Door frozen OPEN

[Jamos]

Well GEE GOLLY did I have an interesting night.



Get in the car to go out for dinner annd the door bounces open after I sit in the driver seat and close it. BOUNCE.... BOUNCE.... "what the hell!? Seat belt isn't in the way... BOUNCE.... BOUNCE" Holy CRAP.

It eventually closed after playing with the door handle from the outside.

I figured, "wow.... Ice got in there and screwed things up! Ah well.. all fixed."

I leave the joint at 1:30am and BOUNCE... BOUNCE... 35 minutes later, after ripping the door apart and taking the panel off, and playing with it every way possible, it FINALLY unlatches and allows itself to close. Oh and it's -6°c and I wasn't dressed for it.

I googled the heck out of this while sitting there, and all I've seen is people saying, "yeah.. happened to me bro!" That's it, no solution.

What causes this!? Anyone know?

EUGH what a way to ruin a night.

[DUDMD]

Mine was worse. My friend was getting into the passenger side 2 weeks ago, tore the handle apart in half((it wasn't cold, handle just crapped out). The crappy part about it is my custom color. Picking up the replacement handle from the painter in 2 days.

[Jamos]

Oh man, I agree!

I'm always careful with door handles, it seems every car I get - Avenger, Charger, 740... the damned handles are so sensitive! Maybe I just open the doors too much hahah.

Tomorrow I'm going to just jiffy-lube everything I can, and hope that helps. What a PITA.

Best part is, security walked by and said, ".. heya!" and kept walking!

[xboss]

You need to put some water displacing lube like wd-40 on it so when it gets gold the condensation on the latch mechanism doesnt freeze.

You should be able to flip it by just using a screw drive on the side of the door if it gets stuck again. You just push the latch over and it flips.

The door may have a leaky vapor barrier and it lets warm air get on the inside of the door and then when it hits cold parts it turns to condensation.

[Jamos]

The first time I tried flipping it, and nothing happened. When I got in to leave, I flipped it CLOSED with my fingers, and couldn't undo it until after I ripped the panel off, and played with it for awhile. Boo.

WD40 I will - can right beside me actually, hmm hah!

[xboss]

Getting cold here in the D. About -8c

I have to do mine for the winter still.

[Binjammin]

Don't use wd40, it isn't ice freezing in there, it's the old lube getting hard and solidifying. If you can, clean it with some brake cleaner. Work the handle after applying the cleaner to loosen up the old stuff and let it work out. Do that a lot until the handle frees up. Once free spray in some white lithium grease. WD40 gets a lot of free press because they market it as a cure all, but its lubricative properties are dubious at best. White lithium is what you want.

[E38bimmer]

This happened to me a few years back just used some WD-40 to clean it up and them some white lithium grease and it's been all good since

[toomann]

Your not alone. It happens to me every winter if I have to leave the car parked outside overnight. Happened to my ranger this morning.

[Haadkoe]

I remember these threads from last winter, a bunch of them. Good luck sorting it out and hope that it doesn't become a regular occurrence.

[Cronos Jr]

i had the same problem a while back when it got to -20 or so my hinge just wouldn't lock until the car warmed up. i had two options lol (both were horrible, fiddle around with the hinge so it would lock or lock the door manually (push down the lock for the individual door) and drive and wait until my car heats up. lol

[Qsilver7]

Here's my reply to this issue from some past "winterizing" threads:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...6#post23492356
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...8#post23358538
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...2#post21416692

[Jamos]

Hahah, thanks a lot Q! That picture of the triflow has made its rounds over the years!

I have a door handle lock mechanism thing thanks to Jaron, so I can see exactly where it needs lubricating. Cheers!

[toomann]

Strange thing is the lock will unlock using the key fob but then the latch stays open which then doesn't allow the door to close.

[Haadkoe]

Better to be stuck open than stuck closed I guess. I remember hearing about people having to destroy the door card just to gain access to the actuator/mechanism.

