Frozen locks...Help!

[Carinaswe]

Hello!

The temperature dropped quite a bit here in Sweden last week and i haven't been able to get into my car (Carina E 1997). All the locks are frozen and i have tried just about everything i can think of. Warming key with lighter (for 30 minutes) bags with hot water pressed on the door/lock, lock oil and spray. I've tried both driver and passenger door as well as the trunk. The key will go into the lock without issues but it's completely stiff. I got the passenger door to be able to lock the car, but it is stiff on the other way to unlock. Do i just give up now? Or is there anything more i should try that i haven't already? I don't know anything about cars, is there anything behind the door that could have froze besides the hole the key goes into? I mean if i should try and warm up another part of the door or something...Any suggestions is highly appreciated!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hand sanitiser containing a high proportion of alcohol - which is common in these Covid-19 days. The alcohol should help de-ice the locks. Try placing the sanitiser on the key, and inserting into the lock, and leaving for a few minutes.

Hair dryer played on the lock if the car is near the house and an electric supply. Though be careful using an electrical appliance outside in damp weather.

If the door is frozen to the seals, try pushing the door inwards to break the ice between the door and the seal.

As a preventative measure after the locks have thawed out, spray WD40 into the locks. Also could place a small magnet over the key slot to prevent/reduce water getting in through the slot.

[Carinaswe]

1 minute ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Hand sanitiser containing a high proportion of alcohol - which is common in these Covid-19 days. The alcohol should help de-ice the locks. Try placing the sanitiser on the key, and inserting into the lock.

Hair dryer played on the lock if the car is near the house and an electric supply.

If the door is frozen to the seals, try pushing the door inwards to break the ice between the door and the seal.

As a preventative measure after the locks have thawed out, spray WD40 into the locks. Also could place a small magnet over the key slot to prevent/reduce water getting in through the slot.

Great tips thank you! The magnet is genius, i'm gonna try that in the future.

[Carinaswe]

I just tried with some ethanol that i had at home. I sprayed some in the lock and on the key, it got the key to be able to lock the driver door very smooth and easy, but unlock still is like hitting a wall...

[TonyHSD]

If you can get some hairdryer to try to heat up may also help once you had tried a lots of things. 👍

[Carinaswe]

32 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

If you can get some hairdryer to try to heat up may also help once you had tried a lots of things. 👍

I would try that for sure but it's too far from any outlet unfortunately.

[TonyHSD]

4 minutes ago, Carinaswe said:

I would try that for sure but it's too far from any outlet unfortunately.

Heating bags but they cost money if you are able to use for something else too you can check on Amazon. 👍

[Carinaswe]

No luck today either. The driver door still is very easy to lock so the alcohol from yesterday must've reached the moisture in some parts. Same goes for passenger door, no problems to turn key to lock the door. Neither oil or spray did anything, i guess this is all from the ethanol. But it still won't budge when trying to unlock.  It's supposed to get warmer in a couple of days, will try then again...

[Carinaswe]

The weather is warmer now so i got the car open. I don't know what will happend next week when it's expected to go below 0 again... I have now blown the lock with compressed air to the best of my ability. Sprayed internally with 5.56 lubricant. Sprayed the outside of the lock with lithium grease. I also put the 5.56 pipe into a small hole in the door at the latch and sprayed some. Don't know if that will do anything but yeah.

[Gerg]

Well, top marks for effort!

I'd happily stop where you have, but if this problem returns and it is really cheesing you off, you could consider:-

(This is likely doubling up on what you did putting lubricant up the small hole, but,) what about removing any lock securing bolts (the ones that are only visible when the door is open) one at a time, and if they are not blind holes, getting some lubricant in there as well?

I should add that I have no knowledge of Carina locks! 

Or, with the door window lowered fully, getting a (spray?) lubricant applicator pipe directed into the area of the lock from the gap you have created above it. The door glass is going to end up pretty messy, of course.

And what ever you've sprayed will drain out the bottom of the door for a long while. 

WD40 application tubes can be bent into some useful angles! And I've sometimes extended them with an additional extra applicator pipe joined with some rubber tube (or the plastic shaft of an ear bud etc.  Duct tape would even work to an extent, until the adhesive melts... 

But the joins don't stay joined together for long with all that lubricant around, so wear a face mask, or goggles at least! A face-full of spray lubricant is really annoying...

Best of luck! 

[Carinaswe]

1 hour ago, Gerg said:

Well, top marks for effort!

I'd happily stop where you have, but if this problem returns and it is really cheesing you off, you could consider:-

(This is likely doubling up on what you did putting lubricant up the small hole, but,) what about removing any lock securing bolts (the ones that are only visible when the door is open) one at a time, and if they are not blind holes, getting some lubricant in there as well?

I should add that I have no knowledge of Carina locks! 

Or, with the door window lowered fully, getting a (spray?) lubricant applicator pipe directed into the area of the lock from the gap you have created above it. The door glass is going to end up pretty messy, of course.

And what ever you've sprayed will drain out the bottom of the door for a long while. 

WD40 application tubes can be bent into some useful angles! And I've sometimes extended them with an additional extra applicator pipe joined with some rubber tube (or the plastic shaft of an ear bud etc.  Duct tape would even work to an extent, until the adhesive melts... 

But the joins don't stay joined together for long with all that lubricant around, so wear a face mask, or goggles at least! A face-full of spray lubricant is really annoying...

Best of luck! 

Thank you! I will try the window idea just as a precaution before everything freezes up again! If i can get the compressed air pipe to go there it might blow of some moisture build up inside as well! Great tip!

[Carinaswe]

It's frozen shut again... Temperature got a few degrees below 0 over night and that's all it took for it to completely freeze over again. Been driving the car daily for 3 days prior and ending every ride with compressed air in the lock, 5.56 lubrication and lithium grease to protect it. I guess all that's left is to disassemble the door. 😒