drivers door frozen shut

The temp dropped to 18, I went to get in my 1996 4.0 sport and the key would not budge. Had to get in thru the passengers door.

I figure I have to take the door panel off and degrease and relube the mechanism, my trunk got stuck too.

Does anyone know excatly what need to be cleaned and lubed and what lube will not freeze.

Also it was so cold the rear view mirror fell off too.

The lock mechanism or the door and hatch are literally FROZEN to the body?

Graphite in the lock cylinders, Green Grease on the mechanisms.

take a can of wd40 with the hose on it, work the hose into the lock and give it a good shot. May or may not thaw it but I have religiously done that to all locks and latches 2x/yr since I lived up north with the extreme ice storms around the great lakes and missouri and mississippi rivers and never was frozen out.

x2 on wd40, graphite collects dirt and gets gunky, wd40 works wonders on locks of any kind really

sleestack said:

The temp dropped to 18, I went to get in my 1996 4.0 sport and the key would not budge. Had to get in thru the passengers door.

I figure I have to take the door panel off and degrease and relube the mechanism, my trunk got stuck too.

Does anyone know excatly what need to be cleaned and lubed and what lube will not freeze.

Also it was so cold the rear view mirror fell off too.

Click to expand...

What about some of that spray "de-icer"? It happened to my VW down here in Va. It got really cold after the snow down here. I left the doors unlocked on my XJ, so it was easy to open it up. The locks on the VW are remote controlled.

After you get the doors/hatch open, give all the seals a light coat of Vaseline to prevent them from freezing to the body and possibly getting ripped. I do this every year before winter on all my vehicles and I have yet to have a Montana winter freeze me out of one of my rigs.

bgwyllys61 said:

x2 on wd40, graphite collects dirt and gets gunky, wd40 works wonders on locks of any kind really

Click to expand...

Got that backwards:banghead:

Usually when this happens, it's not the mechanisms that freeze but the gaskets. If you can get in one door, just open the frozen one from inside with a good heavy shove. Silicone is pretty good for preventing this, and less likely to get sticky or degrade rubber than petroleum based products. Armor-All protectant, which is a very light silicone wax, works pretty well.

By the way, not to tout the product, but Armor-All is also a great lubricant for the bottom of your toboggan, if you happen to live on a snowy hill!

The lock & key guy at work (I work in a correctional facility, OK a jail) sez, absolutely NO WD-40. If we have a sticky lock we have to use a silicon base lubricant or graphite. WD-40 pulls dust right out of the air and eventually gums the lock up even more.

At home, for the locks and doorknobs, I use graphite. Can be a little messy but since it's dry powder it can't gum anything up (unless someone already sprayed WD-40 in there).

So my vote goes to graphite or silicon spray for lubrication. ...and like joe p says, green or white lith grease on the other parts.

For de-icing first thing in the morning in an emergency, pee on the lock (no, not every morning). I know, eewww gross, but get a grip, it works. Then you can address the fixing, maintaining of the lock mechanism.

ParadiseXJ said:

For de-icing first thing in the morning in an emergency, pee on the lock (no, not every morning). I know, eewww gross, but get a grip, it works. Then you can address the fixing, maintaining of the lock mechanism.

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Ummm...if it's cold enough for the lock to freeze, I doubt I can 'get it up' enough to pee on something that high..........................I'd be lucky to clear my clothes and miss my shoes !

TRCM said:

Ummm...if it's cold enough for the lock to freeze, I doubt I can 'get it up' enough to pee on something that high..........................I'd be lucky to clear my clothes and miss my shoes !

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The number of inches it takes to clear your jeans...eace:

Make an appointment with your doctor ASAP! :laugh:

...or stand on a crate, this is in an emergency mind you. I not suggesting you turn the drivers door into a daily urinal.