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  1. #1
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    Help--Thule roof box won't open, holds skis hostage

    I finally did open it, but had to use a wrench to turn the key the last quarter turn--and put a pretty good bend into the key, making me think this thing is going to break off in the lock if I have to do that again.
    I believe this happens because there are these long metal bars inside the box that are supposed to move when you turn the key, but the bars bend out of shape sometimes and won't move freely through the guides.
    Considering just drilling holes in the box so I can use padlocks to keep the thing shut...anyone else dealt with this sort of problem before??
    [quote][//quote]

  2. #2
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    mine started getting sticky, a little wd-40 sprayed all over the mechanism and it works again
    For sure, you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found, elseways everyone would know where it was

  3. #3
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    I read this either here on TGR or elsewhere (and it helped):
    Just bang/slap your hand on the top of the box as you are turning the key. I ain't no engineer, so I don't know why this works, but it did the trick.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by laseranimal View Post
    mine started getting sticky, a little wd-40 sprayed all over the mechanism and it works again
    WD40 is really bad for locks.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  5. #5
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    WD40 is really bad for locks.[/QUOTE]

    why?

  6. #6
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    My guess is that dust and dirt will stick to the wd40 and any residue it leaves behind. The same would probably hold true for any petroleum based product.
    ::.:..::::.::.:.::..::.

  7. #7
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    Mine just started doing the same thing.
    Bars on one side are bending not sliding. The lock is really hard to turn if the skis inside the box are resting up against the metal bars, keeping them from bending. Banging the side sometimes helps and my tule opens on both sides so I just go to the other side if the one side is really stuck. I am going to try WD40 on the bars, not the lock, and see if it helps. Anyone else have any thoughts.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by PNWbrit View Post
    WD40 is really bad for locks.

    This is true.

    Powered graphite is better.
    it's all young and fun and skiing and then one day you login and it's relationship advice, gomer glacier tours and geezers.

    -Hugh Conway

  9. #9
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    x2 on powdered graphite.

    I have the same problem with my box... if you push in the side slightly as you're turning the key, or hit the top of the box, or press the two halves together tighter at the seam, I have had good results. sometimes you'll need to try both sides several times with different methods... also, try to shake the box around a bit, or (while driving) take a really hard turn in the opposite direction of the stuck lock; your quiver will bounce happily to that side, freeing up those bars.

    Plus, people will have no idea what you're doing; keep 'em guessing.
    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    So there I was McGoverning down the mountain but I McConkeyed the hell out of a Morrison and landed on my Harrisons. Just then I Skogened off a Tuffelmire but hit my McMurray into a Holmes. As I came to the Burke I Steele Spenced over a Moles and stopped on a Krietler. Then I saw Gaffney, and then two Gaffneys, but they Moseleyed me into a Hall. So I said, "Pep!!" and Saged on out of that Thovex.
    Poetry, on motion.

  10. #10
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    remove the lock(s) and soak them in a cup of diesel overnight. works amazing with padlocks also. water dispersant formula #40 is thin enough where sand and dust really wont stick to whatever it is you are trying to lubricate, BUT in cold weather WD seems to loose some of its lubricating properties quickly. Heavier greases are what really collect dust/grit/sand ect..

    EDIT: did a bit of research and have used this spray shit that comes out grey on lashings exposed to drastic envireonmental changes, called molycoat or molydi-sulphide or some shit. If it is the same as powdered graphite(which i think it is) thats probably means= powdered graphite x3.
    Last edited by 2nd mate; 01-27-2008 at 03:27 AM.
    A woman reported to police at 6:30 p.m. that she was being "smart-mouthed."

  11. #11
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    white lightning bike lube works great, drip it on all of the bars, exercise the mechanism, the solvent component dries pretty quickly and you are left with a paraffin coating which won't attract as much crap as WD40. I wouldn't spray the locks, that's not your problem.

  12. #12
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    i've had same issues x2- agreed wd will attract dust, but works for awhile-
    solution for me was: problem- it's the alu bars inside that are binding. blow out behind bars (especially first 18" either side of lock) at carwash, steamcleaner, air compressor. then wipe down/let dry. then lube w/the best spray lube you can find- behind the bars and in/around the lock itself. silicon spray or graphite (slip plate?) works well. silicon worked best for me, wd in a pinch. repeat every 18 mnths. worked for me...
    "if you plant ice, you're gonna harvest wind..."

  13. #13
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    i've had the same issue, i even broke my key off in the lock, just smash it a bunch and curse at it, that seems to open it for some reason. also some type of lube, my locksmith recommended some shit with teflon in it a while back.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluespark View Post
    why?
    Almost no lubricant content and what it does have leaves sticky residue which attracts dirt and fucks locks. In fact it's almost useless for almost all purposes.

    Chain lube is really good if you cant get locksmith type graphite spray lube or in a pinch grate the "lead" of a pencil onto the key and work the lock.

    A triumph of marketing over quality.
    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  15. #15
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    I put my Evolution box on my buddies 4runner for a trip up to VT and left my keys at my buds house. We had to twist the lock stub with vice grips to get it open which broke the locking mechanism so now it won't lock shut.

    I now have to use bungies on it to make sure it doesn't open at speed. Truely ghetto. I'm trying to figure out a more descrete way to keep it closed and locked. I think I'm going to drill holes on the side and use small padlocks.

  16. #16
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    I think you guys are stuffing your boxes with too much shit.

