Frozen Locks

[Sir Henry]

It’s below freezing now after a wet fall and my car doors were frozen shut yesterday morning. Then in the afternoon the gas filler door was frozen. It takes the ignition key to open it. Later my garage door lock was frozen. Everything opened eventually however they can’t take multiple forces before they break.

I’m wondering if I should spray them with DW-40 and then oil them? I’ve never been fond of graphite because it eventually builds up.

What do you use?

[Hatchdog]

WD 40 works great.

Another tip, don’t set your emergency brake on anything, especially your tractor. Being mechanical not hydraulic if water gets into the shoes/pads when they are set it can freeze and not release.

[Sir Henry]

WD 40 works great.

Another tip, don’t set your emergency brake on anything, especially your tractor. Being mechanical not hydraulic if water gets into the shoes/pads when they are set it can freeze and not release.

When I drove long haul that was a big problem picking up a trailer in cold weather. The trailer brakes lock automatically when air pressure drops. I carried a ball peen hammer and have had to bang on them many times. As a side note if you ever wondered why semi-trailer tires were painted with an X it was so you could easily see if the tires were turning. If you were empty and it was slick you can’t feel it.

[markiver54]

WD is great, but I also have a small aerosol can of a product called " Lock De-Icer ". (Can't remember who makes it though), in case they are already frozen. It doesn't happen very often here though.

[Mags]

WD-40 will eventually gum up. Try a combination of lock de-icer, followed by a Gun dry lube aerosol.

[daytime dave]

Silicone spray lubricant works pretty good.

[Ernie]

WD-40 will eventually gum up. Try a combination of lock de-icer, followed by a Gun dry lube aerosol.

I have used a lot of lock de-icer which I believe is mostly isopropyl alcohol. This actually displaces the water and frees the lock. I like the dry lube idea.

[dave77]

WD-40 will eventually gum up. Try a combination of lock de-icer, followed by a Gun dry lube aerosol.

Agree, a dry lube will be a lot better for locks. Our school locksmith would get quite upset if we used WD-40 on locks.

I don't even have a can of WD-40 around anymore. PB Blaster is a lot better for freeing up rusted parts and then I use either a silicone or dry lube.

[Luv the lever]

Most vehicles are have been equipped with key fobs for a while so make sure you use the keys in the door locks from time to time also. I had the lock on my 2014 Silverado tail gate freeze up on my two or three times. Super pain in the behind to disassemble and free up.

[graywolf]

I don't have anything to add, just reminds me of the winters I was in Fairbanks, AK.

[Sir Henry]

I don't have anything to add, just reminds me of the winters I was in Fairbanks, AK.

It was two degrees colder here than in Fairbanks today.

[BrokenolMarine]

I park the truck in the garage, then it's dry and warmer by about thirty degrees than outside. If the locks were to freeze, which they did a time or two, when we lived in VA on the farm BEFORE we had covered parking. I heated the key and shoved it in the lock. It quickly thawed the frozen lock.
But, we also used dry lube to try and prevent the issue. Heated the key with the wife's hair dryer on HIGH just inside the kitchen door, walked out and shoved it in the lock, let it sit a minute and Boom, done.

[Hatchdog]

Back in the day remember our cars had external door handles? They were more exposed to the cold than the current recessed handles and lock of todays cars. In high school I used to have a 1957 Chev pickup that I drove to the local ski resort often. The locks would sometimes freeze while up there so I would use a cigarette lighter to heat the key and then shove it into the lock and work the mechanism until it released.

The old school door handles/locks I’m speaking of look like this.

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