I'd change the driver's lock to start with. After that I'd think a faulty relay in the BCU. This is behind the center console behind the switch panel and can be accessed via the passenger footwell.

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Um, just a thought..
I agree with lju but if your TF has the round Pekron remote (which is 3-button?) I'd be inclined to take the opportunity uprate the BCU first - unless you know it's been 'sorted' - before groping about behind the door card.
(In my own experience 17yrs is a long time for those original relays...)

 

Cheaper to change the lock, £10 for a used one. Around £50 for the BCU to be sorted hence why I'd try the lock first.

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A 2003 1.6 TF would not have had central locking fitted when new, nor would it have originally the Pekron system as this was not introduced until 2004. To change the system over it would involve a new loom so it would be worth inspecting the installation in the drivers door together with correctly placed earthing points cut insulation etc.

If the fob isn't the round Pekron type it will be an aftermarket system perhaps the locking units are some generic units.

 

The 'machine gun' noise certainly sounds like the usual precursor to the lock failing - best to get it sorted/replaced before it locks and refuses to unlock The continual clicking when the door is unlocked could be a fault with the microswitch/sensor in the lock mechanism which tells the SCU whether the mechanism is in a locked or unlocked state.

Did you have operational central locking prior to the flat battery? A slowly discharging battery can cause some of the settings in the Pektron SCU to become corrupted or 'forgotten, and it can sometimes need a visit to someone with a T4 to get things reset properly. The units do sometimes reset correctly again if the battery is disconnected and reconnected after a short wait - it can take quite a lot of repeats of this procedure before it succeeds though!

A 2003 1.6 TF would not have had central locking fitted when new, nor would it have originally the Pekron system as this was not introduced until 2004. To change the system over it would involve a new loom so it would be worth inspecting the installation in the drivers door together with correctly placed earthing points cut insulation etc.

According to the serial numbers and manufacture dates given in some of the MG Rover Technical bulletins which relate to the alarm system of the TF, the Pektron SCU appears to have been fitted to the TF from serial number 620549; these are given as being assembled from 17th June 2003 (eg. see Technical Bulletin T0100 and T0108).

Models that did not have Remote Central Locking as standard, nonetheless had it available as a factory fit option, so it is not an absolute that a 1.6 would not have it fitted. Those Pektron equipped TFs that had central locking would have been supplied with a two-button version of the Pektron plip/fob, but this version has been unavailable to buy as a new replacement from XPart for several years now, and anyone needing a replacement plip more recently will have been supplied with the same three-button version as is used for the facelift ZR and ZS. I imagine this is what has happened with the subject TF of this thread.

 

Thanks very much for the replies. That’s interesting about a 2003 1.6 TF not originally coming with remote central locking. It definitely has the 3 button Pekron type fob. I will have to look further into this, I did suspect it could be a bad earth until I read several similar stories pointing towards faulty door locks. I really appreciate the tips and I’ll let you know what I find out.

 

The machine gun noise is a common problem with the door lock mech. I had it in my first TF and it occurred after about 7 years of ownership. It eventually went away for a while, but came back. I eventually replaced the lock, I think its the switches in the lock that play up, so when the door lock operates it unlocks itself again. There are three switches in the drivers side lock, one operated by the plunger on top of the door and two switches that monitor the open and close of the lock/superlock mechanism. I think these fail and a replacement lock should fix it.
If the relays in the BCU fail then I would suspect that the lock would not operate at all. By the way, the BCU relays are available to buy from RS components if you want to replace them yourself. They are quite cheap. I have also heard of a guy in a small Lincolnshire village called Oxton who has a small electronic repair workshop who will replace the relays in the BCU with a very quick turn around. I know Oxton well and go there several times a year, so may check him out sometime.
I may also buy some relays and keep them in stock, as I do a bit of electronics on the side and may have a go at replacing the relays in my BCU sometime.

Sundance

 

If relays are needed, I would recommend simply contacting Technozen Electronics (or via his eBay shop: technozen_electronics. The relays he supplies are of very good quality and are tried and tested and known to be reliable in the SCU - the last I knew, he had only heard of one failure of the ones he sells and he gives a five year warranty with them.

There are a lot of folk about supplying replacement relays, but quite a few appear to be offering the original type Pektron branded ones (which we know aren't reliable), or ones branded as 'duracool' who I am given to believe are the manufacturer who supplied the original poor quality Pektron branded ones, so probably they are no different. There are one or two different unbranded ones available too, but these are a completely unknown quantity.

I've lived in Lincolnshire all of my life, and have never come across a village of Oxton in the county? There is however, a village called Oxton just about in the middle of Nottinghamshire which is where EMW Electronics are based

 

If relays are needed, I would recommend simply contacting Technozen Electronics (or via his eBay shop: technozen_electronics. The relays he supplies are of very good quality and are tried and tested and known to be reliable in the SCU - the last I knew, he had only heard of one failure of the ones he sells and he gives a five year warranty with them.

There are a lot of folk about supplying replacement relays, but quite a few appear to be offering the original type Pektron branded ones (which we know aren't reliable), or ones branded as 'duracool' who I am given to believe are the manufacturer who supplied the original poor quality Pektron branded ones, so probably they are no different. There are one or two different unbranded ones available too, but these are a completely unknown quantity.

I've lived in Lincolnshire all of my life, and have never come across a village of Oxton in the county? There is however, a village called Oxton just about in the middle of Nottinghamshire which is where EMW Electronics are based

Yeah could be right about the county, its close to the border though. EMW are I think the small company that replaces the relays. The RS supplied relays have been used by quite a few other TF owners in the past and are by far superior to the Pektron ones. I do have the part number written down on my PC at work, so will try to look it up and post it.

Sundance

 

My TF03 locks with the Pekron fob, but the alarms goes off every 2-3 hours.
Instead i lock with the 'button down hold the handle up' method, but can still use the fob to unlock.
Not going to mess with it though.
Maybe i'm doing something wrong, haven't had it for long.

 

Just to update you on my progress. Today I tried the car on a different battery following a tip and everything was working correctly again. So the car now has a brand new battery and is all working fine again! I will never understand auto electrics but fingers crossed thats the end of my gremlins, for now at least!
Thanks again to everyone for your tips and suggestions.

 

Not that this does anything but muddy the water but when my (Pektron fob) TF was sat in my drive for a couple of years whilst being worked on/life happened, the battery used to run down regularly (don't let that happen BTW - it kills the battery eventually) and I quite often would find the car wouldn't start (ignition disabled) or there were peculiar locking problems. It clearly had suffered amnesia/corruption of some sort. All that business of entering the security code by using the key to enter it by clockwise/anticlockwise turns never had any effect. The only thing that seemed to work was after recharging the battery, to disconnect/reconnect the battery via the positive terminal. This never worked first time, it always took umpteen attempts to get a 'clean reboot' of whatever had become corrupted by the voltage slowly dropping too low when I neglected the car. It was always a bit random but always worked, in the end. Some say you have to wait 15 minutes between attempts but I found 10 seconds between 'reboot' attempts worked. I think it took two or three dozen attempts on one occasion.

 

EMW replaced mine. Turned it around the same day they received it.

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