I normally don't lock my car doors but last night at a park and ride I did. Came back from a baseball game, after midnight, took me half an hour to open the (*&^!! door. Neither mine nor the wife's key would work, in either door. Finally after jiggling, sweating, getting down on one knee, I got one to turn in the lock. Both keys work flawlessly in the ignition. Could I have stuck pins? Going to try some lube, I see they have special lock lube, any better than regular spray lube? Any other tricks? Seems odd that both keys would be too worn out, and both work in the ignition switch.
Lock lube can make a huge difference. It's a little messy, so don't use too much. I use it on big padlocks that are used outside, and every couple of years, they won't open. A shot of this stuff, and they're back to normal. I did use WD40 back in the day, but now I use WD40 mostly for killing wasps and yellowjackets.
I use Lock-Ease. It's a liquid with graphite. I've also used Dri Slide with moly. Both are a liquid that evaporates leaving the lube film in place.
Graphite powder is what I use in my shop's door and it works well. I got about a 1/2 Pt. of it from someone. I can't imagine anyone but a locksmith ever needing that much! Lynn
I've always heard to use liquid graphite. Apparently, WD-40 is frowned upon. Call a local locksmith. He'll tell you.
All you have to do is look at the spray nozzle on any old WD-40 can to understand why it is frowned upon. Every speck of dust has stuck to to it. You don't want that happening inside your lock.
Any kind of penetrating lube will help to free up sticky tumblers. Even a shot of carb cleaner wouldn't hurt things. If the lock frees up for you, give it a shot of light lube to keep it that way. You might consider buying an uncut key blank that will fit your lock cylinder. Spray a quick shot of your favorite penetrant into the cylinder and then run the key blank in and out of the cylinder repeatedly. Inserting the uncut key blank will move all the tumblers thru the full length of their travel and help distribute the lube/cleaner thru the whole mechanism. Sometimes it also helps to insert the key about half way and and then give the end of key a light rap with a small pair of pliers to fully seat the key. I mention using pliers because sometimes the key can get stuck in the cylinder if it's really gunked up and the pliers will make it easier to grip and remove the key blank. The following has been my experience from working with GM style Briggs & Stratton side-bar style lock cylinders. Mostly these locks aren't overly sensitive to slightly miscut or worn keys. A small bit of wear on one or two cuts isn't usually an issue, but wear on 3, 4, or more cuts can cause problems. If you tend to get keys copied with one of those machines that traces the pattern off your old key, keep in mind that if your sample key has some wear on it (even though it seems to work OK most of the tine) the duplicated key will also exhibit the same wear. You'll end up with a "brand new" but "worn" key. It may still not work properly in all your locks. It might be worth finding a real locksmith with the gauges and experience to determine the original cut depths for your existing key. From there he should be able to cut you new keys back to their original, as-new cut depths. It might also be helpful if you can provide him with one of the door or trunk lock cylinders, or drive the car to his shop so he can readily check his work.
just went through this with a couple of my house doorlocks-would not open no matter what. Use some form of graphite, (i used the small tube that blows in the lock) that either the carrier fluid evaporates off or the powdered kind. I had used WD on the bad ones, it left a greasy blob that really messed up the tumblers in the lock. Lesson learned.
I keep a tube of powdered graphite, and try to remember to occasionally lube the locks before they quit working. Lube the key, place it in the lock, and rotate from one extreme to the other several times. Jon.
We used a product called Perma-Silk Dry Film lubricant... ( granted, it was on the Ammo door rails of a tank and few other places, but still...) I don't think it was ever intended for locks but worked great! If you ever use it, please use it in a well ventilated area.
Silicone spray is an option, lubricates and repels water. Ever had a wintertime frozen lock ? I Only use it on household window slides, and door hinges, throw the rag away, keep the can in the ba*****t. Don't even want it in the garage where I occasionally paint.
WD-40 is actually a solvent. I have a bottle of that Lockease that Doubblepumper posted in post 3 around here somewhere but years ago you could rub a lead pencil on the key and insert it and work it around and that worked pretty good . You probably can't find a pencil that has the same material now though . It worked on Jacket zippers tool
Hello, For the past years near and on the salt water, we used Boeshield in our dock locks, plus locks for our sailboat. We also sprayed the shifting mechanism and throttle for smooth running. When the mechanic put in an all metal shifting/throttle unit, he used Boeshield as a light coat before putting everything back in place in the tight rail compartment. There was the standard white paste like lubrication in the joints, but on everything else, he coated them with the spray. We continued it on the deck fittings, the stainless rachets and pelican clips. They all worked well and did not show rust on anything. Yes, stainless steel rusts when exposed to salt air and the level of quality of the stainless steel products, too. Jnaki But, when we had some new door handles installed in a house exterior front door, our locksmith was ready to ****on up everything and in his tool kit, he had a little squeeze tube of black powder. He inserted the tip and gave a small squeeze for the minute amount of powder. He said that most of the time, it is not necessary, but locks need some sliding help. On our old car door, we still had key slots. But he said the cover usually keeps out the moisture from just about anything. But, sometimes, they, too get slow with age and allow some moisture inside. Moisture inside of a closed container on metal is not the best situation for rust prevention. Not the flaky rust, but just enough corrosion to slow things down and perhaps, make them stick. "Rust never sleeps !" So, now, we have a small squeeze tube of black powder door lube and still have the old Boeshield Spray from the sailing adventures. The two lubes get little use these days as the front door is in a weather secure location and never sees moisture. Our daily drivers are always inside of the garage resting nicely out of any weather that rolls in from the ocean. YRMV
If the lock hasn't been squirted with any liquid, just use dry graphite powder. A puff into the lock, a bit on the key, and make like it's Saturday night. If there is any gooey lubricant residue in the lock, you can use electrical switch / contact cleaner, which will flush away any crud, but leaves no residue.
Hmmm... from experience, a military application = WILDLY carcinogenic. Which means it probably works a thousand times better than any of the Prop-65 stuff. You know it's bad when there are huge swaths of redactions on the MSDS sheet. "Tumors, brought to you by the lowest bidder". -- My grandad used to keep a baby food jar full of graphite powder on the top shelf over the workbench and would just dip his key in it once in a while (no euphemism intended). then cram the key in and out of the lock he wanted lubed. (again, no euphemism intended ). Of course, he'd also dig his ears with his keys once in a while, so... maybe the graphite offset the earwax, I dunno.
So my neighbor had the Dry Slide with the long needle. Squirted it in both locks, immediate success. Thanks for all the replies, I'm sure everything mentioned would have worked.
I used to use the graphite powder, but recently I've switched to just spraying copious amounts of WD40 in the lock (with the straw), turning the key repeatedly and repeating. A lot of dirt runs out, and the lock works fine afterwards. Dry powder isn't going to do anything to get years of old dirt and worn metal out of the lock.
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