Push button lock unlocks when knob turned

Question

Recently my bedroom lock (a push button lock) has been acting funny. It's hard to push the button in and the button and handle sort of need to be jiggled to push it in all the way. Once it's in it fails to actually lock. Specifically, when locked, if i turn the outside handle upwards then the lock stays intact but if i turn it downwards then it will seem locked but the push button will pop out as the handle returns to its place. so to unlock it from outside all i have to do is turn it downwards twice (first time seems locked but ends up unlocking it and then the second one opens the door).

my building has unique looking knobs and i'd rather fix it if possible instead of replacing it. anyone have any idea what i might want to look at? i did take the knob off and play around with it. obviously it's hard to see inside of it though and i didn't get much insight.

Answer 1

It sounds to me like something in the knob has worn out (eg, a metal locking mechanism has broken off or been worn down). If this is the case, there's not much chance that you'll be able to [easily] fix it.

If it was me, I'd just replace the knob. You may also be able to swap it with another knob in a location where you don't need a working lock.