+++ Door and trunk lock won't open +++

I have used an automotive key and lock spray solvent from Advance Auto/AutoZone/Pep Boys/etc with excellent results. Over time the door lock became more difficult to use, until one day the key could not turn the lock. It was summer, so it wasn't frozen with water.

I sprayed it in the lock opening, then tried and the lock still would not open but it was easier to get the key in and out. So I took a few minutes and inserted/removed the key repeatedly, then gently twisted it up and down repeatedly, until finally it broke free and unlocked the door. I sprayed more and repeated the process a few times. I haven't had any more problems with it.

Good luck,

NCMan

Don't use WD-40 for this; it's not a lubricant and will wash out what little might still be in there.

For the door, spray a real oil in through the key opening, if that doesn't free it up promptly, open the door from the inside, pull the interior panel, and spray the lock cylinder, top and bottom. This would be a good time to apply grease (not spray oil) to every moving part of the lock mechanism and linkage. Make sure nothing is stuck or binding. If you have power windows, clean and lube the track, too.

If you don't have an inside trunk release, try spraying oil into the key opening of the lock and hope it works loose. If you have an inside release, open the trunk and spray the cylinder as well as as through the key opening, grease the linkages as above.

Gary

No wet lubricant should EVER be used in a lock. Locks need to be kept clean and dry for proper operation and long life. Wet lubes will work for the short term, but they draw dirt and when they dry out will cause a lock to stick and eventually it won't work. The best thing is proper maintenance and the best lubricant in dry graphite powder once or twice a year. Next is a wet lube that dries completely leavuing a dry lube behind (dri-slide?).

If a lock is sticking then the best thing is to remove it, clean it, dry it, and lube it properly before replacing it.

Which reminds me... it's time to clean the rest of the door mechanisms and locks! ;-)

"Norbert" wrote:

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

Here in UK it is standard practice to use a door lock lubricant spray to keep the locks from freezing in wet winter weather. All the British manufacturers had such a spray on their parts listing for purchase from dealers. It is also recommended by Volvo AG (Swedish factories) so should be fine. Incidentally if any of you have worked on Fat Man (American 6,000lb Atom Bomb), as I have, you will realise the benefits of WD40. It was the ONLY lubricant/anti-freeze agent recommended for the electrical connectors on the Bomb Carrier which hooked up in the Bomb Bay with Fat Man on it. The Bomb Bay was subject to extreme cold (less than -55 degs C). I have always used WD40 with enormous success, for this sort of job, as it is excellent at repelling water and water-based infiltrants (made the word up but it seems to fit).

All the best, Peter.

Odd, I thought WD-40 was developed in 1953 and first sold for use on the Atlas missile program, which was some years after Fat Man--a 1945 design.

When did you work with Fat Man?

Gary

Peter, I did not realize that WD-40 was available in 1945 in pressurized cans i presume. Thanks for this 1st hand information!

Ken Canada

Fat man had to work only once ;)

Although WD40 is not a lubricant it sometimes works by dissolving and carrying some of the leftover lubricant in the desired location. WD40 than evaporates leaving some of the original lubricant behind. Use too much and you wash everything out like here already someone said. WD40 is also great for torching tent caterpillar nests but I digress.

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)

void _-void-_ in the obvious place

Speaking of military works and flammable substances....

My dad worked on a number of military contracts as a machinist back in the 60's. he would bring home coffee cans filled with magnesium alloy shavings from his job and for 4th of July we would set off a pile of them on a concrete slab and then hit it with the hose. Couldn't see for about 10 minutes afterwards, but it sure was a lot of fun!

__ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvos '90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate "Shelby" & "Kate"

Count me as one who hates locks that have been WD-40'd. Maybe it only occurs in high temperature areas, but I have encountered a lot of locks at work (when I was in the Phoenix area) that were sprayed when WD-40 was legal for linemen to carry. (It is flammable, so they have to use silicone now.) WD-40 turns to a gum in a year or so, and spraying anything in the lock except more WD-40 will change it from being sticky to barely (or even not) turning at all. WD-40 will redissolve the goo... if you can get the key out. Padlocks that have been sprayed with WD-40 aren't worth messing with.

Mike

Early 60s. We were ringed with Thor bases till they shipped them out from our airfield. As you say it was developed in 1953 and used worldwide by most armed forces, not just for missiles.

All the best, Peter.

Don't be silly Ken. Fat Man was operational until around 1961/2.

All the best, Peter.

Perhaps it was poor quality locks made from any old crap.

All the best, Peter.

I have read the thread with some interest. Being a Swede, living in this Godforsaken country where the cars are made, I often experience lock problems due to the massive amount of salt used on the skid-roads we have here wintertime. Salt and dirt clogs up the locks effectively. The remedy is in two stages: 1/ Lock cleaner and 2/ Lock lubricant. Now, I have no experience of what WD40 is, over here we have an excellent lock manufacturer named ASSA-Abloy issuing their own sprays to do the job. And it never fails. So my advise is to either get a) something to dissolve the goey stuff clogging your lock and 2) a lubricant that is not sensitive to moist or great temperature variations. However I would advise against using any Mo-sprays. The other alternative is to unmount the lock cylinders and clean them i kerosene, diesel-fuel or equivalent and then lubricate with heavy grease. However, doing this will require yearly makeover I'm afraid.

Cheers / Johan