Cam Latch Locks Gritty ?

[D n L]

About half of the storage cam latch locks work adequately - the other locks seem to be gritty ... Key goes in part way and “grit” seems to fall out when key is withdrawn... one key slot won’t even start the key in .... Road grit or corrosion ?

Do I WD40 blast or canned Air or mechanically pick out ? Pop the trouble makers out ?

I know lotsa folks have bought new cylinders and replaced but I would like to see if I can get them improved
TIA

[JFlightRisk]

Best to remove the locks, and blow them out with air first and see if it's better. If not, the second try might be spraying with brake cleaner, or carb cleaner. Those will evaporate quickly, and won't leave a residue to attract more grit. Work the key while it's 'wet' to loosen stuff. When you get them to your liking, lube them with some dry graphite. That will keep them from getting sticky with dust. It's also possible the internals are degrading, and they need to be replaced. Good luck, and let us know how they turn out.

[Jagiven]

I like compressed air myself. Your lock may have a small hole on the backside, that you can blow into. Ideally you would exercise the tumblers while doing this. I would only use "dry" solutions. So no liquid lubricants. They only attract more grit and grim. Canned air might work. In an application like this, I would flip the can over, let the super cold liquid propellant out. As it warms up, it will expand and help blow out the crud.

Another thing to try, apply some specialty lock lubricates, such as graffiti to lubricate the components. Please note, there are liquid lock lubricates on the market, determine if the liquid will fully dry up, or they will they attract more grim.

Good luck

[Vicr]

I keep all these products in the coach when on long trips. As said, remove and clean the locks and then spray with the PTFE lubricant. All products are available at Lowes. I use the Lithium for my leveler rams and the silicon for my slide mechanisms and WD-40 ONLY for spraying on hardware that needs to be loosened up and then clean off after I'm done. WD-40 is a dirt magnet.

[D n L]

Well I popped off one latch — easy 4 screws -cheap Chinese steel so had some galling on the screw head. The lock cylinder is contained entirely in the external latch handle. It’s tacked in by 2 roll pins - I’m quitting here - no easy access to reinsert. Gonna try to clean up cylinder in place- will follow up later.

[Colorado]

I use engine degreaser, Supertech (Walmart’s brand) works great, let it foam and dissolve any grease based crud. I typically do this 2-3x’s, then spray with Brake Cleaner to get rid of the degreaser and any residue. Follow up with a Graphite based lock lubricant.

[D n L]

Well most latches cleaned and lubed ok - the stubborn ones are better- last few lock cylinders still will not allow the key to insert beyond maybe 1/3 way into cylinders - possible broken key parts inside ?
The keys are Kencon CK330
Are all these keys cut the same ?
Looks like 2sided wafer locks
Maybe I’m trying too hard lol