Remmyman

2007 Coupe. The hatch lock cylinder is frozen, I’m unable to get the key to go in. Is there something besides graphite that people have good luck with? I haven’t had much luck with graphite on frozen lock cylinders in the past.

FatsWaller

I’d squirt some WD40 in there and let it marinate for a day and try the key again. The problem is that fine dust gets sucked into the rear of a C6, some of which finds its way into the cylinder. When you get it unstuck, clean any oil off of the surface and cover the opening with a piece of masking tape cut to fit the circle. That’ll keep the dust out and it’s easy to remove if you need to use the key. You might get some warnings about not using WD40 in the lock because it will attract dust, but the masking tape will keep that from happening.

HK770

Personally I would use PB Blaster Instead of WD and follow FatsWaller !!

vetteish

I spray it a couple time a year bc I have always been paranoid about needing the key bc it seems flimsy and will break off if it encounters resistance. I just applied the making tape trick…thanks for the lead on that

Remmyman

I’ve been applying penetrating oil WD-40/ JB-80 for 5 days and still no progress . Any other ideas?

FatsWaller

Does anything go into the key way, like the straw from the spray bottle? Does the key go part way in, or is it like the key way is sealed?

Remmyman

The key goes part way in. I can get the straw from the can part way in.

FatsWaller

Well, these are really basic pin tumbler locks, so either there’s an obstruction in the key way, or one of the pins is seized / stuck in position. If it’s a pin, then you might be able to get it to move with a few gentle taps on the bow of the key. You’ve got the older style key I guess based on your model year, so the bow has plastic on it and that will make the gentle tap less effective. A B106 blank key might be a better option than your plastic headed key. HOWEVER, the risk is that if you manage to unstick the pin, it might just get pushed up and stick there. The tiny springs in the tumbler don’t have a lot of strength. If there’s something stuck in the key way like a toothpick or broken key, that will need to be taken out.

If it were me, I’d remove the plastic bulkhead at the rear inside the hatch, and remove the lock so that it could be taken to a locksmith who should be able to rebuild it.