I have a 1998 ford explorer. The remote stopped working, though i believe the battery to be dead anyway. so i tried to unlock the car with the key though all of the entry locks seem to be seized in the lock position. The key will not turn any of the locks. what could cause this? Thanks so much.
Relying solely on the key fob to unlock the doors and ignoring the lock cylinders causes this. The lock cylinders are corroded. Try spraying them with WD-40. Then insert and remove the key numerous times while turning the key back and forth.
And AFTER a couple weeks, buy some graphite bearing lock lube; dip key, insert and turn, repeat that several times for long-lasting effect.
As has been pointed out, if you never use the lock cylinders they rust and/or freeze up. Get a can of 'Lock-Ease' spray graphite lubricant for the cylinders, and give each one a shot.
WD-40 will free them up if that's all you have handy, but it is NOT a long term lubricant - it is mostly Deodorized Kerosene (parafinnic, which is where the lube effect comes from) and Stoddard Solvent (a fancy paint thinner). In a few days at best the Kerosene evaporates, and the lubricating effect goes away.
You need something that hangs around long term, and the powdered graphite in lock cylinder lubricant is made expressly for that.
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1 - It's winter. You went through the carwash. All the locks are frozen. 2 - You grabbed the wrong keys. Chevy keys don't work in Fords. 3 - You're parked on level 3, not level 4. It's not your car.
That's correct. I just got lazy and didn't finish my reply properly.
S'Okay, that's why I make a point of saying it every time the subject comes up.
The bad part is we'll be repeating the message over and over for the next 50 years, and people will STILL think of it as 'a lubricant'.
For displacing water from electrical connectors and wet ignition wires (IE stalled out in the rain) it's the greatest stuff since sliced bread, everyone should have a can of WD-40 in their tool kit. But as a lubricant it doesn't just suck rocks, it sucks boulders.
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