American Lock Series 600 troubles

mseifert99

I have a American Lock Series 600 (Date Stamped QHF).. the lock has been taken apart and will not go back together properly .. When the key is turned parallel to the lock body it is unlocked.. If you turn it perpendicular to the lock body it is locked, also to add insult to injury key retained.. The actuator is spring loaded and will not stay in the proper position when inserting the core… :@::@::@:

FYI the current service manual doesn’t cover the Series 600 and the 700 has a different setup so the procedure for that series doesn’t work.

So my questions are ..

1 - Does anyone have an old service manual that cover the disassemble, cleaning, lubing, and re-assembly of this series of lock.
2 - If there is a trick to get the lock back together properly, can someone please share it with me.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

mseifert99 wrote
I have a American Lock Series 600 (Date Stamped QHF).. the lock has been taken apart and will not go back together properly .. When the key is turned parallel to the lock body it is unlocked.. If you turn it perpendicular to the lock body it is locked, also to add insult to injury key retained.. The actuator is spring loaded and will not stay in the proper position when inserting the core… :@::@::@:

FYI the current service manual doesn’t cover the Series 600 and the 700 has a different setup so the procedure for that series doesn’t work.

So my questions are ..

1 - Does anyone have an old service manual that cover the disassemble, cleaning, lubing, and re-assembly of this series of lock.
2 - If there is a trick to get the lock back together properly, can someone please share it with me.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Go to the American web site and use a link there to email customer service. Someone there has a copy of the service instructions and will be able to send tem.
BBE.

[unknown]

mseifert99

I did that and below was there response to the email and phone call…

Michael,
We unfortunately don’t have any literature on the 600 series, it did exist but way prior to our merge in 2004.
We don’t have literature on the discontinued 600 series, however, the A700 series instructions of assembly and disassembly may be helpful. The A700 is in the downloadable manual.

So ya .. I am at a loss

Dean Nickel

Pictures? I don’t remember the 600.

mseifert99

Here are some picture of the lock ..

Dean Nickel

I would treat that like a ProSeries Master lock. Its Ball bearings and actuator and way it was made is very similar.
http://www.masterlock.com/pdfs/7000-0031_Technical_Manual.pdf
Page 5

oldbiscuit

You said in your first post that the lock was disassembled. Did you or someone have the actuator out? It looks from the pictures that the actuator is 180 deg. off. That actuator is spring loaded, but will come out in one assembly. I know from experience that if you take the actuator apart, it can be put back together backwards and the lock acts like yours. I had a 1100 series American with the same actuator in it. It took me several minutes of head scratching to figure out what I did wrong. Mark

Dean Nickel

BBE will be able to tell you for sure. But the first picture is wrong. The third picture is acting like the correct point for unlocked.

Billy B Edwards Jr. CML

Dean Nickel wrote
BBE will be able to tell you for sure. But the first picture is wrong. The third picture is acting like the correct point for unlocked.

Dean is correct, the position of the actuator in the first picture is incorrect and the position the actuator in the fourth picture is correct forth unlocked position. So, logically how can that be? The only answer is that the spring on the actuator was unwound. Get a new actuator and all should work fine. Unless you have some special tools and have seen it wound correctly it is almost impossible to rewind that spring.
BBE.

[unknown]

Adrian Weber

The only answer is that the spring on the actuator was unwound. Get a new actuator and all should work fine.

Correct and yes he should get a new one.

Unless you have some special tools and have seen it wound correctly it is almost impossible to rewind that spring.

I have done that before, with patience and the right tool it is possible.

Adrian

mseifert99

I thank everyone for the help .. So what I am getting from this is the spring should maybe be wound one more time .. But I dont see how I would be able to another rotation on the actuator and get the actuator back in the lock ..

mseifert99

mseifert99 wrote
I thank everyone for the help .. So what I am getting from this is the spring should maybe be wound one more time .. But I don’t see how I would be able to another rotation on the actuator and get the actuator back in the lock ..

Forgot to add this part before I hit send ..

Or do I have a junk that just will not go back together anymore..

[unknown]

mseifert99

Ok Raymond from Lockpicking101.com is my new best friend .. He gave me the following advice ..

Insert the ball bearings with grease to hold them in place. At this point I like to use a vise to hold everything with the shackle held down into the lock. Insert the actuator plug fully. Release the vise and the shackle should stay in. Use a flat screwdriver to rotate the actuator plug clockwise until the shackle pops out into the unlocked position. The lock cylinder should be able to insert fully at this time. Test by turning the key as far to the right as possible. At the very last of the turn you should feel the springiness when it contacts the actuator and turns it just a little. This proves it is contacting the actuator and that the spring is loaded before locking the shackle in. Good luck.

and by using a wood dowel cut into a follower I was able to easily turn the cylinder and get the lock back into a work state … 🙁rofl):🙁rofl):🙁rofl):🙁rofl):🙁rofl):🙁rofl):

Adrian Weber

Insert the ball bearings with grease to hold them in place. At this point I like to use a vise to hold everything with the shackle held down into the lock. Insert the actuator plug fully. Release the vise and the shackle should stay in. Use a flat screwdriver to rotate the actuator plug clockwise until the shackle pops out into the unlocked position. The lock cylinder should be able to insert fully at this time. Test by turning the key as far to the right as possible. At the very last of the turn you should feel the springiness when it contacts the actuator and turns it just a little. This proves it is contacting the actuator and that the spring is loaded before locking the shackle in. Good luck.

I thought that you would already be familiar with these steps.

mseifert99

Adrian Weber wrote
I thought that you would already be familiar with these steps.

I was trying a similar procedure to get it back together … and also tried using the screwdriver to turn the actuator and it would stay put, but the makeshift key follower worked perfectly ..

Once again I Thank everyone that helped out here..

[unknown]

Cacher

If you’re really good you can rewind that spring with the tip of a pair of needlenose pliers. It takes a little muscle to do it.