Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - Re-keying a Schlage deadbolt

I am acquiring the skill of re-keying Schlage locks. So far, I have re-keyed about a dozen entrance sets including replacing top pins once with nothing more than a follower and a pair of household tweezers.

I am now attempting to re-key a nice Schlage brushed nickel deadbolt (single cylinder). My meager instruction pamphlet says to "Slide deadbolt cylinder housing face forward from collar and insert and then place the cylinder housing face down on a smooth surface. This is only the first step and I can't seem to get that nice brushed nickel collar or the cylinder housing to slide anywhere.

Has anybody got a tip to help me get this cylinder housing to slide free so I can get to the cylinder and re-key?

Thank you.

bs5

I am acquiring the skill of re-keying Schlage locks. So far, I have re-keyed about a dozen entrance sets including replacing top pins once with nothing more than a follower and a pair of household tweezers.

I am now attempting to re-key a nice Schlage brushed nickel deadbolt (single cylinder). My meager instruction pamphlet says to "Slide deadbolt cylinder housing face forward from collar and insert and then place the cylinder housing face down on a smooth surface. This is only the first step and I can't seem to get that nice brushed nickel collar or the cylinder housing to slide anywhere.

Has anybody got a tip to help me get this cylinder housing to slide free so I can get to the cylinder and re-key?

Thank you.

bs5

Hello bs5,

There are actually several different designs of schlage deadbolts. I suspect the one you are talking about is this: look inside the collar. Is there a spring type clip that holds the cylinder housing in place? (Looks like a wire spring clip). If there is, it has to be removed first. But it comes out easily. Once that is removed, the collar just slides off.

Let us know how it goes from here.

cuedude

Bullseye! Thanks cuedude. I removed the circular spring and out it came.

Now, on to the next concern. A long key exists and it seems to come out back of key cylinder. A brass nut needs to be removed at tailpiece of key cylinder. I can't seem to unscrew this retaining nut so that I can remove cylinder for re-keying. I have tried to depress tab at center while turning retaining nut. I believe a third hand would be beneficial. No luck so far.

Any more great tips?

Thanks a lot for the help.

bs5

Bullseye! Thanks cuedude. I removed the circular spring and out it came.

Now, on to the next concern. A long key exists and it seems to come out back of key cylinder. A brass nut needs to be removed at tailpiece of key cylinder. I can't seem to unscrew this retaining nut so that I can remove cylinder for re-keying. I have tried to depress tab at center while turning retaining nut. I believe a third hand would be beneficial. No luck so far.

Any more great tips?

Thanks a lot for the help.

bs5

Hi Again,

Yes, a 3rd hand would be great, unfortunately, we only have 2. LOL. Well, here's how I do it. Using a pair of vise grip pliers, I gently, but snugly grip the brass 'nut' with the pliers. I do this so I can use my body as that third hand, so to speak. I then depress the little pin you will see sticking into one of the teath of the serated inside edge of that 'nut'. You can use the whole thing for leverage that way, and simply unscrew it, while holding the pin down and out of the way. REMEMBER not to grip it too tightly, or you could bend that nut. And too loose will not unscrew it. Good luck.

cuedude

Cuedude! You did it again. Thanks to you for sharing your talent and time to get me straightened around with a deadbolt rekey.

All in all (with Cuedudes help), the job went well but deadbolt rekeying is not for the faint of hear as compared with entrance set rekeying which is much easier.

bs5

Hi BS5,

Glad to help out. There is one more method I use, and it's something you can keep in mind for the next one. Do you remember seeing a screw next to the cylinder inside the Deadbolt? Next time take that screw out, and the lock body will come right out, allowing you to work with a lock very similar, or the same as in a knobset. That really makes it easy, because you don't have to work with that big body of metal. OOPS, I'm giving all the secrets away.

cuedude

I will remember your alternative solution cue.

If you would indulge me once again. Now that my deadbbolt is back together,I have found only the inside knob operates he deadbolt. The key side just spins freely. i suspect I have not properly installed that lone narrow rectangular key connecting the halves. Perhaps you could provide me with any tips to fix this.

Thanks again, Cue dude

bs5

I will remember your alternative solution cue.

If you would indulge me once again. Now that my deadbbolt is back together,I have found only the inside knob operates he deadbolt. The key side just spins freely. i suspect I have not properly installed that lone narrow rectangular key connecting the halves. Perhaps you could provide me with any tips to fix this.

Thanks again, Cue dude

bs5

Hi BS5,

Now we have a problem. Not a big one, and not hard to fix. But it won't work unless it is. The 'key' you are refering to, is called a connecting bar. It fits into the back of the lock cylinder. To remove it, while looking at the inside of the lock housing, tip it away from you, in the upward direction, and it should just kind of roll out. This is important: look at the end you just took out of the lock. Does it look broken? These have a little washer/disk on the end. If it's not on the end of the connecting bar, it is still in the lock. It will look like a blank plate, with a small hole in the center. To remove it, you can use any number of things: a paper clip, tooth pick, piece of wire, etc. Just remember to roll it from back to front, up and over the lock, towards the top. Once you get that removed, it's time to visit the local locksmith, because the repair parts are not generally available. Bring the piece, and the lock with you, because there is another piece inside the lock, which the locksmith should look at. It's what actually holds the connecting bar. Whether or not he has to replace that as well, he can fix you up.

