Freezing locks 300d and 300td
 

First snowstorm of the season in Denver yesterday and today. When my wife got off work at 7:00pm yesterday, the locks on the 85 300td were frozen. Key would not go in all the way. Had to take the light rail home. I tried the locks on the 77 300d this morning. Same problem.
Anyone run into this problem before? What is the most effective solution? I've had frozen locking mechanisms on other vehicles, but they never inhibited the key from going into the slot. I'm thinking that heating up the key with a cigarette lighter might work but I'd like to know if there is another solution people have used.

Move south Kerry :)
I have never had this type of problem but suspect it should not be model specific. The cig lighter trick sounds like it should work.

I always spray graphite into the locks, and i never have problems with them freezing up. The only drawback, is that i have found I need to do this several times a month.

I was considering the graphite solution. When my wife got to work today (with a cigarette lighter) she was able to open the passenger door. The janitor at the school then shot wd-40 into the lock saying it would stop the problem. I am always reluctant to put oily substances in locks since they attract dirt, but if that lock stays unfrozen, I might try it on another.

Mine did that and I panicked. My friend walked by and told me to spray some cologne, or alcohol... well temporary solution I guess but it worked.

I was talking to my mechanic today and he drives a 1985 635Csi - Very beautiful car, and he bought a lock and found out that it's actually heated....

heated door locks on an 85 635.. neat...
Love these 6-series and 126 Coupes... I'd love to have either one.

Have done these in various stages of desperation/frustration:
1. Lit matches on key (nope).
2. Lit propane torch on key held by vise grips (yep).
3. Hair dryer (nope).
4. Electric heat gun (yep, but the paint!).
5. A shot of WD-40 in the fall before freezing weather (yep).
There are little aerosol cans of lock de-icer at most stores, but it seems to me that it wouldn't work too well laying in the glovebox of an iced vehicle. Some say WD-40 isn't good for the locks but it works for me and I've never had a lock failure. They also get a shot immediately after washing and before leaving the heated building.

Alcohol and WD-40 have both worked for me. They temporarily purge or displace the moisture in the lock tumbler that is freezing up. Actually, the WD-40's effects lasted and made the lock action really really smooth.

Alex

Frozen locks
 

Coming from the Great White North freezing locks are an almost every day occurance, often many times a day. THe door locks in my 123 freeze only when there has been sleet or rain followed by serious cold. I carry an aerosol container of lock de-icer in the pocket of each of my coats. They are about the size of a cigarette lighter and cost a couple of bucks.
I find that the freezing problem only happens with the doors not the trunk lock. I keep a small hair drier in the trunk. I use the block heater extension cord from the plug in to power the drier. Its amazing what a human can adapt to, i don't even consider this an inconvenience anymore.

to revive this thread, this year more than any so far ive sprayed something like 3 bottles of deicer into my lock tumblers due to endless frozen lock issues, what with wet, then freeze, ect.

Im pretty sure that enough alcohol has traveled through those locks now that there is no lube left, and the problem is recurrent pretty much daily.

Reading on here people have sprated WD40 in there to negate the problem for a short time, any other lubricants that are ice resistant? I just had to steal the wifes car this morning as I was out of my bottle of de-icer, and her bottle had no charge, though full.

I use the phone book magnets cut into circles. place one on the drivers lock before water gets in the lock... no water, no problem. the magnet keeps freezing rain/dew/etc from collecting on the keyhole...

I was thinking along the same lines. Instead of fixing the problem after the fact, why not prevent it from happening in the first place? I was going to make a velcro-ed rubber band (bicycle inner tube) strap to cover the key hole that can slide back and forth to keep water out and allow easy key access. I have not tried my idea yet. I will try your idea- seems easier to fabricate.

I had a couple of incidents of frozen locks alreadu this year. One time I was able to use a hair dryer, the other time (no hair dryer) and got in via passenger door which luckily did not freeze.

