Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - deadbolt replacement

I am trying to replace an old deadbolt on my front door and am having some problems. It's a deadbolt that uses a key both inside and out.

The problem is that I can't get the old one off. There are no visible screws, not even the little hidden ones on the edge of the cover. There's no little tab on the edge to slip a screwdriver into.

Has anybody ever seen this before or know what I can do to fix it?

Thanks,
Matt

Hello Matt. Welcome to the Do It Yourself web site.

I found your question posted in one of the non interactive forums. Those forums do not accept questions and replies cannot be posted. Therefore, I moved your question to this forum.

Are there any markings that would indicate the manufacturer?

Some of these have little holes on the inside that you can insert a small allen wrench in. On others, you have to pry the inside face of the lock off which hides the mounting screws.

One of the useful features about the forums is the search function that you can use to find info. on prior posts. Here is some more info I found posted by another member when searching for "deadbolt":

"Depending on the brand, some have a screw on collar that holds a faceplate covering the mounting screws. Some have a shutter that is moved when the key is inserted. Others have a cap that is press fit in after installation."

Schlage and apparently Kwikset have models which use the caps to conceal the mounting screws.

Welcome to the forums- I hope some of this will help.

The brand is a Lori. I've tried screwing off the cover on both the inside and the outside. I've tried prying off the cover, but no luck there either. No little mounting screws around either.

I appreciate the thoughts so far though.

I've also fooled around with putting the key in and turning it slowly while trying to get something (anything) to move.

Knowing the manufacturer is a big help.

Try this: remove the face plate on the edge of the door. If this is the type I believe, there should be some small Allen head set screws accessible with a long Allen wrench in the space on either side of the deadbolt, one for the inside cylinder and one for the outside. With the set screws loose, use your key, partially inserted, to spin the cylinders out.

I think this might work. I did find two holes on either side of the deadbolt. I don't have allen wrenches small enough in diameter or long enough to reach, so once I pick those up from the hardware store tomorrow, I'll see if it works. It sounds promising.

I'll post another reply when I find out for sure. Thanks!

Well, it worked! It was really a messy process considering I wasn't sure how the guts were put together, but it worked in the end. I just started fiddling around with the two recessed screws and pulling, turning, etc. on the two sides. It turned out that after the recessed screws were loosened, I had two insert a key into both sides and use them as levers to unscrew the lock on each side.

Thanks very much for the expert advice.

Thanks for sharing your successful results.