How to lubricate the lock on the door: instructions for home and car

Any lock is a mechanical system. Every day he experiences heavy loads: friction, wear, and strength. Without prevention, the lock begins to seize, worse closing. It becomes clogged with dust, corrodes, and is worn out. Therefore, at least once a year, you need to lubricate the door locks of both the car and the house, garage, etc. It is best to use special dry lubricants in the form of a powder or spray.

Car lock

The closing devices of the car experience all the troubles of weather vagaries: from showers to winter frosts. Experienced drivers are advised to regularly carry out lock maintenance at least once a season, and in the fall it is imperative to prepare for winter. This will protect the system in cold weather and you won’t have to fight the doors. For the same purpose, lubricate the lock on the trunk and hinges.

What is suitable for car doors

When buying lubricant, you need to carefully study the characteristics. The main parameter is cold resistance. The material must withstand sub-zero temperatures. In addition, an indicator of wear resistance and evaporation rate is important.

It is not necessary to disassemble the doors for lubricating locks and hinges (if there is no internal damage or the structure is not clogged with dirt). In most automotive and household stores there are lubricants in special containers: a cylinder with a nozzle, which is equipped with a long thin proboscis.

Drivers highly appreciated such lubricants as WD-40, Litol, modern silicone types that are gradually replacing the usual brands.

Lubrication Procedure:

1. Open the car door.
2. With a rag, remove the old grease from the lock (the locking mechanism is located at the bottom).
3. Take a screwdriver matching the diameter of the locking bracket.
4. Insert into the groove and turn on yourself, opening the lock.
5. Remove any remaining grease that appears.
6. Treat the WD-40 area, remove any streaks with a clean cloth.
7. Apply silicone grease on top, wipe off excess - also wipe.
8. Remove the screwdriver from the groove and lift up the lock handle on the front of the door.
9. Close and open the door a couple of times so that the grease disperses according to the mechanism.

In some cases, you have to disassemble parts and clean the locks and hinges from the inside. It is better to entrust this procedure to a car service. Unfortunately, the bolt lubrication is the only thing that can be done with a cylinder-type lock, namely these are installed on all vehicles.

Prevention from freezing and jamming

It must be understood that cylinder locking systems are the most capricious and sensitive to contamination. Protective mud flaps and visors protect against dust sufficiently. Therefore, it is recommended to change the lubricant every 3 months.

The second aspect is moisture. It enters the castle with precipitation, with melting snow and in the form of condensate, from the air. It is impossible to protect the inside of the larva from this scourge, but at least it is accessible for greasing the bolt and hinges of the door.

Finally, the third factor affecting the operation of car locks is the material from which they are made. One of the common problems is that the battery has run out in the unlock key fob, and the driver’s door key doesn’t work. This means that due to prolonged inactivity, the castle oxidized and “stuck”. Most likely, he will have to be replaced. Thus, one of the most important preventive measures is to use it periodically.

Garage lock

Today, garages are closed with lever locks, less often, but there are still mounted pin models. All of them without fail need protection from precipitation.For mortise suvaldovy need to provide a box, best welded. Since the garage door is usually single-layer, and the body of the castle is in the open. The hinged usually closes with a visor.

Both types should be used regularly and lubricated at least once a season. Dry options are ideal, but also silicone, WD-40 behave with dignity. It is important that the grease can withstand humidity, temperature, heat and cold, and also evaporate slowly - then the lock will not jam and will always lock the doors securely.

Home castles

On the houses and indoors are usually different types of locking devices. In the iron entrance door of apartments, a level lock is usually embedded. Its mechanism is closed by a casing, and closure occurs with several pins. The device is quite complex, and the use of folk remedies is not recommended. Specialists consider dry graphite lubricant or Litol to be optimal if the door is external and faces the street.

How to lubricate a lever lock:

1. Open the door and push the stem mechanism to the limit.
2. Coat the pins with dry grease.
3. Close and open the lock completely several times.

Between rooms most often there are simpler locks - cylinder locks. If such began to seize, it is worth greasing its crossbar. Graphite or other dry lubricant based on it is also ideal. The prevention algorithm is the same as that of the level lock.

Tip
Some craftsmen recommend blowing dry lubricant into the borehole of a leveling pad - to increase the lubrication area. This cannot be done with cylinder in any way: the internal mechanism is too precise and small and will fail.

If the grease did not help

Most likely, if prevention has not been carried out and the mechanism has been several years old, a simple lubrication will not be enough. Have to take out and disassemble the lock. The procedure requires experience and accuracy, otherwise the mechanism will not fall into place.

Procedure:

1. Take out the lever lock, open it.
2. Brush to remove debris.
3. If necessary, clean with a cotton or gauze turunda and alcohol or other solvent from rust.
4. Lubricate with dry grease.
5. Assemble and replace.

Cylinder structures are, by and large, disposable. Try to remove the larva, clean it of debris and dirt, dry lubricate the crossbar and its axis of rotation, scroll several times. Put it on the door and try the action. If it doesn’t help, you will have to change the lock.

Prevention is the most important condition for locks. Factory grease lasts no longer than 1 year, later it needs to be updated. Dismantling the lock is not a good idea, unless you are a locksmith. Full cleaning and lubrication is best left to professionals. However, everyone is able to apply lubricant to the base of the crossbars once every 4 months or at least once a year and close and open the mechanism several times.

Modern industry offers comfortable cylinders with long thin nozzles that allow you to work precisely and accurately. Most often, such leaving is enough to keep the lock operational for many years.