Power door lock stiff in the cold

[sam-tip]

I have a 2008 Tour. The front power door lock doesn't work when the temperature gets cold outside. As soon as it warms up above 50 degrees it works fine. My guess would be the solenoid gets stiff in the cold. I have the same problem with the slide outs. Below 20 degrees I have to bang on the starter solenoid on the hydraulic pump under the steps to get the slides in and out.

Can the door lock be lubed with a thinner lube?

Doug

[Sergeant80]

Do not use an oil. Graphite is the proper lube for locks. They have small packages that you squeeze the powder into the locks. I do not know your situation as to how your doorlocks work. whether the solenoid or the lock is sticking.

[sam-tip]

The solenoid is sticking I think. I can lock manually in cold. But not with power lock button.

[Pushrod]

Not sure if this is the same problem I had, but here goes. The door latch and lock mechanism over time got "stiff", it wasn't noticable until one day the latch (door handle) just moved but would not open the door. Fortunately, I had great help with me and we opened the door by lifting up on the handle and pushing it open. We then dismantled all the interior trim and door cover, exposing the lock and handle mechanism, which is in a "cassette", ie, all in one unit. We eventually put the links back together so all the functions (lock and handle) would work. I think all of this could have been avoided by spraying some type of lubricant inside the door latch mechanism. Maybe WD 40 followed by a true lubricant, or a silicon lube spray. There are several moving parts in there that may not have gotten enough lube to start with, or just need some help now and then.