Lube for Ignition Locks

[oxford]

I fixed my stubborn key, with a few passes on the wired wheel. It had sharp edges which grabbed or hooked the slides and would get stuck. The key was much smoother to enter and remove after this deburring.
Cheers!
Phil

It sound like this may be the problem as the OP said he is having difficulty getting the key in and out after having the ignition lock rebuilt which I guess came with a new key.

[Doozer]

All the locksmiths I have worked with use Triflow.

Only because they don't know about Houdini oil.

-D

[JRouche]

My Locksith (45years) Uncle told me to never spray any lube in my house locks s I was just about to.Then handed me this full can of graphite along with a rubber bulb type air puffer.

I bought the other stuff from napa for car locks.

Im with the other folks impression that a wire wheeling on the key might help. JR

[J Tiers]

Front door lock was just recently making trouble, it's an old one of good quality (50+ yo). Graphite had it smooth as silk is a couple minutes, and I have seen NO mess at all.

Probably not a good plan on older chip key locks where actual contact was made, but new ones are all RF, and there should not be any issue with graphite unless you puff it all over the place, which is not needed.

My father started using silicone oil, and that never gummed up, and never got thick with cold either. Just another option. I believe he used a particular type though, with the right properties.

[JoeLee]

Houdini oil is what a locksmith would use.

-D

Never heard of it.

JL....

[J Tiers]

Houdini oil is what a locksmith would use.

-D

Would that be SILICONE Houdini oil? That's the best type.

[danlb]

The kits we sold at our GM dealer had a small squeeze tube of a light body white lithium? grease. However it may have been another type as the lube did not harden in site like plain white lithium. I have become a fan of Super Lube lately. I would definitely use the Super Lube if it was available.
This stuff would insure the whole mech would get some...
https://www.super-lube.com/multi-pur...-syncolon-ptfe
Joe

Generally, the lithium grease is for the linkages that connect the lock to the latching mechanism. Putting it in the lock would make a mess every time you use the key and then put the greasy key into your pocket. It would also result in pocket lint being packed into the lock itself.

+1 for graphite powder "puffed" into the cylinder. It's amazing how little graphite is needed to make a lock work better again.

Dan

[jmm03]

LPS 1, greaseless lubricant is what the locksmith recommended to me for standard entry door lock sets,should work on ignition locks I would think. Jim

[BigMike782]

just buy a good quality replacement and rekey it yourself.

The last time I tried to rekey some locks I needed pins. I asked at a local lock and key shop and the guy got kind of huffy with me....."are you a locksmith?" No but I did rekey locks for about 15 years and understand how it works. He sold me the pins but was reluctant. It sure is nice to have all of my disc locks keyed alike.

[Joe Rogers]

Generally, the lithium grease is for the linkages that connect the lock to the latching mechanism. Putting it in the lock would make a mess every time you use the key and then put the greasy key into your pocket. It would also result in pocket lint being packed into the lock itself.

+1 for graphite powder "puffed" into the cylinder. It's amazing how little graphite is needed to make a lock work better again.

Dan

GM was very specific in the recoding and assembly procedures used in the multi billion dollar ignition lock cylinder/ignition switch recall a few years ago. The lube they supplied was not called out as lithium but resembled it. It also was not an issue on keys after the installation due to multiple function tests before releasing the vehicle back to the owners.
Joe

[Doozer]

Would that be SILICONE Houdini oil? That's the best type.

I disagree. I do not use silicone lubricants for metal things.

-D

[mattthemuppet]

The last time I tried to rekey some locks I needed pins. I asked at a local lock and key shop and the guy got kind of huffy with me....."are you a locksmith?" No but I did rekey locks for about 15 years and understand how it works. He sold me the pins but was reluctant. It sure is nice to have all of my disc locks keyed alike.

I haven't done many, but the replacement tumber I bought for one of my cars had a few baggies full of "keys" (like pins, but flat with a hole in) that you matched to the ones in the old tumbler. For house locks I've made my own pins from brass rod. Fiddly to get it right, but it was effectively free

[J Tiers]

I disagree. I do not use silicone lubricants for metal things.

-D

Not for many things, no. There are about 200 types of "silicone oil", and some are fine.

[Doozer]

Not for many things, no. There are about 200 types of "silicone oil", and some are fine.

I completely disagree.
Ask a chemist.

-D

[J Tiers]

Ask a chemist.

-D

That's the person who suggested and used it (and it worked well for him, btw). A research chemist familiar with that area of chemistry.

What type silicone oil, I do not know, I kept using graphite, but he gave me a small bottle of the material he suggested. Odds are it's "not your grandpa's silicone oil".