Technical is it possible to install central locking on boot door?

[liorwohl]

hello
I have fiat uno 1.0 1993 mk2, with no central locking (basic model) and the only way to open the boot is from the lock out side of the car.

my qestion is: is it possible to install a generic central locking system and make it work on the boot also? how?

thanks

 

[oldskoolmk1unoturbo]

higher spec unos have a lever under the drivers seat which is cable which pops the boot open, just get one for your uno and fit it in, much easier

 

[EssexUno]

Is anyone breaking an uno which has the boot catch lever and wire? and how much if you are?

Cheers
Dan

 

[liorwohl]

i want to install the central locking anyway, so if it will also unlock the boot when opening the rest of the doors, it will be much better then that lever (sometimes you want to open the boot before getting into the car)

and that lever will probably need drilling etc, i prefer not to drill on my car :yum:

isn't some highspec unos had a central locking for the boot? (maybe SXI?)

 

[Chas Uno]

and that lever will probably need drilling etc, i prefer not to drill on my car :yum:

isn't some highspec unos had a central locking for the boot? (maybe SXI?)

The cable boot release does not need any drilling to fit. The hole for the lever will already be there (the lever assembly just clips in) and the cable release boot catch will swap with your original boot catch.

If you can get this remote boot catch you should then be able to get it to work easily with your remote central locking kit. Then again, if you fit the remote boot catch you're already halfway there to fitting the cable release system

And in the UK all the higher spec Unos had the cable operated boot release. Some had remote central locking but these only worked on the doors (SX and Turbo models). My 1989 mk1 SX has remote central locking on the doors but as I never got the remote with it I've never been able to use it. It still has the nice black nipple (read remote receiver!) on the roof lining!

 

[liorwohl]

if i will install the central locking system motor on the lever wire it will pop the boot every time i open the doors :idea: isn't it? i need it only to unlock, not pop the boot

If you can get this remote boot catch you should then be able to get it to work easily with your remote central locking kit. Then again, if you fit the remote boot catch you're already halfway there to fitting the cable release system

higher spec unos have a lever under the drivers seat which is cable which pops the boot open, just get one for your uno and fit it in, much easier

i think that maybe the motor should be installed on the lock itself and not on the catch, the question is, is it possible?

 

[Chas Uno]

if i will install the central locking system motor on the lever wire it will pop the boot every time i open the doors :idea: isn't it? i need it only to unlock, not pop the boot


i think that maybe the motor should be installed on the lock itself and not on the catch, the question is, is it possible?

Does your remote only have one button for unlocking? Some remotes have a seperate button for the boot as well as the doors so the boot can be opened independently.

And yes, there's no reason why you couldn't fit the central locking on the boot lock rather than the release catch. Just locate the lock pushrod in the bootlid and use the remote solenoid to operate it.

 

[liorwohl]

i didn't bought the system yet, i want to be sure that it will work on 5 doors and not 4 doors only.
i don't think it have a button for the boot, as the original system comes only with 4 motors, and you need to buy the 5th one separately and connect it with one of the back doors in a hackish way.. (people here have done that already with that generic system on other cars, but i didn't saw anyone doing that on a uno) I guess i'll try to open the boot from the inside somehow (fold the back seats..) to make sure it's really possible

 

[Chas Uno]

I guess i'll try to open the boot from the inside somehow (fold the back seats..) to make sure it's really possible

Look on the inside of the boot lid and you should see the lock. You should also see a rod connecting the lock to the bootlid catch (there may be two, one for the lock and one for the catch release. Operate the key whilst looking at the rods and you should see one rod unlock the catch release. What you will need to do then is undo this rod from the lock and mount the solenoid somewhere on the bootlid so it can connect with the rod. Once you've done this then the central locking system will open and close the boot lock with the rest of the system.

 

[Gav F]

The cable boot release does not need any drilling to fit. The hole for the lever will already be there (the lever assembly just clips in) and the cable release boot catch will swap with your original boot catch.

i swear i dont have this hole
i took boot release cable and latch off uno turbo but when i had my carpets out i never saw a 'slot' like the turbo has

 

[Chas Uno]

i swear i dont have this hole
i took boot release cable and latch off uno turbo but when i had my carpets out i never saw a 'slot' like the turbo has

Are you sure? Double check, front of the crossmember that the front seats bolt onto, to the right of the drivers seat, adjacent to the inner sill. I had a base model mk1 45 and this had the slot required, to which I subsequently fitted a boot release lever from a higher spec 's' model.

Would be very weird if Fiat made shells without this slot, especially considering a base model shell has all the mounting points for the turbo gear as well as the ohv and FIRE engines!

 

[Gav F]

i will have a look! but i swear the cable isnt very long

 

[jjhepburn]

This now seems to be two topics.

On the original topic, I think what you are wanting is to make an Uno work like a modern car. When you unlock the car you can open the boot by simply pressing the button on the tailgate.
As far as I can see you cant really do that. The lock is part of the button so it would require a substantial modification to the button to get this to work.

