Fuel Door Lock Mechanism Freezes Shut In Cold Weather - Yaris Mk1

[insertnamehere]

My 2001 Yaris 3-Door has a problem where the release mechanism on the fuel door fails to fully retract in cold weather. The fuel door lever feels hard to pull, like something is blocking it. The lever pulls effortlessly after i've driven/heated the car for a while, leading me to beleive this is a water/moisture intrusion issue. I've tried spraying some silicone spray on the plastic pin, to no avail. The ice around the cap and hinge itself is also cleared.

Anyone have some advice or experience surrounding this issue?

Illustration picture, notice the plastic pin:

[bathtub tom]

WD40 (water dispersal formula number 40). You just need to find a way to get the stuff into where the problem is.

[flash22]

clean with WD40 and re-lube with a lithium grease - or clean and re-lube with GT85 or Duck oil

it's just the hinge TBH - like most, i don't work well in below zero temperatures either

[insertnamehere]

23 hours ago, flash22 said:

clean with WD40 and re-lube with a lithium grease - or clean and re-lube with GT85 or Duck oil

it's just the hinge TBH - like most, i don't work well in below zero temperatures either

It's not the hinge. I've lubricated it and heated it with an hair dryer, to no avail.

 

It's the cable who's the culprit. It's getting soaked for some reason, which ends up freezing in cold weather. I removed the left rear light cluster deck trim and found the connecting point to the plastic spring. Pointed my hair dryer towards it for a minute, and the spring fully retracted when i pulled the lever.