  17. #17
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    I wasn't referring to the lock

    I sprayed the two areas where the latch closes and the mechanism that moves it, not the lock itself

    sorry if I wasn't clear
    For sure, you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found, elseways everyone would know where it was

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    I think you guys are stuffing your boxes with too much shit.
    What Benny said. The only time I've ever had a problem turning the key is when I've had the box packed. What happens is something (normally your bindings) gets pushed up against the bars and the friction makes it really hard for them to slide.

    So, all you have to do is bang downwards on the top of the box right over the key mechanism. The key will turn with every bang, and it'll be open in next to no time.

    Also, WD-40 is NOT designed to be a stay on lubricant. It should never be used as such. It's acts as a sort solvent for cleaning parts (ie. loosening rust on a bolt) and as a water displacement solution. It's does an ok job on the former (there's much better stuff out there) and a great job on the latter. One of the main reasons it's so good at water displacement is because it's designed to evaporate...and leave nothing behind. No water, no dust, no dirt, and definitely not a lubricating layer. So don't ever use it for a stay on lubricant. It's the worst thing you can choose.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benny Profane View Post
    I think you guys are stuffing your boxes with too much shit.
    I am sure you are correct. I am putting too much in my box, as my junk is Monster, but what does that have to do with tule being stuck?


    I used some” Wrench Force Slippery Spray” (4 way bicycle lube) on the sliding aluminum bars after getting home early this afternoon (Fucking Red Lodge lost power again today all lifts shut down). It has helped significantly with the functioning.
    Last edited by mtsprings; 01-27-2008 at 09:26 PM.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arty50 View Post
    The only time I've ever had a problem turning the key is when I've had the box packed.
    I've installed many dozens of these things, empty, brand spanking new out of a cardboard box. I've looked really, really dumb in front of plenty of customers banging on their new box to get the thing open. Oh, and last month I had one the key wouldn't turn at all in on one side. Turns out the geniuses had installed different lock cylinders on each side...

    You combine mediocre quality control with a sort-of-retarded design and then cram it full of stuff and definitely have problems, though you might have problems for any one of those reasons. I'm a big fan of lubing the bars inside the box. I'm also a big fan of throwing an outdoor carpet remnant up there, and using a couple adjustable bungees I keep tied to the far side to hold stuff from sliding left and right.
    I now have to use bungies on it to make sure it doesn't open at speed. Truely ghetto. I'm trying to figure out a more descrete way to keep it closed and locked. I think I'm going to drill holes on the side and use small padlocks.
    Go for it. I've ghetto rigged a couple old boxes in this way and they've ended up working better than new...

    Thule has greatly improved the attachment system, but they've recently made the lock system even more retarded. Same dumb thin bar setup, but now they've put nice big plastic covers over the keys. They look nice and work well with a gloved hand, but they also give you a ton more torque to break the key off in the lock when, surprise, the thing won't turn freely.
    Last edited by Garrett; 01-27-2008 at 08:42 PM.
    If you're a relatively moral, ethical person, there's no inherent drive to kiss ass and beg for forgiveness and promise to never do it again, which is what mostly goes on in church. -YetiMan

  21. #21
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    I still say too much shit. And then jamming the friggin lock closed instead of being a little subtle and rearranging said shit. Wah-lah! bent lock mechanism.

    The only thing I really worry about is ice storms. If I don't have de-icer.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by PNWbrit View Post
    Almost no lubricant content and what it does have leaves sticky residue which attracts dirt and fucks locks. In fact it's almost useless for almost all purposes.

    Chain lube is really good if you cant get locksmith type graphite spray lube or in a pinch grate the "lead" of a pencil onto the key and work the lock.

    A triumph of marketing over quality.
    No, WD40 does exactly what it is supposed to do. It is a DEgreaser. It has no lubricating properties, it just removes certain types of gunk. Works well for cleaning out old grease before applying powdered graphite, etc.
    Quote Originally Posted by Divebomber View Post
    OR sign it with a fake sig, then later they say "we have your sig!" NO you dont!

  23. #23
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    I've used Bike Aid on stuck/sticky things with great success. I'm sure it would work great for this application also. It penetrates deep, it actually "wicks". Your LBS could order it through QBP.


    Bike Aid ® (also known as Dri-Slide), a multi-purpose lubricant made by Lilly Industries, that coats and protects better than any other commercial substance. Unlike other oil based lubricants, which attract harmful particulates that can cause damage, Bike Aid goes on wet but stays on dry. Made from a naturally occurring ore similar to graphite, Bike Aid (Molybdenum Disulfides or MoS2) is ideal for cables and other key mechanical pivot points. Avoid downtime and replacement costs, by using the first choice of professionals—Bike Aid.




    Features & Choices:



    Bike Aid is a petroleum based liquid medium that can be applied to virtually any surface needing lubrication.



    Goes on wet but dries to leave a long lasting film that resists wear, water, dirt and other harmful UV elements.



    Because it goes on in liquid form, Bike Aid can penetrate deep down into the smallest spaces.



    Because Bike Aid is a dry film lubricant, it may be used in extreme environmental conditions.



    Withstands pressure up to 100,000 pounds per square inch.



    Bike Aid can even help restore worn or corroded parts.



    The perfect lubricant for all general and household uses.



    Caution: Bike Aid can stain fabrics.





    The coefficent of desireability is inversly proportionate to the degree of availability.

  24. #24
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    Mine was so frozen today that de-icer did not work. I used that, the old lighter-key trick, hitting the box all over, nothing.
    I had to get out the extension cord and take my roomates hairdryer to it for ten minutes before it would open....

  25. #25
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    im just here to post that im glad you guys know what the WD in WD40 stands for

    a slap on the back for anyone who can tell me who invented it and for what purpose
    no cheating!

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