50 year old Major Safe dial partially frozen

[Splash46]

I last opened my cement encased in ground round floor safe around 15 years ago and now the combo dial turns about 1/3, then gets stiff but turns maybe another 1/4 turn before it comes to abrupt stop and even after soaking in WD 40 for hours and using channel locks it will not finish a complete turn in either direction. In a search for Major I learned they are long gone. Any suggestions ?

[L4R3L2]

When the wheel post is corroded it is common for the dial to make one full rotation only. I'm not sure what to make of 1/3 rotation.

Some floor safes have a raised lip around the spindle hole to help prevent debris from falling into it, and this lip also makes it more difficult to get oil into the lock. However, this is relatively moot for floor safes because even if you can get oil into the hole, the vertical orientation of the spindle means the oil will drip out of the wheel post and onto the drive cam only. It would need to flow back UP the outside of the wheel post to lubricate the wheels.

Your chances of getting the wheels unstuck are slim, unfortunately, and while I would normally frown on the use of channel locks(!), this may be a case where they are your best bet before having to resort to destructive entry. If you force the dial around, then feel it cam at one spot each rotation, that means you have bent the drive pin(s), and destructive entry will be your only other option.

Hopefully someone else has other ideas to prevent further damage.

[Splash46]

Thanks for that reply. Here is a little more detail that may or may not help.
Initial turning left goes to 97 and will not go past it. Turning back right small amount, free turns to 5 and then slight resistance to 96 where there is additional resistance back around to 96 where again will not pass; even with channel lock pliers. At that point the entire round "door" will turn instead of the dial.
I removed the little sticker center of plastic dial thinking maybe if dial was removed there might be a path for WD 40 to flow down but its solid with no indication of how to remove that to maybe find a path down.

[MartinHewitt]

You could try to turn your house over.

Sounds like there will be some force neccessaray to open the door. Some of this force can probably be replaced with knowledge, but not all. But if you have time you could try to wiggle around the next weeks. Maybe you are lucky and it is loosening up. But don't try to turn the dial with a lot of force. This makes it usually worse.

[L4R3L2]

Initial turning left goes to 97 and will not go past it. Turning back right small amount, free turns to 5 and then slight resistance to 96 where there is additional resistance back around to 96 where again will not pass;

OK. So it sounds like you can get two full rotations out of the dial before a dead stop. It is almost certainly a three wheel lock, so at least wheel #3 is turning, though grudgingly. Wheel #2 is stuck, and maybe also wheel #1.

I would try some vibration to perhaps loosen the corrosion, if that is what is binding the wheels. Get a small block of wood, short enough that you can lay it flat on a flat area on the door (lid). Rap the wood with a hammer to transfer vibration through the door. The idea is to cause vibration. You shouldn't pound it too hard. Just a long series of good, light-medium quick raps. Move the wood around to different areas. I would recommend not using the piece of wood on end, as end grain is likely to mar the finish on the door.

Go gently at first, and retry the dial. Repeat a few more times before stepping it up. Just don't rap it hard enough to start doing more harm than good. Use your discretion.

[Splash46]

No luck; reaches one point and can not budge it beyond, but it does seem to be freeing up with I guess is the 2nd wheel, and you're probably correct on the 3 wheels as the combination is 3 numbers.
What are your thoughts of drilling a small hole just large enough to insert the plastic straw on a WD 40 can in order to try and have the oil get to the wheels by initial drilling through the plastic dial ?
I was also thinking maybe putting some penetrating oil into my paint sprayer after adapting the tip to very small straw size with goal to like fog the inside and let it soak in overnight ? Been hunting on the net to understand the mechanics but no idea the size of a box (if there even is one) where the wheels are in this particular safe; that maybe it's all open between the top lid and the bottom of it. As I think previously stated I suspect this is a rust issue as although there was never any sign of water in it; there was always a damp musty smell so I used to put items in heavy zip lock bags never thinking about the safe itself rusting and it always opened without issues but obviously this time too many years have past.