Cam lock won't turn

[walt7474]

This past weekend one of my outside compartments would not turn to open. Sprayed it with some penetrating oil but it wouldn't budge. I'm suspecting that something shifted in the compartment and wedged itself against the lock. Any suggestions before I drill out the lock?

[JFlightRisk]

On our two compartments, one turns easily, and the other I have to push the door in to get it to turn. The other cause might be the tumblers jammed up in it. There's one tumbler way inside that locks it into the housing, and needs a special key to release it, to pull the tumbler set out of the lock.

Try two things. Push on the door at the lock, if no go then gently but firmly "tap" on the key with a hammer while in it a few times to see if the tumblers might set. I would be surprised if something on the inside could jam it that tight, but anything's possible.

[nfisherman]

That happened to me. I replaced the latch. It happened again. I got the door open and took the latch apart. There’s a ball and a spring inside the thumb latch. They had rusted. I put some light grease in there and put the latch back together. It has worked fine since then. This is the kind of latch I have:

Camco Offset Cam Lock | Features an Easy Turn Thumb-Operated Style Lock, Includes a 5/8-Inch Offset and a Straight CAM, and Designed for New/Replacement Installations on RVs, Boats, and More (44333) https://a.co/d/iZHZu6H

[Randel J]

Once you sprayed the penetrating oil in the lock, did you let it sit overnight to allow the oil to do its work?

We use 3M Lock spray on our storage compartment locks and door locks several times a years and all locks lock/unlock very smoothly. The lock spray dries quickly and does not attract dust and dirt.