Re: Q frozen door latches

[Jarmanhome@domain.elided]

Going back over some older ADs, I had to comment on Glenn's original post in 
no. 354 on freezing 164 door latches.  In the six years we had our LS, it sat 
outdoors, and winters in Kentucky are totally unpredictable.   Suffice to say 
I learned a lot about what worked and what didn't, after a night of freezing 
rain and then light snow to top it off.  
It doesn't take a lot to provoke this syndrome.  It does help to at least 
have the door weatherstrips rubbed down thoroughly with silicone spray or 
grease, at least it reduces the aggravation to just the latch mechanism 
inside the door.  I always applied the silicone stuff in November, and again 
about February whatever, to all rubber that made contact with the door 
stamping.
One poster hit it right when he mentioned a spring loaded finger mechanism 
that moves with the rotation of the door handle- this is the %#$@*& culprit, 
folks!  My theory is that the belt weatherstrip that seals the window glass 
somehow allows moisture to seep down and run into these parts, and when you 
lift the handle, the finger jams and will not return to its original 
position.  You can manually reset the latch jaws there on the door all you 
want, but they won't clamp around the post on the door jamb until the finger 
mechanism is freed up.  I have tried closing the doors  every way possible, 
but it always came down to defrosting this little link that the door handle 
lifts, inside the door.  I discovered it when I sprayed alcohol in past the 
latch plate, and the door latched closed!    I then drilled a small access 
hole above the latch plate on both front doors (yes, I touched up the paint 
and plugged the holes...), and every Thanksgiving weekend I sprayed 
water-displacing lubricant through there at the link mechanism and handle 
pins.  I tried WD40 first, which did not have that much effect, then I went 
to lithium loaded spray which had no effect.  The last three winters I used 
products from Kroil Industrial Lubricants, and it really made a difference!  
Kroil makes a spray called SiliKroil, and another called Penephite.  I think 
I recall the latter giving the best results, when I was amazed the morning 
after a freezing drizzle, the doggone doors worked!   Hallelujah!!  throw a 
party!!!
I say this because we no longer have the car, but I do recommend owners in 
snowy parts take some steps to keep these parts well lubed, whether you take 
off the door panels, or use my approach.  Anyone else used anything else to 
lick this problem?

Dave Jarman
Lexington, KY
USA

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