... well, it's not a terminal emergency, as I'm only locked out of the passenger side and the trunk. Beginning last night, my '87 300D decided not to let me unlock or open the passenger side door or trunk. The trunk is especially a problem, as I have a lot of supplies back there ... and (with hindset, this was maybe not a brilliant storage stragety) my ONLY set of metric tools resides in the trunk. The trunk has been sticking for a while now (a year), but I assumed it just needed a little grease and never got around to it (it only stuck a bit). Now it won't open AT ALL or even think about opening. The passenger side door will not unlock or open either. I can insert the key, but it will not turn and the lock button remains in a "half-raised" position whether the car is locked or unlocked. When I lock/unlock the car from the (working) driver side door, everything locks/unlocks with it except the passenger door (the lock button budges but does not come up completely) and assumedy the trunk. I thought perhaps it was just frozen last night, which was possible since it was 3 degrees f. Well, today it is pleasant, much warmer than most recent days. And the locks won't behave.

I'm sure this topic has been covered in some way, so I hope I'm not backing over a previous discussion. Please tell me this is not a problem with the vacuum system. As far as I know the whole system was redone on the car three years ago. Any ideas? Could it still just be frozen? It's about 25 here now, and sunny. The locks have been working when it was 0 deg!

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

A Lock De-Icer wouldn't hurt at this point - for the Trunk. Park it with the trunk facing the Sun - if you have sun. Get some WD40 in there later to remove some of the moisture.

Door - Sounds like its time to remove the panel and start freeing up the locking mechanism - remove moisture - and the lube it........

Stephen

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98 K2500 Suburban 6.5 Luxo Barge

"We cannot change the wind - But we can adjust our sails"

Thanks ... the passenger door seems to be unlocking now, although with some "protest." I'll see what it does from here. Trunk still won't budge. I'll go pick up some de-icer and another WD40 ... I only have one can, and guess where it is ...

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Um...WD-40 is the wrong stuff for the lock BTW. WD-40 is for unseizing fasteners, not for lubrication, because it dries out, and it will dry out the mechanism in the locks. I don't know why people think it's for lubrication, but it's not. Something that displaces water but doesn't dry out would be better IMHO.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Thanks, I never really thought about it, I guess. People always squirt WD40 in locks when they stick, and I just never questioned it.

What would you recommend as a lube for locks?

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

Well, when my locks froze I sprayed a little silicone spray on the grooves on the key, inserted it and jiggled around. I repeated this a couple times. No need to make a mess, a little will work well enough. This is of course after I unfroze the locks. I used a hot compress(hot water bottle with HOT water in it). Held it there for a minute or two till the locks came unstuck. Some folks use hot water, but that gets in the lock and freezes up. If you're within electric range try a blow dryer. All you need to do is warm the lock and mechanism up, don't need to go out and buy stuff specifically for that purpose IMHO(that stuff is mostly alcohol which will dry the lock out). You could cup your hands around it and breath on it in a pinch if you had to. Depends on how cold it is. My locks have not frozen again this second cold snap we've gotten, and seem to operate smoother.

__________________
'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

Blow dryer has been my method of choice in the past (this time I was too far away from the plug). I have a mini hair dryer that I got as a gift some years back, and it is absolutly perfect for the job. Would have taken two extension cords to reach, though, as I had to park far away due to some fella who likes to park in my spot every day.

__________________
1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)