Frozen car lock...

[4Honda]

Hey,

97 Toyota Corolla,
When ever it gets below -10 Celcius the doors freeze up. It may open but
then the door won't close completly, and I have to either run the car for twenty and let the heat get to it or drive holding the door closed.
Both ways stink. Seems to be a lot of humidity in the car with frost forming on the inside windshield.
Has anyone run into this ? Any ideas?

I'd appreciate the help. Marty

[Shrub]

It can be so many problems, either your windscreen has lost some of its seal, the heater is leaking a little, the door isnt draining etc etc

2 ways to solve it, 1 is to run hot water over it when you get in or the best and one i suggest you do is to smear some vasalene on the rubber, that should solve it.

[Gundanium]

Roll up a piece of papaer, funnel it to the lock and go like this *HAWWWwwWW*
try your key again, if that doesn't work keep going HAwwwwWWWW!!!1 til you're blue

[n2oah]

Roll up a piece of papaer, funnel it to the lock and go like this *HAWWWwwWW*
try your key again, if that doesn't work keep going HAwwwwWWWW!!!1 til you're blue

I think you're thinking of the wrong papers!

Anyways, you should take tips about the cold from an Alaskan

[pickin]

What is happening is that your door latch and lock are freezing up from either a high moisture content or the lube that was used on your vehicle

Solution: there are lock deicing sprays out there to remove the moisture from the lock itself. also check to see if the keyhole guard is moving back into place so that moisture has a harder time getting into the lock in the first place. After freeing up the lock find a lube spray that doesn't attract moisture and has a very low freezing temp.

As for the door latch do the same as above with the lock also have it checked or do it yourself to make sure it is not binding inside the door. If this happens also when its not cold outside then your latch is probably bent or buggered in some way get it repaired or replace it.

[Shrub]

I think i mis-interupted the question, pickin has hit the nail on the head after another read

[pickin]

Did a little searching and found this lube that should do the job for you

http://www.eurekafluidfilm.com/globals/faq.html

I have never used this lube but if it does what it says then it should work just fine for you.

[digital_blue]

I think you're thinking of the wrong papers!

That made me laugh out loud.

[4Honda]

thanks for the tips, I only have to suffer another month or 2. he he

[Gundanium]

Few more tips for ya, you can put alochol in the lock to melt the ice, and / or heat up your key with a match then let in rest inside the keyway for a bit, the brass of the pins will transfer the heat pretty fast.

After you're done with your car for the day or night, put a piece of tape over the lock to prevent mositure from building and freezing.

[Chucklz]

I see a few problems
1) You have an old car in need of service.
2.) You live in the great frozen north (Canada).

Seriously, if your door is giving you trouble, go get it checked out before you end up locked out or the thing needs far more service than you could imagine.

[Varjeal]

One of the most common things I've seen in this situation is grease-loaded locks. Once a vehicle has aged and the grease used to lubricate the lock mechanisms has gotten significantly dirty, it tends to act like gum in cold weather.

The solution would be to literally hose the lock (in a warm environment) with WD-40 (with the inside door skin removed) both inside and out. Let dry for an hour or so, then use a proper silicon or teflon lock lubricant and run the key in and out many times, wiping off the key between insertions. Also, make sure the lock shutter (the part that covers the keyway with the key removed) is in good condition as well as the rubber seal between the lock and outside car panel.

[Bahrg]

One other thing you can get for frozen locks is a little electric de-icer. Basically you just insert the metal bit into the lock, when you press the button it heats it up. The one I have is attached to my keychain, comes in handy. Of course this is really only a temporary solution if you happen to have a bit of water in the lock. Doing as Varjeal suggested would probably be a far better and lasting solution.