please note that the screw cover disk may be the type that pops on, rather than screws on / off. If you find you've been turning it and it won't come off, look for a slot for a small flat head screw driver to help pop it off.
I just completed this repair, but I ran into two issues that made it difficult. Here's how I solved them: Problem 1. Screw Cap Spinning Freely on the Handleset: The screw cap on the bottom of my handleset was spinning freely, making it impossible to unscrew. Normally, you remove the screw cap by grabbing it with your fingers or pliers and unscrewing it. This works because the threaded screw cover backplate is held in place on the door with tension. However, over time, the screw on mine had loosened, so there was no tension, and the screw cap just spun freely in place. To fix this, I luckily owned a pair of very narrow forceps I could use. I slid them between the screw and the door to grip the screw, then rotated the whole handle to unscrew it. After a bit I was able to get a pair of needle nosed pliers in the space to grab the screw more securely. Once the handle was removed, I had another challenge: getting the screw cap off the screw base. I was pretty stumped by this as it appeared to be held on tightly and there was nowhere to grab the base. I managed to get it off by pressing my thumb against the base to create tension, which allowed me to unscrew the screw cap from the threaded screw cover backplate. After that, it came off easily. Problem 2. Thumbpiece Sticking Down After Assembly: Once everything was reassembled, I noticed that the thumbpiece was sticking in the down position when I pressed it, preventing the latch from springing back out. To fix this, I had to loosen the flathead screws holding the inside adapter in place. This required removing the knob and rosette again. So, a tip: before fully reattaching the rosette and knob, test the thumbpiece to ensure it moves smoothly and pops back up properly. I hope this helps anyone trying to do this repair who runs into similar problems. Under ideal conditions, this repair would have been much simpler!
please note that the screw cover disk may be the type that pops on, rather than screws on / off. If you find you've been turning it and it won't come off, look for a slot for a small flat head screw driver to help pop it off.
I just completed this repair, but I ran into two issues that made it difficult. Here's how I solved them:
Problem 1. Screw Cap Spinning Freely on the Handleset: The screw cap on the bottom of my handleset was spinning freely, making it impossible to unscrew. Normally, you remove the screw cap by grabbing it with your fingers or pliers and unscrewing it. This works because the threaded screw cover backplate is held in place on the door with tension. However, over time, the screw on mine had loosened, so there was no tension, and the screw cap just spun freely in place.
To fix this, I luckily owned a pair of very narrow forceps I could use. I slid them between the screw and the door to grip the screw, then rotated the whole handle to unscrew it. After a bit I was able to get a pair of needle nosed pliers in the space to grab the screw more securely. Once the handle was removed, I had another challenge: getting the screw cap off the screw base. I was pretty stumped by this as it appeared to be held on tightly and there was nowhere to grab the base. I managed to get it off by pressing my thumb against the base to create tension, which allowed me to unscrew the screw cap from the threaded screw cover backplate. After that, it came off easily.
Problem 2. Thumbpiece Sticking Down After Assembly: Once everything was reassembled, I noticed that the thumbpiece was sticking in the down position when I pressed it, preventing the latch from springing back out.
To fix this, I had to loosen the flathead screws holding the inside adapter in place. This required removing the knob and rosette again. So, a tip: before fully reattaching the rosette and knob, test the thumbpiece to ensure it moves smoothly and pops back up properly.
I hope this helps anyone trying to do this repair who runs into similar problems. Under ideal conditions, this repair would have been much simpler!
Very helpful, thanks!