[xboss]

Don't use wd40, it isn't ice freezing in there, it's the old lube getting hard and solidifying. If you can, clean it with some brake cleaner. Work the handle after applying the cleaner to loosen up the old stuff and let it work out. Do that a lot until the handle frees up. Once free spray in some white lithium grease. WD40 gets a lot of free press because they market it as a cure all, but its lubricative properties are dubious at best. White lithium is what you want.

I agree but moisture def. get's in there. The key hole especially.

I like wd-40 for cleaning stuff up. A thicker lube is for sure better.

[toomann]

It's definitely a moisture issue. Once the door warms up the lock works fine.

[Binjammin]

I agree but moisture def. get's in there. The key hole especially.

I like wd-40 for cleaning stuff up. A thicker lube is for sure better.

I like cleaner for cleaning things. I like wd40 for almost nothing. There's really nothing it is advertised as doing that another product doesn't do much better.

- - - Updated - - -

It's definitely a moisture issue. Once the door warms up the lock works fine.

Well, with this statement you quantify heat but not moisture. That makes it a temperature issue. Old grease and lubricant hardens up. If there were that much moisture you would have rust happening on door handle parts.

[toomann]

I like cleaner for cleaning things. I like wd40 for almost nothing. There's really nothing it is advertised as doing that another product doesn't do much better.

- - - Updated - - -



Well, with this statement you quantify heat but not moisture. That makes it a temperature issue. Old grease and lubricant hardens up. If there were that much moisture you would have rust happening on door handle parts.

Not so. There is not that much moisture and it doesn't sit long enough to start rusting. Once the temperature come up it evaporates pretty fast. No different than the frost on your windows. BTW it could also be the old grease as well.

[Binjammin]

Not so. There is not that much moisture and it doesn't sit long enough to start rusting. Once the temperature come up it evaporates pretty fast. No different than the frost on your windows. BTW it could also be the old grease as well.

Windows aren't made of metal. Leave a brake rotor out and see how long it takes. What you're missing is that the way you're describing moisture building up wouldn't happen just in the winter, but all year round at night. The fact is that there shouldn't be a convenient way for that much moisture to enter a door.

I've been fixing cars for a long time, in New England. We get our fair share of all weather types hear year round. We get cold and dry, cold and humid, hot and humid... rarely hot and dry... but to get a door handle to freeze takes significant moisture that freezes. I've seen a lot of doors freeze to their seals. I've seen door handles frozen in a block of ice, but I have no recollection of a customer complaining of a door handle that was frozen with a miniscule amount of water. If you had that much water in the air, that it got trapped inside the door as well, the whole car would be encased in frost.

I've definitely seen doors that pulling on the handle won't open them, it's always from the door freezing to the seal.

[toomann]

Perhaps your misunderstanding what I'm trying to say Not talking about the door handle itself. Just the lock mechanism on the inside. Moisture finds it's way inside and when it gets cold out like last night 22 degrees out. That moisture freezes and causes the mechanical part of the lock not to function correctly. Once the temp comes back up above freezing it evaporates and the lock works again. I agree it could also be on account of the effect the cold has on any grease that was applied when new. And yes. I've had my share of door handles becoming frozen as well as the rubber gaskets around the door.

[Binjammin]

Perhaps your misunderstanding what I'm trying to say

That's definitely possible, maybe say it differently?

lol

[Jamos]

In my situation it appears that the cord that pulls the level open, is very badly rusted. Combine that with a trace amount of moisture, and that it's over 18 years old.... no wonder it messes up! It is rusted though from 18 years of moisture - beit heavy rain or just midnight dew - that's for sure.

Ripped the panel apart and tried to get my JIG-A-LOO in there, and RIGHT when I got it aimed right, the stupid red straw nozzle thing fell in the door. My neighbors were startled to say the least.

[Binjammin]

Straws are pretty universal in size. Rob one from another can.

[toomann]

Ripped the panel apart and tried to get my JIG-A-LOO in there, and RIGHT when I got it aimed right, the stupid red straw nozzle thing fell in the door. My neighbors were startled to say the least.

I hate it when that happens!!