As I recall from taking apart door lock tumblers, there is an o-ring in there to keep water out. Locks that are very freeze prone may have a worn o-ring. I am not going to take the lock apart now to see if the o-ring is bad, not sure if a replacement is even available.

Another idea (yet to be tried) is to make a key insert with a nichrome heater that is powered by your cell phone battery. The heated key insert will have an LED to show when it's powered and is kept in the wallet all winter. When needed, insert key in frozen lock, take cell phone battery out, make contact with key so LED illuminates, and wait a minute or 2 for tumbler to thaw, insert real key to get in.

edit: It's probably easier to heat the lock with the car battery. But that only works on a car that has the mod whereas the heated universal key insert would work in any lock.

this actually works? the magnet doesn't fall off in cold and weather?

it works.

I have never had a door lock apart to know what is supposed to keep the water out, I never recall my parents having to deal with frozen locks on their 240D, so I may take one apart to see if they can be fixed so I do not have to deal with it any more on my 300D

I decided as long as water can get in, I might as well work with it ,and just inject a small amount of RV antifreeze in the lock to keep the water from freezeing, and it doesn’t freeze up. I would much rather just not have any water in there in the first place though..

Hmmn is the phone book magnet some sort of special magnet? I tried an Alnico magnet on my 85 door lock and my magnet did not stick. I was a little skeptical at first since I didn't think Mercedes would use anything that is magnetic that is prone to rust on lock harware. My skepticism was right.

ps. I just took a brake cleaner spray straw, stuck it in the door key hole to keep the flap open and blew in there with a leaf blower. Lot's of water came out of the driver's lock but none from the passenger lock. It rained yesterday but has been dry for the last 12 hours and the car is parked on a level driveway. The water seal on the driver's lock is not working as well as the the passenger side and that is the reason why my driver's lock is the one that freezes.

x2, are we talking those thin fridge type magnets? They don't stick to mine either, im assuming he means a much stronger magnet of some kind, that can get past the non magnetic materials.

A fridge magnet might as well be a piece of paper for how much it wants to stick to a MB door lock.

can we get some pics of what you use vstech?

ps. I just took a brake cleaner spray straw, stuck it in the door key hole to keep the flap open and blew in there with a leaf blower. Lot's of water came out of the driver's lock but none from the passenger lock. It rained yesterday but has been dry for the last 12 hours and the car is parked on a level driveway. The water seal on the driver's lock is not working as well as the the passenger side and that is the reason why my driver's lock is the one that freezes.[/QUOTE]

It makes sense the driver's lock is the one that takes in water since that is the one that is used most and the water seal is worn.

Hmmmm. you guys are right. the MB locks must be stainless... my pickup truck is Gm, and it sticks just fine... I guess some tape would be a solution for the MB... I don't wanna put tape on my MB though...

Velcro rubber band not gonna work due to shape of the lock handle. This is my temp solution till I find out why so much water is getting in. Bicycyle inner tube and hooks made from plastic house eaves vent (plastic won't scratch da paint)

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...231_144025.jpg


Tie inner tube to clips.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...231_144255.jpg

Installed on lock. I think it will keep the water out (rubber is stretched over the lock and hopefully make a good seal). Only testing will tell.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...231_145132.jpg

Fold back to insert key. If I paint the white clips black, it will stand out less.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...231_145247.jpg

Im gonna steal your idea anyway for my GM van, as its a good one. Too bad MB made it difficult to do the same

It got up to 40 degrees here so I thought I would take advantage of the heat wave and pull the drivers door handle and see what there is to keep water out of the lock.

There is an o-ring, and it was in three pieces when I pulled the lock cylinder out. My 300D's lock cylinder is loose in the handle, so I imagine that the o-ring is totally gone...

I made a new o-ring using 2mm cord, it fits snug as it should. The only other seal is the gasket between the handle and the door. I am hoping that replacing the o-ring in the 300D will end the problem once and for all..

