Last Updated on June 11, 2026
If your Schlage BE365 deadbolt unlocks the moment you press the Schlage button, or your code locks the door instead of unlocking it, the drive cam was installed 180 degrees backwards. It is the most-missed step in the manual. Pressing Schlage is supposed to let you lock with the thumbturn, not unlock. The fix: take the lock off and reinstall it so the cam tip points down when the bolt is retracted. Steps below.
The Schlage BE365 is a great affordable electronic deadbolt, and because it is cheap, a lot of people install it themselves and get this one detail wrong. The lock then behaves exactly backwards. Here is why, and how to fix it in a few minutes.
How the BE365 is supposed to work
Pressing the Schlage button should let you LOCK the door with the thumbturn. Entering a valid code should let you UNLOCK it. Both use the same internal cam and linkage. If pressing Schlage unlocks the door and entering a code locks it, the cam is 180 degrees out of position from when it was installed.
Why it happens: the cam tip must point down
Step 7 of the BE365 manual hides the critical instruction: the cam tip must point down when the bolt is retracted (inside the door). Installed pointing up, the lock works in reverse. That one sentence is the difference between a lock that works and one that unlocks itself with the Schlage button.
How to fix a Schlage deadbolt working backwards
- Put the lock in the unlocked position, with the bolt fully retracted inside the door.
- Remove the two screws holding the inside back plate, then disconnect the battery.
- Remove the two screws that hold the lock together and separate the inside and outside halves.
- Rotate the drive cam so its tip points down while the bolt is retracted.
- Reassemble in reverse, reconnect the battery, and test: Schlage button should lock, code should unlock.
Watch: fix a Schlage that unlocks with the Schlage button
When to call a locksmith
If the lock still behaves backwards after reseating the cam, or the bolt binds, the door alignment or the lock may be the issue. ACME Locksmith offers lock repair and smart lock installation.
