Kwikset deadbolt wont unlock

[honobiaone]

I never had a key for my back door deadbolt since moving into this house I was trying to see if I can pick it so I go through raking and its picked, the plug turns all the way around but never turns the bolt. What am I doing wrong here?

[Evan]

If the plug rotates 360 degrees and it doesn't operate the deadbolt, then perhaps the tailpiece has been removed... Take the lock off the door from the inside by removing the mounting screws and operate the bolt manually with a screwdriver and see if you need to replace any parts...

~~ Evan

[Solomon]

Without having it in front of me I couldn't say. I'd hazard a guess that the tailpiece has seperated or broken, so the cylinder isn't actually interacting with anything. If it's in working order then maybe you're turning the wrong way, although in saying that, it shouldn't turn completely in the wrong direction. Assuming the door is both closed and locked, and the mech is faulty, then your best bet would be to call a locksmith. If the door is open, take the lock out of the door and investigate.

Edit: Said spindle instead of tailpiece for some reason. Heh.

Also, we have an edit button now? Awesome!

[Sinifar]

First, does the thing work from the inside, that is will it lock / unlock from the inside? If so the tail piece is there.

Two things. First a common problem on these is the clip gets spread and pops up a bit. This then will hold the plug in, but not far enough in to have the driver engage the "ring" on the end of the tail piece. Take the lock off the door and look. If your clip is there, take it off, and squeeze the legs of the clip together a bit, with a pliers, then force it back on. This should fix your problem.

The other thing which might be wrong is that tail piece has a broken "ring" on the end and has fallen out of the plug assembly. Here you need a new tail piece. Any smith should have one on hand.

Sinifar

[honobiaone]

Thanks and good info I will buy a new one and take apart the old to see whats wrong with it.

[keysman]

I never had a key for my back door deadbolt since moving into this house I was trying to see if I can pick it so I go through raking and its picked, the plug turns all the way around but never turns the bolt. What am I doing wrong here?

OR ....you turned the cylinder 180 degrees and the top pins dropped down, essentially locking the cylinder.
Please post a picture of the cylinder ( key part) in its current state or
Use the search button above .. search for "180"( without the quotes)

Just another reason to not pick locks in use.

[daniel22747]

Just another reason to not pick locks in use.

If you want to pick a lock that is mounted to a door buy a spare one and install that for your picking play. Keep the door propped open, with a book or something, so that if something goes wrong and you damage the lock you can still remove it with little trouble.

[GordonAlexander]

Kwikset plug should have a closed back so there is little danger of removing the tailpiece from furious raking. Depending on the age of the deadbolt, and whether it is a single or double cylinder, there is a chance the tailpiece itself became unattached or the 'E' clip that holds it on could break or slip off. The clip, and the tailpiece is steel so rust is a factor. I have seen some tailpieces for Kwikset that are extremely thin at the base. I have seen some bare metal(no paint or coating) tail pieces on older Kwikset and their variants.

Let us know when you remove it, I am curious.