in a while (the red light flashes) and i was advised by the previous owner to enter from the other side so i wouldn't trigger the alarm.
i assume these issues are connected but when it comes to wiring i'm pretty helpless.
from other threads i understand that these are common problems and i spent some time looking through the forum- without luck so far.
any help or hints would be appreciated.
thanks

In Section 14, Page 39 of the Bentley manual says there are door-hande microswitches which operate the bi-pressure pump. It states that "if the bi-pressure pump runs, the most likley cause of problems in the system is leaks in the lines or faulty activators." Since your pump only runs 30 seconds, it doesn't sound like there is a leak.

The "Master Activator" (sounds like a Felix the Cat cartoon character!) is in the driver's door. The explanation for disconnecting and reconnecting the locking rod are somewhat involved, so I won't try to pass that along. Perhaps the left side actuators are bad. This section does not mention the alarm system, but there is troubleshooting help in Section 16, page 90-20.

There is a voltage checking routine, amongh other things. Under the "NO" box it says to "check central locking system wiring and switches for open circuits according to wiring diagram, repair or replace as necessary."

Maybe the price of the Bentley maunal would be worthwhile.

Best wishes. I hope this is helpful.

Denny G

hi boshmann,
is played around with the wires and blew one of the fuses. i can't seem to get the wire hooked. the brown, red and black are very close together and there are no screws to hold them in place.
in order to fully remove the handle- what's the trick? so far i wasn't able to remove it. i don't want to break it any further.
thanks

I should have read farther. Sorry.

According to the schematic a brown/white wire is the alarm system.

Jumping over to the central locking page, I think the brown wire is the ground wire for the switch. There should also be yellow, red and Bk/Y wires. That makes 5 wires, according to the prints. So, does that follow? I should have a handle to look at, but I can't find it. I surely would not have thrown it away!!!

The handle is removed from the door by removing a screw in the rear edge of the door. Just open the door and look at the "end" of the handle. I think that screw comes out by turning count-clockwise. They turn clockwise on the passenger side, I believe. After removing the screw just jiggle the handle out. Eventually you will see that it slides forward a little, then the rear lifts out, then the front pulls out.

Does this work?

Good luck on reattaching wires. I wish I could remember that detail.

Denny G