I'm trying to retrieve the Elder scroll. When I go to Alftand, after the blade trap in the Alftand Animonculory there's a lever that needs activated, but I can't activate it. I don't hear the normal tick noise that you hear if you can't do something. It just doesn't do anything. I've already cleared this ruin during the Wisdom of the Ancients quest, so did that hose up my game? I can't find anything on google about anyone else having this issue, so I have no idea what's wrong. I'm playing the PC version.

Thanks.

Can you exit the ruins from the way you entered, there are two other ways to get into Blackreach besides Alftand.

It's not the lever that activates the rotating blade, is it? Some of those can't be turned off. Is this for an actual door through which you can't pass?

If you are on a PC, and you have already been inside Blackreach, then just use console commands like tcl to get through the bars.
Have you already used the elevator to get from the Alftand entrance to the bottom half of the Animoculary (where the torture room is)?