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

I found that after the first time I stored mine on end for a while when I went to put it back on the bars were bent.
I brought it inside and waited a while before the bars seemed to return to straight.
That and the whole lube and clean thing.

So, the saga continues...

I ended up bending the key too much, and had to use a screwdriver to just force it open (I spent a few hours trying other things, but no good--and I had to get it open). Using the screwdriver actually works OK (I'm waiting for someone to think I'm breaking into it when they see me with the big flathead screwdriver on the street) but now the cylinder is detaching from everything and I think I have to do something else.

I'm considering just drilling a few holes in the overlapping (top and bottom) plastic and using a padlock and bolts (or just a few padlocks). It seems like this could be a fine solution. Yes? No? Anything to be careful of? Would a combination lock be better in terms of not getting jammed up with road grime, salt, etc?

edit: well, reading this thread I see at least one person has used padlocks, and seems to be happy with it. Anyone else?

Did the same thing except my key full on broke. Skis and board inside. Luckily only one of the locks was actually locked, pulled and pulled at the boards for a while to get em out.

Then went drastic: paid off car, went to Toyota dealership next day, trade car with box in and got a Tundra.

My way costs 10s of thousands, be careful.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bluespark

WD40 is really bad for locks.

why?

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WD-40 is a degreaser not a lubricant and probably dries out the mechanism over time.

Same issues with my Evolution box, same visible bending of the alu strips, but only one half of each side, so unclear how relates to cold or rivets. Anyway, I've found that some of this is about putting too much junk inside, so that it presses against the top lid. Far as I can figure out, that flexes the entire top half slightly upward, and thus also makes it slightly narrower. Which seems to produce too much squeeze against the alu strips. So I pay attention to load height, and it seems to help. Good to hear that Thule will replace the locking mechanism.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mmac

I think that the problem is not with the locks. Here is what I just sent Thule. They need to design a change or retrofit kit to help us all out.

I am on my second Thule evolution box. Both (first returned to REI at your urging) have had the same problem: During cold weather the key lock opening device becomes VERY hard to turn and one in a while won't turn at all. The problem goes away as the temperature gets warmer.

I'm no engineer but my diagnosis is: The delta of coefficient of thermal expansion is too great between the aluminum rods that connect the three lock points and the overall plastic housing. You can see (should you get the box open) the aluminum rods bowing in toward the inside of the box as the box has gotten shorter as the temp has gone down. When you open the box during warm weather the rods are flat against the side of the box.

It looks like in the design you tried to accommodate this with the slots where the plates are riveted to the plastic box to allow movement. The problem is that the rivets are too tight to allow any movement.

So, I like the box and don't want to return another but I really can't live with my primary ski toting device being unopenable in cold weather. Do you have a fix? Do you want me to return it?
I look forward to hearing from you.

Mark

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The current "Butchered Roof Box" thread (http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...of-box-fixable) inspired me to look for an alternative fix to my problem and the closest thing I could find was this thread ...

I can't remember the exact model of my Thule (now going on 10+ years old), but you're right, Mark, lubing has nothing to do with it, although it's obviously nice preventive maintenance.

It took a cold day in the parking lot to motivate me to poke around.

I noticed there are two small, rectangular spring steel clips which can slip out of place. IIRC, they're bronze in color and they locate in the each of the slots where the closure latches (on the aluminum bars) engage.

I have no clue as to their purpose, and why the problem would surface during the cold. In my case, one of the clips had slipped out of place and was interfering with the closure catch on the end of the aluminum bar. In a fit of frustration (it was a powder day, after all), I popped both of them out and haven't had a problem since.

Better lucky than smart :biggrin:

Cheers,
Thom

I've been festering over this issue for years, this is the only thread I've found that properly diagnoses the issue. Today, when faced with the prospect of replacing the box or attempting a simple repair, I chose the $10 option over the $1000 option.

First, I agree that it has NOTHING to do with LUBE and everything to do with the expansion/contraction of two different materials (abs plastic and aluminum) and the tension that creates on the aluminum rails and sliding lock mechanism. You'll know that you need to modify the box if your aluminum rails bow in toward the center (even on warm days). Once your done, the aluminum rails should be snug along the side of the box AND THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO SLIDE BACK AND FORTH as the "delta of the coefficient of thermal expansion" demands.

Here's what I did:
1. drill out riveted fasteners on either side of lock mechanism at the front and rear of the box - there are 4 of these fasteners on each side of the box.
2. elongate holes in aluminum rails. using a small rounded file, make the holes longer. they are originally 10mm wide on my box. I made them about 13mm. Make sure that you enlarge the side closer to the center of the box!
3. replace fasteners with phillips head M5x12 or 10-24 x 1/2" stainless steel bolts and nylon lock-nuts. to prevent galvanic corrosion, wrap threads with teflon tape and use a plastic washer between nut and aluminum. tighten so that its snug but no so tight that the rails can't move when the temps change and the materials expand/contract.

while I was in there, I disassembled the black plastic lock mechanism by removing the 2 phillips head screws that hold it to the rail. I cleaned the old lube and dust out then polished it with steel wool.

an added advantage of using removable fasteners is that you can easily disassemble them for future maintenance...

After having just fixed my roof box, I feel compelled to share what I did. Agreed this has nothing to do with lubrication. Perhaps my box is a different model than some posters, but it does have the sliding plastic bar in the aluminum slot/shield. I believe it’s a 669ES Mountaineer.

I too had to shake the ever loving $$$$ out of it to allow the key to turn and release my hostage skis. I suspected it had something to do with the small red plunger at the bottom of the receiver side of the mechanism. It protrudes up and is depressed when the tongue of the latch pushes down. This then allows the mechanism to slide past and the pins to engage through the hole in the tongue. I had noticed that mine were wearing as well as had worn a divet in the tip of the tongue.

i drilled out the rivets and pulled the mechanisms apart. Completely removed the red pins and their springs, and reassembled the whole thing and reinstalled with new pop rivets. Mechanism now operates with ease, no matter the conditions.

Now, granted, if you are so clueless as to be unaware that your box isn’t closed when you try to operate the lock, well, it won’t catch right, or one latch might be left open. But it’s not reducing the effectiveness of the lock if all three latch tongues are engaged properly. I think we’ll all figure it out.

Anyway, hopefully that helps someone avoid dumping one of these into a landfill.

Are there pictures of your mom’s tits inside that box?