As for fitting a cable release. All Uno shells have the slot for the handle. The cable is very long (and from what I've seen they are all light grey or clear). There is no hole in the carpet but thats easy to solve.

One way you could fix both your problems is to fit the kit that Alex fitted to my Red Uno. Its an electrical solenoid that operates the rear boot release (it uses the catch setup that comes with the standard remote setup (you just don't need the cable or the handle). It works very well and you could potentially set it up so that a button on the remote opens the boot.

 

[PaulDrage]

In my mind this is how i would achieve the system:
1 system/kit for doors.
1 kit for boot.
(in a case where the fob/remote only has 1 button)

i dont know about over there but over here you can pick one of these kits up for about £20 gbp.

I think theres quite a bit of modification required either way as you can't really just put great big self tapping screws through your boot to mount the solenoid, depending on how creative you are, you might want to think about getting the cable release from a different model (turbo etc), and then simply attaching the cable to a solenoid/motor which would actuate the release. (this way you could mount the actuator somewhere hidden / out of the way.

just how i'd attack it
Paul

 

[jjhepburn]

The kit for the doors shouldn't be a problem at all (I've installed them into many Unos) the kit is very similar to the system thats installed into Unos in the factory.

I might be wrong about this but I'm assuming the tail gate lock mechanism is very similar on the mk2 (I know its in a different place).

The lock is part of the button on the boot, so the button wont move unless it is unlocked and everything is contained within the button so nothing other than the key can unlock it.

My sister has a Corsa and it has the setup I think you are referring to. The lock mechanism there is very complicated and the button can always be pushed in, sometimes its just not attached to anything. So if the car is unlocked you can open the boot by simply pushing the button on the door, or if the car is locked then you can use the key. An interesting note is that this mechanism is now broken so you need to use the key to open the boot...

One interesting option could be to replace the button on the boot all together, using a simple button. Then make it so when the car is unlocked the boot can be opened with the button. Downside is you wont be able to unlock the boot with the key.

I'm intrigued by this option so might give it a go on my car.

 

[Chas Uno]

The lock is part of the button on the boot, so the button wont move unless it is unlocked and everything is contained within the button so nothing other than the key can unlock it.

Ah, good point. I was thinking of my mk1 where the lock is to one side of the hatch lid and uses rods to active the release mechanism. I'm now not sure how the lock itself works o) - might be the same as a mk2?

If the lock is integral with itself then I'd either fit the cable release, or find a remote with the multi unlock option.

 

[jjhepburn]

I'm thinking of a mk1 too. There is a rod that goes from the button across to the catch. The button pushes a lever that pulls the rod, which releases the hatch. But the button doesnt move unless its unlocked, which means the whole system does nothing with a locked button.

The cable release system works on the other part of the catch (the part thats on the body of the car).

In conclusion I don't think there is any way to make the boot unlock with the central locking without the boot opening every time (which is obviously going to cause problems).

 

[Chas Uno]

I'm thinking of a mk1 too. There is a rod that goes from the button across to the catch. The button pushes a lever that pulls the rod, which releases the hatch. But the button doesnt move unless its unlocked, which means the whole system does nothing with a locked button.

The cable release system works on the other part of the catch (the part thats on the body of the car).

In conclusion I don't think there is any way to make the boot unlock with the central locking without the boot opening every time (which is obviously going to cause problems).

I think you've just explained why central locking on the Uno boot was never offered from the factory! Fiat would've had to redesign the lock so that a solenoid could operate it as well. Not a big deal, but with the remote release lever doing its job sufficiently I suppose there was no real need for it.

My conclusion is as per James', with the addition that boot central locking will only work with a remote fob that has an additional boot release function. It will also only work on the release mechanism and not the lock itself.

I'm sticking with my little lever by the driver's seat!

 

[alexGS]

James is right - unlike the Tipo (which has a totally different setup), the tailgate lock button can't be modified to be locked/unlocked electrically on the Uno.

When I drove an Uno every day as a student, I usually forgot to lock the button when I left the car, OR if it was locked, I had to switch the engine off in order to unlock it - very inconvenient if the battery is flat. (If you leave the tailgate unlocked, there's not much point in locking the doors).

So I suggest leaving the tailgate button locked and then release the tailgate by some other means. The release handle from an Uno 70, Uno Turbo, etc. is a flawed design (requires HUGE force to operate, an interesting comparison to the featherweight lever in the Punto Mk2). But it's worth the trouble. Ideally, the cable will be already broken so that you have a good excuse to fit the electric solenoid release that James mentioned. The solenoid goes inside the car, not on the tailgate, and pulls a lever on the part that the tailgate catches onto.

Many alarms now have a boot release button on the keyfob, so that would be ideal. You'll probably need a relay to switch the solenoid on, because the solenoid draws a LOT of current (about 20 amps). I suppose that means it wouldn't be any use if the battery was flat either

-Alex

 

[liorwohl]

OK I think I will try the release lever + septate button for the boot solenoid, but I've searched all ebay and didn't found a central locking system with septate button for the boot. (and I don't even care which country it is from, because anyway it will be cheaper then here )