Jump to content

Frozen Lock - L200 Tailgate


Brixsmaid
 Share

Recommended Posts

Right oh! great and knowledgeable ones!!

 

Whats the best way to stop the tailgate lock (on the fibreglass rear top of my L200) from freezing (short of building a garage) :lol:

 

I oil and/or WD 40 it regularly and make sure it works well into the lock - but any decent frost and it's 10 minutes with a warmed up key before I can unlock it!

 

For today's experiment I have wrapped a piece of pipe foam lagging around it (the handle/lock assembly) - see what happens tonight - but have my doubts it will really help!

 

Any suggestions (apart from the garage or don't lock it!) very much appreciated!

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure about the blowtorch, it's in a glass back pane!!

 

Cordless hair dryer is a little less aggressive, would be a maybe if I hadn't sold mine due to no hair!!

 

As regards peeing on it I'd rather not get arrested for a public order offence - I live on a main road, plus it might be a bit cold to expose myself!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had similar problems with mine always freezing up. Sometimes you could be in in a few minutes, other times it took ages.

 

Last year I stripped mine down as much as possible, dried the rest out and greased what I could get to with a decent thick grease. I also sprayed down into the lock with a silicone spray for a minute or so to coat everything up internally. Haven't had a problem so far in this frozen weather we currently have.

 

The part that seemed to freeze up constantly last year was the push button inside the canopy. Moisture was getting into it then freezing so it wouldn't allow you to pull the handle on the outside which was connected to this frozen push button.

 

Hope you get yours sorted as it's a massive PITA not been able to get in to it when you need to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would of thought you would need a lot of those pouches to make any difference. When we had the navaras with a glass top that did it a lot most of the time I left it unlocked but what we did was removed the lock completely dry it out and packed it full of Vaseline that seamed to work

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We used to take vehicles to the arctic circle every year for cold climate testing. Automatic transmission fluid in an oil can, two inch length of brake pipe squash one end in a vice but not completely. Connect to the oil can and fill the lock with ATF , never had one freeze yet up to - 36c . Wipe Vaseline on door rubbers to stop them freezing shut.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very many thanks - so far :good:

 

i like the idea of packing the lock with grease - probably means greasy pockets for the future though, hum!! :lol:

 

I also like the ATF Fluid suggestion - just been out to the garage to find the spare bottle I know I've got - guess what - dumped it (legally I hasten to add!) a few months ago when I was having a clear out - should have known better that to chuck anything away :no:, never throw anything away - always been my motto and proves it's a good one -Doh!!

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hya Brixsmaid,

Just curious

How did you get on?

 

Regards A.R.P.

Much as you'd expect - haven't seen a hint of ice since I posted - so am on standby with a few ideas to try the next time frost is forecast!!

 

Can you expand on your Blue Tack idea - is it to cover the slot or what?

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...