Door locks do not lock when cold

[Russell]

My door locks stick (at this time only front passenger & driver's rear) when below about 15 degrees. They do not lock with key or remote. However, they will unlock fine. When warmer, they work fine. Is there a lubricant I can use? If so, do I need to remove the door panels to lube?

TIA

[Russell]

Anyone? -concern over security

[uberhahn]

Anyone? -concern over security

I would think you would have to remove the door panel to lube the actuator assembly. I would do this when it is warm/garage. Lube every moving part, every joint. First clean off old lube which probably looks like old bubble-gum by now. Then re-lube with a good penetrating oil / lithium grease.

uberhahn

[Kalevera]

I'm having to replace all of the actuators in my car because the PO was a clown and tried to jump start it while reversing the polarity.

I took apart a few of the old actuators themselves, just to see what actually happened and how they work: they're not really serviceable. I'm sure you could open them up, grease them, and glue it all back together, but I'd suspect that something about the actual lock mechanism needs lubing. Is it physically harder to manually lock the problematic doors when cold? You'll have to remove the doorpanel(s) to service any of this stuff (sorry to say).

Best, Whit

[Russell]

I tried to spray silicon down the door lock buttons to see if it helps the sticky actuators. Not really. When it warms up they all work fine. Hate to tear the car apart. I just may deal with it until spring and then fogret abut it till next winter and start the cycle again. :)


I'm having to replace all of the actuators in my car because the PO was a clown and tried to jump start it while reversing the polarity.

I took apart a few of the old actuators themselves, just to see what actually happened and how they work: they're not really serviceable. I'm sure you could open them up, grease them, and glue it all back together, but I'd suspect that something about the actual lock mechanism needs lubing. Is it physically harder to manually lock the problematic doors when cold? You'll have to remove the doorpanel(s) to service any of this stuff (sorry to say).

Best, Whit

[632 Regal]

Lmao

[Kalevera]

Russell - I'm sure you already know this, but just in case: you'll have to remove the door panel to get to the lock actuators. They aren't physically part of the lock cylinder, nor are they really in the vicinity of the interior door lock buttons (esp on the rear doors), and are well protected by a rubber boot from dust and grime.

From my limited experience, I don't think they'd need to be lubed, so I'd suspect that one of the other mechanical lock elements is at fault and in need of lube (as Uber suggested). The ones I pulled from my car are ~ 15 years old (so far as I know) and they were fine except for the stripped teeth on a transfer gear (happens when you reverse the polarity on the battery). I jerry-rigged one back together to test the front door microswitch and the motor and drive performed flawlessly, except for where the gear teeth were stripped away.

Either way, you'd have to pop off the door panels to assess the situation :( They're not hard to get off, but the fronts are a PITA to get back on. If given a warm garage and a few sizes of flat head screwdrivers/torx drivers, an inexperienced individual can get a door panel off in....I'd say...15 min or less.

best, whit

[Russell]

Why is this so funny?

[Kalevera]

Hey Russell -

If you still haven't figured out the problem....an important note (that I subsequently realized in the months since I originally posted those replies): the actuators in your car are different than the ones in mine, so they might be more serviceable (I don't know).

best, whit

[Russell]

The driver's side passenger door is my problem door. Intermtiiedly the locking works fine. Other times will not work at at all. Got the door panel off. Tomorrow I will take the lock and actuator out and check mechanical and electrical connections. I think the acuator is bad. However, I do hear a slight "clunking" noise in the offending door when I lock and unlock all doors. It is just not as loud as the other doors. We shall see.



Hey Russell -

If you still haven't figured out the problem....an important note (that I subsequently realized in the months since I originally posted those replies): the actuators in your car are different than the ones in mine, so they might be more serviceable (I don't know).

best, whit