Mortise Lock malfunction

My suspicion is that the screws on the lock case have come loose and something has shifted.

Try retract the bolt part way and using a sharp pointed tool of some sort see if you can work the bolt back farther.

You might also be able to drill a small hole in the steel frame and use a punch to tap on the end of the bolt.

If you remove the handle/levers you also might be able to apply a little percussive therapy to the lock case as you jockey the bolt.

Another thing that you might do if the interior lever retracts the bolt is to work that back and forth to see if you can get it to go one more time.

You also might consider a hinge attack. Hinges are much cheaper than mortise locks.

Is this the first time that the deadbolt was used ???

Is the cylinder OEM Sargent/Assa ??? If not it might have the wrong cam on the back...

What is odd here is that the thumbturn on the back broke off while someone was attempting to retract the deadbolt, meaning that whatever is jamming the bolt in place is solid enough to allow significant force to be applied to it without allowing the bolt to move... You are probably facing some breakage or failure inside the lockcase...

Roger's hinge suggestion is good, but be careful steel doors are heavy...

Evan, ~~ formerly a maintenance man, now a college student...

My guess is something may have come loose inside the lock and is blocking the bolt from coming back.

I liked Roger's idea about the hinges (wish I would have thought of it).

If all else fails, use something to spread the door and the frame. Then use a cut off wheel to cut through the bolt.

Roger,

Did most everything you suggested except I never even considered the hinges. I bet less than 10% of the builders in this town bother to tighten the set screws in NRP hinges.

Thanks,

Bob

Evan,

Deadbolt has been in use about a year.

The cylinder is one I installed, has the proper cam. Besides, turning lever in the inside is supposed to retract the latch and the bolt, even when locked. It required by code. I've removed all the trim, inserted large flat bladed screwdriver in the square drive and put a significant amount of torque on it. It only moves bolt about 1/8". I'm still guessing the best idea is to attack the hinges.

Thanks for the help.

Bob

Bob,

I like Roger's idea too. Wished I'da thought of it while I was there. I always feel like a boob when I have to leave and come back, but you know, can't have everything you need.

Thanks for the input.

Bob

Hey, even if the set screws are fully set you can drill for set screws and then later drill and tap new set screws.

If they are fixed butt hinges, use your dremel to sever the pin midway and remove two pieces. That would probably be a lot easier than trying to drill off the peened end of the hinge as the knuckle is probably too close to the door.

Cool,

Looking forward to Monday morning so I can give it a try. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Bob

OK, got the job done Monday morning. It still wasn't easy. Drilled the hinges for the set screw. Worked flawlessly. Popped the hinge pins right out. Didn't do me any good as the hinge knuckle still prevented the door from coming out. These are 4 1/2 x 4/ 1/2 ball bearing NRP hinges. I was afraid to bend the knuckle too much as it seemed I was about to break the welds on the reinforcement plates in the door/frame.

Finally said screw the hinges, cut the frame side hinge flap, and let the door come out knuckle and all. Next time, I'm not going after the set screws at all. Just going to cut the hinges. They're not all that expensive.

Got the lock apart, a leaf spring had slipped and let some parts jam up. Straightened it all out and put it bact together. If it happens again, I'll replace the mortise lock body. Three hinges are quite a lot cheaper than the Sargent lock body, so did the right thing there.

This was my most difficult door opening to date. Quite a challenge, especially since it was the man door to the service bay of a VW dealership. Seems the mechanics got quite a lot of enjoyment watching me struggle.

Bob