Wipe the weatherstrips with silicone grease. That will stop them from absorbing water and freezing to the door frame. A very light coating or spray is fine. It doesn't need to be goopy.

 

...Never heard of the idea in the above post. We might try that.

It definitely works. I have also used Fluid Film in place of silicone spray.

 

We have had to push it open from the inside several times over the years, with both this van and the 4th generation one we had before. Never heard of the idea in the above post. We night try that.

 

I put armor all on the weather strips. I had it already and seems to work.

 

Commiseration here, and I've also used the silicone spray lube with success. Armor All pretty much is silicone, and alcohol. It dries out vinyl over time and causes it to crack.

I haven't used anything on door seals in a long time. My trick is setting up a small space heater on the front seat, plugging into an extension cord that goes to a programmable timer so it only runs for a couple of hours before I go to work. It preheats the interior, but mostly takes care of any frost on the windows so I don't have to scrape in the morning.

 

My trick is setting up a small space heater on the front seat, plugging into an extension cord that goes to a programmable timer so it only runs for a couple of hours before I go to work.

How do you run the extension cord? Leaving window cracked is not an option for us due to field rodents. Did you widen a hole in a grommet in the firewall?
Thanks for the idea.

 

Where do you buyb the silicone spray? Auto parts store?

 

Lots of places, lots of brands. Walmart, Lowes, probably any auto parts store. Just look for a silicone lube. Doesn't have to say anything about weatherstrip on it.

 

I have a surefire way to prevent the doors from freezing shut, 100% guarantee, keep your van in a heated garage. Has worked for me every time, however it's rare that either one of my vans get in the garage so I'm experiencing the same problem. I've tried different sprays, nothing lasts long, I just open the front door so I can get a good grip on the slider and give it a hard pull.

 

I've tried different sprays, nothing lasts long,

I haven't tried it on the door seals yet, but if I had that problem, I would try Sil-Glyde.

I have a tube for brake use. I might try wiping down my car door seals with it. Bought it at NAPA auto parts a few years back; available at Amazon and other places

edit: realized I bought the tube almost 10 years ago. It has lasted quite a while, and I tend to be liberal with it on my brake jobs

Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant is a silicone-based brake lubricant recommended for the entire brake assembly, is compatible with plastic and rubber (EPDM & Nitrile), and dampens vibrations between contact points. It is moisture-proof and heat resistant to over 425 degrees F (218 degrees C), which means it won't burn-off like other brake noise products. Its long-lasting properties provide a noise-free brake installation and easy disassembly. Using AGS brake lubricant is one of the keys to eliminating disc brake squeal and protecting parts from corrosion and rust.

 

Best advice I can give you is to pull on the top of the door, near the back while holding the handle open - since the door angles out there before the front starts moving. Takes a lot less effort to break the ice that way vs tugging on the handle.

Mine is parked in the cold 100% of the time. A trick I use to prevent freeze-up is to occasionally

wipe the seal dry after a ​

long drive, or parking in a heated area like a car wash. If the seal is dry, it's far less likely to start sticking. Mine typically only sticks after freezing rain, or a car wash (if I don't clean the seals thoroughly afterwards, that is). Having said that - I think I'll give the silicone a try next time as well...

For running the cable out, I had to run a space heater in mine overnight a while back. I ran the cord through the rear gate. Closed up without issue, and I ran the cord under the rear bench to have the heater between the middle seats. Kept the inside nice & toasty! Once I was done, I just unplugged it and chucked the cord in the back, and I was on my way. Right now I'm considering mounting an interior warmer underneath the back bench seat to warm the car up for the kids in the morning.

 

The silicone spray works for me. Every time I wash my vehicles, I spray some on a rag and wipe all of the door seals. I like the space heater idea... Remote start usually gets me going tho.