Now, when you go to reinstall it, remember to turn it towards the hinges. If you are on the outside of the door, and the hinges are on your left, rotate it up and across, over the top towards the hinges. Reverse if the hinges are on your right. What this does is allowes enough play in the connecting bar's rotation to allow you to lock it from the inside with the thumbturn. Again, I hope all this isn't confusing you. If you could see me do it, you'd understand in a second. All those words take so long to type, but the hole procedure takes just a few seconds.

Again, good luck, and keep me informed.

cuedude

Hi BS5,

Now we have a problem. Not a big one, and not hard to fix. But it won't work unless it is. The 'key' you are referring to, is called a connecting bar. It fits into the back of the lock cylinder. To remove it, while looking at the inside of the lock housing, tip it away from you, in the upward direction, and it should just kind of roll out. This is important: look at the end you just took out of the lock. Does it look broken? These have a little washer/disk on the end. If it's not on the end of the connecting bar, it is still in the lock. It will look like a blank plate, with a small hole in the center. To remove it, you can use any number of things: a paper clip, tooth pick, piece of wire, etc. Just remember to roll it from back to front, up and over the lock, towards the top. Once you get that removed, it's time to visit the local locksmith, because the repair parts are not generally available. Bring the piece, and the lock with you, because there is another piece inside the lock, which the locksmith should look at. It's what actually holds the connecting bar. Whether or not he has to replace that as well, he can fix you up.

Now, when you go to reinstall it, remember to turn it towards the hinges. If you are on the outside of the door, and the hinges are on your left, rotate it up and across, over the top towards the hinges. Reverse if the hinges are on your right. What this does is allowes enough play in the connecting bar's rotation to allow you to lock it from the inside with the thumbturn. Again, I hope all this isn't confusing you. If you could see me do it, you'd understand in a second. All those words take so long to type, but the hole procedure takes just a few seconds.

Again, good luck, and keep me informed.

cuedude
================

Thanks for an excellent and descriptive answer. That one gets typed and saved.

For the life of me cuedude, I'm not seeing any evidence that I have broken anything. If this connecting rod just ends with this mushroom disc which somehow mates with he driver, than the likely culprit is my reassembly order. I have examined the connecting rod with a magnifying glass and fail to see a break. I have done the same with the tail end of the lock cylinder it mates to and I am just not able to find any remnants similar to the makeup of any breakage of that connecting piece.

does the nut get screwed over that jelly like washer upon re assembly. I dunno but what keeps the key upright prior to assembly. Seems like this mushroomed disc like end on the connecting rod should snap in or lock somehow to the driver.

still fiddling

still appreciate your continued prospective.

bs5

>For the life of me cuedude, I'm not seeing any evidence that I have broken anything. If this connecting rod just ends with this mushroom disc which somehow mates with he driver, than the likely culprit is my reassembly order. I have examined the connecting rod with a magnifying glass and fail to see a break. I have done the same with the tail end of the lock cylinder it mates to and I am just not able to find any remnants similar to the makeup of any breakage of that connecting piece.

does the nut get screwed over that jelly like washer upon re assembly. I dunno but what keeps the key upright prior to assembly. Seems like this mushroomed disc like end on the connecting rod should snap in or lock somehow to the driver.
<

Hi BS5,

I'll do my best at this next bit. Looking at the back of the lock cylinder, you will see what looks kind of like a sideways 'D', with the flat side up. Notice the little humped cutout in the D? This is where the connecting bar fits. This is removable. In order to get this out, you will have to depress the little pin which you will see at 10 O'Clock. Depress that and unscrew the brass cap. Carefull not to let it fly. You will never find the spring. Once the cap is off, that little sideways D thing, could be worn. This would allow the free-spinning of the connecting bar. This is the only other thing I know of that could be bad/worn. And that isn't your fault at all. It's just an age thing. They do wear out. And thinking about it, with the shape of the opening, you may not actually see the worn part of it at all. Can you turn the connecting bar 360* with your fingers? If so, it is definately worn out, and needs replacing.

Give that a shot, and let us know how it turns out.

cuedude

We did it cuedude!

Based on your last description (flat side up on the "D"thing), I launched one last all out offensive. I grabbed the electric screw driver and out came this Schlage dudbolt one last time. A careful oobservation of the "D" thing revealed that it appeared I had it in upside down. Some more fiddling with rolling in the connecting rod and a fiddle or two with those plastic washers and presto.

Well, my hat is off to you Cuedude and I learned lots. Thank you very much.

bs5

Hi BS5,

Glad you got it. Now you see what I was talking about when I said that once you do it one time, you'll have it forever. Very simple to do, just not easy to tell you how to do it. Glad to have helped you out.

cuedude