# #%$ doors won't unlock



## Putt-Putt B12 (Feb 25, 2005)

Seeking help from my good friends in the great white north on this one...
8 degrees F in CHI, and I can't get the doors to unlock. BOTH SIDES.
Suspect that it is the linkage down inside the door as the key goes in the cylinder fine and it will turn but it will not push the lock button on the inside if the door up far enough to unlock the doors. I don't want to force it and break the key or the lock. 
I have tried wd40 and lock de-icer but that only works on the lock mechanism and not the linkage. Also tried the old blow dryer trick but it did not work either and it is hard to get the inside of the door heated up when the outside temp is single digits. 

I know, why did I lock them in the first place, but we have a problem with persons stealing things from your car in order to buy drugs......

I am open to suggestions other than waiting for the weather to warm up as I need to use the car.


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

I would give a slim jim a try...If the linkage is frozen, it may be able to free it up. Just don't use to much force.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

General rule of thumb on older cars in the winter is to not lock them, as they tend to freeze up. Some lock de-icer MIGHT help, but not 100%.


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## jjkamikaze (Jan 2, 2006)

yea, i dont lock my b12 in the winter. i have had it lock up too many times when its cold. the part that sticks is the locking part in the door. i find that pouring lots of cold wate down the jam works to unseize it. dont use hot water it will refreez faster. start pouring the water from the top buy the window down the crack on the locking side of the door. i have never tried this in the kind of cold your seeing in your area though so it may not work or may even be a bad idea because it will just freeze the water too fast. it never gets below the upper teens here.


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## recycled_toddler (Feb 4, 2004)

The locks here worked great at -40 F in Edmonton, but stuck in Seattle at 20 F. Since you're in the Great Lakes, you got buttloads of humidity, not to mention salt. You might need a bigger 'hair dryer'...

WATSON1: Dude, that is just *so* _wrong_...LOL


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

recycled_toddler said:


> WATSON1: Dude, that is just *so* _wrong_...LOL


HaHA, I just took a wild guess to try and help. I live in Georgia, we don't even know what ice is...I would still try a slimjim...but that's just me.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

Yeah, you probably got it by now,
if it happens again, use wd-40.

Here's how:
Warm the can by running some hot water into the sink.
Leave the can in the hot water until it's warm.
Take the can out to the car and put on the red wand.
Pry the weatherstripping away from the window and shoot the 
warm wd-40 down into the inside of the door.
Work the key while you do this.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Do not use WD-40, it will gum up over a short period of time, you always use graphite powder, and nothing else.


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## dreamteam (Jul 29, 2005)

SuperSentra4203 said:


> Do not use WD-40, it will gum up over a short period of time, you always use graphite powder, and nothing else.


The wd-40 is there to displace the water,
not entirely as a lubricant.

Graphite is fine if you can get it to the problem area.

However, graphite is messy
and doesn't look too good on your windows.


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## SuperSentra4203 (Dec 17, 2002)

Thats true, but it wont gum up everything, id rather clean some graphite once or twice than deal with gummed up locks and linkages.


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## winstonsmith (Nov 10, 2004)

That happened to me last year. You're going to have to pour water down inside the door to get it unlocked. Keep in mind if the weather is cold enough it's going to refreeze and then it might be stuck open and the door won't latch shut. You're going to have to pull the door apart and regrease all the linkage inside real good. After I did that it stopped freezing on me. I never had any more trouble after that.


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## recycled_toddler (Feb 4, 2004)

WATSON1 said:


> HaHA, I just took a wild guess to try and help. I live in Georgia, we don't even know what ice is...I would still try a slimjim...but that's just me.


Oh, no, dude...I was just talking about your 'squeeze' pic...that's just wrong, but hilarious!


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## Putt-Putt B12 (Feb 25, 2005)

Well, nature took it's course and it actually got above freezing today. 
After the car sat in the sun for a while, (thank goodness for BLACK cars!) I was finally able to turn the key enough to open the door. Needless to say, I am not going to lock them again until I take off the inside panels and lubricate the hardware on the inside of the doors. Special attention will be given to where the locking button terminates in the middle of the door by the latch. I suspect that this is where it bound up as I was able to turn the key in the lock without difficulty, but it would not push the button up and unlock the door. 
Thanks to all for your input and your suggestions, and I will try to take some pics of the inside door hardware (wish I had the FSM) so that others can visualize just how it works.


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

recycled_toddler said:


> Oh, no, dude...I was just talking about your 'squeeze' pic...that's just wrong, but hilarious!


OK, I got ya. I love photoshop.


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## sentrastud (May 3, 2002)

I feel your pain man, Im having the same problem! I've already twisted 2 keys beyond repair this year alone!

Its not the lock cylinder that freezes, rather its the linkage which means your basically owned... If your desperate to get in, the rear seat back can be removed from the inside the trunk...

-Nick


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## Putt-Putt B12 (Feb 25, 2005)

Once it is frozen, there is not too much that you can do about it until the weather breaks. At least we have warm spells in CHI that offer a glimmer of hope! Have a friend that I work with that used to live in Montreal and he suggested squirting the wd40 down in between where the button comes out of the top of the door on the inside. This should allow the lubricant to flow down the rod to the coupling down by the latch which is where the problem really lies. I will try this on my parts car and see where the fluid goes as I have the panels off already.


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## bravebear43 (Feb 1, 2005)

*Stuck locks*

Thats quite commom in our weird weather. Don't like it, wait 5 min and it will change here, "east Tenn" . What you want is something with alcohol as it won't freeze. Spray it in the lock and all around. Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle will work. Then clean the linkage with brake fluid cleaner and regrease with a lithium based grease that is water proof as it is the moisture causing the problem. Hope this helps all.


sentrastud said:


> I feel your pain man, Im having the same problem! I've already twisted 2 keys beyond repair this year alone!
> 
> Its not the lock cylinder that freezes, rather its the linkage which means your basically owned... If your desperate to get in, the rear seat back can be removed from the inside the trunk...
> 
> -Nick


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