Trouble With Keyed Lock

[Nyboy]

The lock on door at work is giving me trouble locking and unlocking. I have to play with they key to get it to work. I have a can of WD should I spray it in keyhole, on key or bolt ? Or should I call a locksmith and just replace lock.

 

[pjn]

I have sprayed them with WD 40. seems to help.

 

[Collector]

Try locking and unlocking with door open. If it works fine then you need to adjust striker plate, if not then it is something inside the mechanism may have to replace.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

WD40 attracts dirt. Use some silicon spray. And yes, like collector said, striker plate may have shifted.

 

[bobm]

WD40 is just fine for many uses, however, you want to use graphite for sticking locks. But if there is ware and tear on / in the lock mechanism, you will want to replace the lock.

 

[baymule]

My first thought was.....call a lock smith? To replace a lock? It's a matter of a screw driver and a few minutes to replace a lock...... then I remembered who was posting this thread..... ummmm...... yep, call the lock smith.

Don't feel bad, my husband couldn't replace a lock either. I do all that kind of stuff.

 

[digitS']

I was watching DW struggling to first unlock then lock the garage door, this morning.

Not long after we moved here, I replaced the knob and lock. I remember thinking that the little detached garage must be 80 years old at the time. What was on there, I couldn't find so it got a newer type. It doesn't quite fit.

I keep a candle in the garage. I've yet to light it but every now and then, I rub candle wax on both the latch bolt and the dead bolt. it might not be what I'm supposed to do but that's my technique with that door. I wouldn't put it in the key hole but it does help the bolts to slide into place. So, I did that this evening.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

the front door lock, i've taken it apart and used powdered graphite lube on it several times to keep it limping along, but if we used that door a lot it would need to be redone entirely. it fits too tight and i made it much worse by weather stripping the whole thing. at present i only consider it an emergency exit. we never really use it anyways. the garage entrance is used all the time or once in a while one of the patio doors (there's no porches, decks or patios outside of them, just some very narrow rock stairs and in the one case the ex-step-dad put them in the wrong place so you don't even have that...).

some year i'll just redo them all if they get to be too bad and i actually have to use them.

 

[Nyboy]

Try locking and unlocking with door open. If it works fine then you need to adjust striker plate, if not then it is something inside the mechanism may have to replace.

I tried with door open lock not working smoothly but no way has bad as door closed.

 

[ducks4you]

You can buy white lithium grease in an aerosol can with a straw and spray the inside of your lock. We use goopy white lithium grease to lubricate the ball hitch for our horse trailer and we apply it liberally. WD40 will dry out your mechanism and not lubricate it.