hello-
I have a 99 Ranger pickup which would otherwise be completely irrelevant to this ng, but something I battle each winter in Wisconsin is that the driver's side door tends to freeze shut. I can usually get the passenger side door open and crawl across but it's a bit of a hassle, esp. since it is a manual transmission.
I've gone all over the door looking for water leaks but can't find any. It's freezing in a couple of small spots where the rubber stoppers contact the door, and it must be condensation or the act of opening the door that gets it just a little wet when I open it. Not a lot of ice, but just enough to make me worry about someday pulling the doorhandle off trying to open it.
So i came up with some lame-brained idea of running a small length of wiring in the door sill with some small, localized "heat sources" in the areas where it freezes. A hall-effects sensor (or even magnetic reed switch) in the rear window can be used to turn the heat on if I put a magnet (small rare-earth type, fastened to my keychain) up to it on the outside. I can power the whole thing with the 12V accessory jack in the dash. In theory it sounds like it'd work....
However, what should I use for the heat sources? A small bit of nichrome wire? If Nichrome, where do I get it (old cigarette lighters or toasters from the junk yard?) and what should I wrap it with? Should I use tiny light bulbs (there's room for the 12V grain-of-wheat and pea-sized HO Railroad bulbs)?
Any other suggestions/improvements would be great, even if you don't think it will work or think this is a bad idea.
Thanks for any and all!