90 240sx Door lock problem

[alowishus]

I just bought a 1990 240sx and am very pleased with it. I love everything about it, except for the door locks. It is EXTREMELY difficult to lock/unlock both of my doors. As a matter of fact, the key is so hard to turn, I am afraid I will break it. Is there something I am missing or do I have to get them fixed?

[Soy]

WD-40 for the win! Get a can, and soak the lock in it. Wait a few minutes, then lock and unlock the car a few times from inside, then with the key from outside - should get everything moving.

If it's still sticky and tough to turn, you may need to inspect the lock mechanism - pretty easy once you pull off the door panels - just fiddle with the lock and lube it up. (Get your mind out the gutter!)

[alowishus]

Thanks, I will try that tomorrow. The funny thing is that when I was buying it, it worked just fine.

[alowishus]

The WD-40 helped a bit, but I dont think I am applying it well enough. My can is broken so I can only get the stuff on my key and put it in and take it out of my key-holes to apply it. I really think I may have to pop off my door panels and lube up the lock mechanisms. This perplexes me since I'm not sure whether its the cold or the fact that every lock in my car sucks.

[180fan]

Try cleaning the plastic parts where the metal rods rubs/rotates on with a silicone based cleaner.

[alowishus]

Using a new can of wd-40 with a red straw on it sprayed directly into the keyhole has helped the driver side door and the hatch locks to the point where they rarely give me trouble. The passenger side door is still a bit tricky as I will have to jiggle the key around in it to unlock it when it is acting up (about 5 times out of 10) but still a great improvement. As long as I can get into my car and turn it on, I am happy, thanks guys.