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spotrot's avatar
spotrot
Explorer
Feb 12, 2014

Lube for compartment door latches that doesn't get gummy?

I've tried quite a few types of grease, including white lithium, but all get gummy after a while and become worse than nothing at all.

Anyone found a grease that stays, well, greasy?

My next hope would be a marine grease that is designed to hold up well to water and moisture.

This application is mainly for the latches and strikers on the compartment doors.

Any advice from experience is appreciated.
  • stein4 wrote:
    I use this - DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Aerosol Lubricant
    Buy it at Lowes


    X2
  • OhhWell wrote:
    rgatijnet1 wrote:
    Dry graphite, which is usually blown in to locks to keep them moving freely. This comes in a tube that can be aimed in to the hinge or lock and is available at most auto parts stores.


    X2

    even though I used spray in wet silicone because I had it on hand and it was easy.


    X3... dry graphite works great.
  • I don't know if it can still be found but I used surplus molyndbium disulphide pray. It left, after drying or curing a solid gray film that was really tough and slick. Mask off everything else and coat it.
  • Thank you for the comments. To be clear, I'm not talking about the lock cylinder, lock mechanism, or latch mechanism. Just the sloped area of plastic latch where it slides on the striker plate. I definitely will clean the now-sticky old grease off and maybe try a 'dry' lube such as graphite or a dry chain lube.

    FYI the Dupont formulation has changed and is now wet:

    PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF OCTOBER 2011, THE DUPONT™ TEFLON® MULTI-USE DRY, WAX FORMULA WAS MODIFIED. Many of our loyal customers have been purchasing DuPont™ Teflon® Multi-Use for nearly a decade. We recently upgraded the formula to be a semi-dry lubricant no longer featuring the “dirt-resistant, dry-wax” feature. You will notice the most recent cans that appear on shelf do not contain the dry-wax claim on the label. Many users have reached out wondering where their dry-wax formulation went.

    If you want to obtain that same dry-wax formulation, you should switch to DuPont™ Teflon® Chain-Saver. This product contains the same Teflon® fluoropolymer, molybdenum and wax mixture that users have come to appreciate for its wear protection, water repellency and dirt resistance.
  • First you need to take the latches/locks apart and clean them of that gunk.....or spray them with a degreaser.

    Until you get them clean......nothing will help.
    Once clean.......dry graphite spray or powder
  • rgatijnet1 wrote:
    Dry graphite, which is usually blown in to locks to keep them moving freely. This comes in a tube that can be aimed in to the hinge or lock and is available at most auto parts stores.


    X2

    even though I used spray in wet silicone because I had it on hand and it was easy.
  • I use this - DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Aerosol Lubricant

    Buy it at Lowes
  • Dry graphite, which is usually blown in to locks to keep them moving freely. This comes in a tube that can be aimed in to the hinge or lock and is available at most auto parts stores.