utilitarian wrote:
Hi,

I have a deadbolt, which is opened by a key, on the front door.
Today, it stopped working. You can turn the key clockwise and
counterclockwise without much resistance, though there is some grab,
which moves the deadbolt just a hair, and that's it.

From the inside, you can turn the latch left and right, but it does
stop in the normal positions. but same story, the deadbolt won't
retract, and the door remains locked foerever.

I have been able to remove the backplate of the lock, the side inside
the house, with a screwdriver, and see 4 holes on the back of the
lock, staring at me, but they won't tell me what to do. The lock is
still in place, nice and tight.

There's no name on it, just a plain generic brass colored deadbolt
lock. It might be "U.S. Lock" since that name is on a brass plate on
another same-looking lock in the house.

Is there any way I can fix it, or at least get the lock out, so I can
take it somewhere and get it fixed, or buy a new one?

I don't want to have to have a locksmith come out to the house and
deplete me of several days wages in a half hour.

A picture would help.

Look at the inside of the thumbturn and try to figure out how it
operates the mechanism in the door.

If you use a pointed knife, you should be able to stick it between the
door and the jam and pry the deadbolt back into the door. It takes many
moves. And it only works if the deadbolt has been moved a little by the
key/thumbturn.

You could try asking on alt.locksmithing

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bud--