Cold weather problems with rear door latches
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cold weather problems with rear door latches
This is my first winter with my 2002 4Runner. So far so good, until this morning when it was -30 degrees outside.
When I opened the passenger side rear door to get my ice scraper, and then tried to close it, the door latch wouldn't catch. The door just would not stay closed. When I opened the drivers side rear door, the same thing happened.
I could get the doors to at least stay closed if i locked the door and closed it, but the latches still weren't engaging properly. The dash light for an open door would not shut off, and when driving, I could hear the wind noise from the doors not being closed properly.
Looking at the latch mechanism on the doors, there seems to be a fair bit of grease on there. I am guessing that the combination of grease and the cold weather has gummed things up a bit.
Any ideas on how to rectify this situation? I am thinking of cleaning and regreasing the back door latches when it warms up a bit, but am not sure of what to use to clean the old grease from the latches (WD-40?) and what to use to regrease them (white lithium grease?).
Any advice would be appreciated.
When I opened the passenger side rear door to get my ice scraper, and then tried to close it, the door latch wouldn't catch. The door just would not stay closed. When I opened the drivers side rear door, the same thing happened.
I could get the doors to at least stay closed if i locked the door and closed it, but the latches still weren't engaging properly. The dash light for an open door would not shut off, and when driving, I could hear the wind noise from the doors not being closed properly.
Looking at the latch mechanism on the doors, there seems to be a fair bit of grease on there. I am guessing that the combination of grease and the cold weather has gummed things up a bit.
Any ideas on how to rectify this situation? I am thinking of cleaning and regreasing the back door latches when it warms up a bit, but am not sure of what to use to clean the old grease from the latches (WD-40?) and what to use to regrease them (white lithium grease?).
Any advice would be appreciated.
Last edited by Dillon; 01-12-2007 at 07:55 AM.
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Connecticut (NY State of Mind)
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sometimes just greasing them back up helps out in the interim but with all the old crappy grease on there it is much better to wipe it clean first, spray it clean if you can and then apply fresh grease. I usually use white grease.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
RedRunner_87
95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners (Build-Up Section)
84
06-01-2021 01:51 PM
Jnkml
95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners
3
07-06-2015 01:20 PM
Vargntucson
95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners
0
07-04-2015 12:15 PM