For those with frozen lock problems and do not have time to replace the o-ring, my inner tube lock bra idea worked perfectly. Last week it had rained hard for a day then dropped 50 deg to below freezing overnight- a perfect recipe for frozen locks and my lock didn't freeze!

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...231_145132.jpg

I’m not sure how to say this without it sounding the wrong way... but although I have no doubt that it works well, it's appearance is lacking the minimum lever of elegance that I personally require lol... :P

All in good fun..:)

Given the choice of not being able to get into your car when you have to due to a frozen lock, or a lock lacking in appearance, which will you choose? I know my choice. :rolleyes: To each his own.

I don't feel like taking the door apart to fix the o-ring in the middle of winter. This ugly temp solution does it for me just fine. Took me 15 minutes. Scissors, inner tube, hot nail to make the 4 holes in the plastic hooks. :)

Here is what I use
 

This works, even in a COLD weather test chamber
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/general-information/349764-how-deal-ice-locks-washer-wiper-door-trunk-glass.html


For those members curious about the topic of automotive COLD weather testing..
https://www.google.com/search?q=automotive+cold+weather+testing+detroit+mi&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
...
https://www.google.com/search?q=automotive+cold+weather+test+bemidji++mn&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

.

Updating this old thread. I installed a keyless remote door opener in my 85 300D this past summer which also solves the lock icing problem, until the door actuator solenoid crapped out a month ago and this rubber bra did it's job with no frozen lock incidents through the crappiest wintry weather. I will fix the solenoid when it gets warmer but for now, simple is better.

I have been locked out of my car due to frozen locks and standing outside in freezing weather, staring at my door, trying to figure out what to do, blood pressure rising, is much less elegant than the contraption in the picture. :)

Can't say I've ever experienced a frozen lock. Beyond a layer of ice on the outside that I can easily bust through with the key...

Every gas station in Canada sells lock deicer. It's just alcohol. Pour some rubbing alcohol in your lock if it's frozen. Or gas tank antifreeze. Or hell, maybe even antifreeze would work.
Be sure to spray it out with silicone spray lubricant afterwards.

Instead of a door handle bra, I just carry the $2 bottle of lock deicer in my coat. My door handle is missing the little flap over the lock cylinder so it gets full of water at the car wash. One squirt of lock deicer clears it within 10 seconds.

That's because the o-ring that keeps water out of your lock is still intact. My driver's side lock is the only one that freezes, not the passenger side and I belief the o-ring is broken. Anyone have a pictorial on disassembly of the lock to replace that o-ring?

Took advantage of the 45 F weather today and fixed my keyless entry for good this time, hopefully. http://youtu.be/wSi3JlLVXus I will keep the bra over the lock till winter is over to keep water out, which can't be good for it I'm sure

My solution is I live in California.

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

Great burn, and only 5 years late!

I simply put a little dab of waterproof tape over the lock when temps threaten.

It is not worth it to me to live in California.

Frozen Locks
 

Always a problem, even here in Sunny Southern California where I got locked out of my 240D's trunk this afternoon......

The problem is two fold : lack of proper lubrication and the aged O-Ring allowing water in .

Alcohol and WD-40 both disperse the water and at the same time wash away any lubricant allowing fast wear of the delicate pot metal cylinder, guaranteeing more problems in the future .

Using engine anti - freeze is a good idea, I learned to soak parking brake cables in it in the 1960's in New England to prevent them from freezing in the on position .

Here in So. Cal. simply getting the correct graphite lubricant and USING IT is the simple solution ~ I usually lubricate the vehicle and house locks once or twice a year.....

Chrysler's heat riser solvent excels here ~ it even comes with a nifty plastic snorkel glued into the nozzle and it good for freeing up stuck / rusty heat risers too .

I've posted the P/N in the past, some here should have it ~ I'm far from my supplies right now .