Benchmade 5000 auto presidio won't close, help needed

[Bbrh1014]

Noob to the forum and auto knives. But I recently received a used benchmade auto presidio. Great knife for a few weeks but then it gets sticky. The axis lock is not very smooth and now the blade will not close at all unless I manually slide the lock up into place. I've blown it out with an air compressor, tried wd40, rem dri lube with Teflon and others and still the lock is sticky and the blade wont fully close. Every now and then I get lucky and it will close but it's rare. I've seen some other posts about disassembling the knife and spring kits, but I don't know much about that stuff. I'm willig to give it a try but hope to get some feedback from you guys and see what I need to do. I can get some pics up later if needed. Thanks

[rattler12]

My first instinct is to say that one of the springs in the lock has a mechanical issue....... but i'm not expert on the Axis lock, so wait for someone more knowledgeable to chip in.

[puukkoman]

Yep, sounds like the two "omega" springs that move the axis-lock bar (so called because of their shape) are either not working or are broken (not entirely uncommon...). If the warranty is still good, send it to Benchmade. If you don't care about the warranty, you can take the knife apart and make some new springs yourself out of piano wire.

[Dragon_Man]

If you are in the military or law enforcement send to Benchmade for service. Else have a Benchmade dealer send it in. Otherwise Benchmade may not return it to you.

[Blais]

Before you settle on the problem being a broken spring(s), is there any resistance at all when engaging the axis lock or is it loose? If there is resistance, grime may be the culprit. Did the problem come on gradually? A solvent, such as naptha (lighter fluid) may dissolve whatever is gumming up the lock, if that is the case. WD40 and Rem Oil are unlikely to resolve any problems outside of friction and may serve to collect more gunk.