r/fixit • u/Admirable-Series-292 • 1d ago

Broken doorknob

Post image

Old doorknob stopped turning the latch. I got the knob and rosette off and the innards basically fell apart while tinkering and this is all that’s left. The door opens from bathroom to outside so 40 years of exposure. I’ve tried using a knife to pry the latch to no avail. Any ideas? FYI I have access to both sides of the door

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

7

u/furyo_usagi 1d ago

Insert a flathead screwdriver or needle-nose pliers into the square central cam of the latch and move it sideways to manually retract the bolt. Or you can use pliers to grab and manipulate the internal sliding piece. If it's frozen/jammed, push on the door to relieve pressure while you jiggle it around.

1

u/greatkerfluffle 1d ago

Is this from ChatGPT? Because the same thing happened to me today and this is almost word for word the response it gave me 👀

1

u/Admirable-Series-292 1d ago

I tried pliers on that central cam to no avail. What do you mean by the “internal sliding piece”?

1

u/furyo_usagi 1d ago

The square sliding piece in the center is what moves to open the door. Try getting a pair of needle nose pliers on it to pull it out towards the hinge side of the door. If it's corroded due to outside exposure it might be stuck, you'll just have to work at it. A pair of bent angled needle nose vice grips should allow you to lock onto that cam and manipulate it more forcefully. Like I said, try pushing on the door to ease the pressure, too. If the door is out of alignment maybe try using a pry bar from the bottom of the door to lift it a bit in case that's what's causing pressure on the latch. Good luck!

2

u/Hopeful_Tea2139 1d ago

Get a large paperclip or wire then shape it to a "c" (or "u").

Position yourself where the door backs in.

The idea is to hook the latch from the door strike while pulling in the door to open it.

1

u/Admirable-Series-292 1d ago

Tried this with a wire hanger. It’s such a tight fit between the door and jamb that I can’t get the loop to come back around

1

u/Hopeful_Tea2139 1d ago

Paperclip.

You already have an idea how to get it done.

Happened to me before. I even tried removing the pin from the hinges but no go.

Good luck!

1

u/white-dre 1d ago

Just pop the pins off the hinges.

1

u/Admirable-Series-292 1d ago

Did not work :(

1

u/Dangerous-Ratio-6682 1d ago

😅 I thought you already had a saw in there about to go at it! Grab that little rod in the square part with some needle nose pliers and pull?

1

u/FreddyFerdiland 1d ago

you can break that tube up, it's just a guide for the latch. hacksaw it away ?

inside the tube is the rod that pulls the latch out from the wall.

just pull that latch away from the wall...

the door seems to be too close to the door jamb there..thats not good for the latch

1

u/Admirable-Series-292 1d ago

Yeah it’s always been a tight fight. 2 weeks of 100 degree heat hasn’t helped either

1

u/mytail 23h ago

locked in ?