Lubricant for window hardware

[Randy J.]

One of the window crank mechanisms on our 76 Trillium is a little stiff. I see some plastic caps on the crank mechanisms that in some cases are missing, leaving an open hole. I could squirt something through these or at least around the shaft where it enters the mechanism, hoping it will work through. Does anyone know if these are just metal gears or are they some more exotic product that might be damaged by the wrong lubricant? What's best?

[Daniel A.]

A bit of machine oil may take care of it.

Avoid products like WD40 as they are not a lubricant but simply dry things out more.

[Darwin Maring]

Graphite

[fusedlight]

I use a DuPont (I think) Teflon spray. It doesn't get messy like graphite or molly and seems to do the job.