door frozen shut!

[Guest TurboSedan]

anyone have any ideas on how i could get my door opened? it's frozen shut GOOD :? i have to climb through the passenger side right now, and there is no way i can go to work tonight with it like this.

 

i've even tried having my brother pull up on the handle and kicking it open, and we tried rolling the window down while both of us yanked on it.....the thing won't budge.

 

i really need to get to work tonight! any ideas suggestions welcome, thanks

[MonteCarloChick]

My family uses boiling water..

[slick]

Start the car and let it run and get nice and toasty. Be sure that the heat is on full blast in the car and it gets like unbearably hot inside the car. This should be enough heat to melt the frozen seals.

[Guest TurboSedan]

yeah it's only 5* out right now....i'm worried even pouring boiling/HOT water might freeze over too quickly

[Guest TurboSedan]

Start the car and let it run and get nice and toasty. Be sure that the heat is on full blast in the car and it gets like unbearably hot inside the car. This should be enough heat to melt the frozen seals.

 

cool, i'll try that.

[MonteCarloChick]

Pull the car near an outlet and use a hair dryer..

 

Yes, I've done this before. :oops:

[chadz34]

Just use the boiling water idea, The open the door and wipe the seals.

[5speedz34]

Damn, kicking it while he pulls are you sure its frozen?

[Guest TurboSedan]

Start the car and let it run and get nice and toasty. Be sure that the heat is on full blast in the car and it gets like unbearably hot inside the car. This should be enough heat to melt the frozen seals.

 

well that worked; it opened right up after blasting the heater for 1/2 hour! thanks

[5speedz34]

Now get some 3M silicone spray and put that on there.

[sl3196]

My doors didnt freeze haha sucka!

[3pt1lumina]

I put armorall on all my seals before winter I don't get stuck doors anymore.

 

 

that blowdryer thing is a good idea

[Guest TurboSedan]

My doors didnt freeze haha sucka!

 

:flip:

[White93z34]

my drivers door likes to freeze open! it will open fine, then when i close it it won't latch!

[1990lumina]

At least you guys can tell the differnce between a frozen door and a locked door :oops:

 

Last winter I had just washed my car and my buddy was trying to get in after we picked up some pizza. I said fuck, k, don't pull the handle, I'll open it for you. I jammed my fingers underneath the door frame at the top and uplled at hard as I could....could not get it to budge.....long story short I eventually found out my keyless entry had no unlocked the passenger door (I guess the linkage or something must have forze)....oh well, now when you look at the top of my door it is sorta bent outwards :x

[supreme_style21]

Start the car and let it run and get nice and toasty. Be sure that the heat is on full blast in the car and it gets like unbearably hot inside the car. This should be enough heat to melt the frozen seals.

 

well that worked; it opened right up after blasting the heater for 1/2 hour! thanks

 

THAT is the main reason I have a remote starter. My doors freeze shut all the damn time. Thank you, two giant doors. Even after a small snowfall, I can't open the half-ton weights that are supposed to protrude from the automobile. I've grown into the habit of starting it a half hour before I have to leave every morning JUST so I can get into the thing.

If I can't get into the thing, I have to drive, God forbid, the Oldsmobile. I think I could plow that thing head-on into a FreightLiner and it would still run spectacularly.

[psychopyro31106]

I have a garage spot so my doors dont freeze overnight, but Im gonna get a remote start, cuz then itll be toasty in the winter and cool in the summer when I get in from school or work.

[Crazy K]

1990lumina, try bending the door back in at the top. I have done this to force the top to seal against the weatherstriping on a few cars. Block the bottome of the door at the latch with a piece of wood (wrap it with a rag if you're worried about dents, and flex your wieght on the dorr frame.. test and repeat until the door is straight.

supreme_style21, wow, a half hour is so excessive! and wasteful of gas

 

try this! silicone grease (I found it at carquest, autozone and advanced don't carry it) It is designed to protect rubber and will last alot longer than armour all.

PLUS it is great to lube up rubber parts such as swap bar links and stuff. Never had a problem since. also, for those of you who have sticky latches, door doesn't want to relatch or whatever, use wd-40 or PB with a wand and spray the internal mechs.

[Technics]

In a pinch windshield washer fluid will sometimes free up doors,locks,handles etc if you keep it in your trunk and can get into it.Probably not the best for rubber materials,paint etc but shouldn't harm metal.

[supreme_style21]

supreme_style21, wow, a half hour is so excessive! and wasteful of gas

 

A half hour of warmness is worth it to me. I hate getting into a car with a temp of like ten below when I have to work at 6AM, so I don't much care what it costs.

[Turbo231]

 

try this! silicone grease (I found it at carquest, autozone and advanced don't carry it) It is designed to protect rubber and will last alot longer than armour all.

PLUS it is great to lube up rubber parts such as swap bar links and stuff. Never had a problem since. also, for those of you who have sticky latches, door doesn't want to relatch or whatever, use wd-40 or PB with a wand and spray the internal mechs.

 

I totally agree. The goal is just to prevent water between the door and your weather stripping...what better then a chemical that doesn't agree with water...hell, even Vaseline would be good or a coating of 5w30. Makes your car smell like a car too.

[Prospeeder]

Man, when my doors freeze, i just throw my wieght aganst the B pillar area and it pushes the door in and shtters the ice, breaking it loose, and when my Windshield wipers get stuck cause of all the ice/snow shoved on top of them

[DiscoStudd]

DON'T USE BOILING WATER!!! You want the problem to go away, not get worse!

 

At the last place I worked at, we had many people whose doors froze shut, and I'd use a heat gun on the lowest setting to thaw out the door. Basically heat around the latch area and around the lock and door handle to free up the linkages.

 

If you go the heat gun route, move the gun around quickly and don't let it sit in one spot for very long...

[MonteCarloChick]

DON'T USE BOILING WATER!!! You want the problem to go away, not get worse!

It's been working for my family for 50+ years...

[slick]

Start the car and let it run and get nice and toasty. Be sure that the heat is on full blast in the car and it gets like unbearably hot inside the car. This should be enough heat to melt the frozen seals.

 

well that worked; it opened right up after blasting the heater for 1/2 hour! thanks

 

Figured it would. Happened to me over Thanksgiving break while home with the family.

 

I going to try putting some silicone on the weatherstripping itself. I'm just concerned swiping my coat against it, and having a spot on my coat.

 

What do the rest of you use for your linkages? I know when it gets cold as hell out, even lubricants like to get thick, and not want to work as well as when they are warm.