How to: How To: Drivers Exterior Door Handle Replacement

[showme71]

looks like 13 for the part and 9 for the regular shipping and 2 more for handling.

24 bucks. half the costs hidden in shipping which pisses me off. id rather they just tell you its 20+ bucks.

my cost was: 6.27 for the part,8.37 for shipping,& 2.01 for handling- Total cost was 16.65

 

[scucci]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165081&highlight=door+latch&page=3

 

[bluestream1]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165081&highlight=door+latch&page=3

Scucci, why did you put a link from here going to the start of the same thread?

Did you not see the movie "Ground Hog Day"?

 

[cherrybomb]

Why hello everyone!

I have been away from the forum for, well, quite a long time. The pictures disappeared because I'd recently changed my hosting arrangement and forgot to bring the pictures along for the ride.

I've replaced them on my web server, and it should be good to go now. Sorry for the inconvenience! :-(

 

[gavin]

Why hello everyone!

I have been away from the forum for, well, quite a long time. The pictures disappeared because I'd recently changed my hosting arrangement and forgot to bring the pictures along for the ride.

I've replaced them on my web server, and it should be good to go now. Sorry for the inconvenience! :-(

woohoo! :biggthump

that might be one of my summer projects. Gonna hafta do somethin with my rear hatch too, it's starting to not fully unlock, and my rear pass side door.

 

[houkster]

Great thread guys! May have missed something even though I read every post. My back left passenger door decided to stay locked even though in and out handles are fine. Got panel off, actuator seems to work fine (unclipped it as a dealer worker suggested it to see if it released pressure on combined linkage, but it didn't help and plunger rod seems to work o.k.). Broke inside door handle trying to push door from inside while pulling handle.
Now, to release door latch is it suggested I try to add upward pressure on the linkrod from the door knob to the door latch mechanism? And that then will allow me to open the damn door so I can pull the latch and see if I have the broken spring inside it? Can a spring pulling up the linkage at the yellow post solve the problem or pulling up on the rod with a spring solve it?

 

[jkfoote]

Spring photos

Yesterday I finally got around to repairing my passenger side front floppy door handle problem. This photo shows (from the top) the remains of the original handle spring, and the spring from the Tru Value hardware commercial spring bin (evidently 'bin 27'):

I bent the Tru Value spring like this:

And reinstalled it in the old handle like this:

The technique that worked for me was to install the rivet into the untensioned spring, then grab the longer right angle bend of the spring with pliers and brute force it into place.

The Tru Value spring is stronger than the original handle spring, so I just used one spring (rather than one at each end) and got a good feel.

'Hope this helps.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Great tip!

 

[melman]

The technique that worked for me was to install the rivet into the untensioned spring, then grab the longer right angle bend of the spring with pliers and brute force it into place.

I fixed my driver's side handle. Both springs were broken exactly like in jkfoote's picture. I used the same #27 spring (Ace hardware) that he did.

Cherrybomb's pictures were helpful, but he must have a 4-door. I have a 2-door and it's a lot more awkward. The openings in the inside of the door are in the same place (relative to, say, the inside handle), but there's about 6 more inches of metal behind the openings, so you really have to reach into the door to get at the handle and the rod connecting it to the latch. On a 2-door, it is also helpful to remove that rear section of window track.

Some more tips:

When removing the rivets that hold the handle to the door, it's best to avoid drilling if you can. Try to remove the "rabbit ears" inside the door and punch the rivet out from the inside. A drill will spin the rabbit ears and rivet body, chewing up the soft plastic of the door handle.

jkfoote apparently replaced the rivet that goes through the spring. I couldn't figure out how to do that. I used a screw, a spacer sleeve, two washers and two nuts. This wouldn't fit through the opening in the door, so I had to carefully enlarge the opening with a hacksaw blade and a file.

My total cost: about $3.

BTW, dealers in my area only had unpainted black handles, for $39. They said colored handles haven't been available for several years.

 

[rmarshusa1]

This was a great resource - I found a Doorman distributer 1 mile from my house to get the rod clip ---- THANKS.

 

[jd92887]

anyone have a link on ebay, or somewhere to buy the yellow clip for a 1st gen?

 

[rmarshusa1]

I found the Doorman universal kit at Car Quest - worked like a charm.

 

[dstig1]

I used a ziptie which I lassoed around the yellow connector and tightened down and trimmed, and put another ziptie through it which I looped through the bottom of the new throttle return spring and tightened just enough to put a little "lift" from the spring on the yellow block. Tried the lock mechanism to test it- It worked! Tried it with the key in the lock also, and the unlock/lock button on the door, and the remote fob. Cycled it at least 30 times. Worked every time! Also ran the window up and down to confirm no interference. Did my Touchdown/ End zone victory dance in the driveway. Re-assembled my door panel. My total costs: $10 tool, $3 springs, zipties I've had laying around since 1980 $0,time: about 45 minutes.
Picture of how My fix looks:

[/IMG]

Here's my variation on this from tonight. I was able to hook the spring into a gap in the spring clip that holds the lock in. Then I hooked the other end over the threaded rod below the yellow clip. It appears to be holding well. This was a generic throttle spring that was a bit under 2" long that I was able to bend the ends on to fit (not hardened). Note: Window track was moved out of the way for this work, and for the pic.

Appreciate the help from this thread, so I'm giving back a bit.

 

[95Limited4x4]

Hi Guys,

Great thread!! I've read all seven pages.

My exterior drivers side handle springs broke (on each end) as well so the handle became all loose. So, I took off the handle by drilling out the rivets and then I drilled out the small side rivets to remove the broken circular tension springs in order to put in the new ones that I picked up at Ace hardware.

Curious if anyone has any photos of how to install the new ones that I picked up since the handle & back black metal plate is actually different than 98-01 (believe it or not). None of the pictures posted shows new tension springs going from the exterior handle to the back plate for 95-97.

Thanks!

 

[robertsc]

See thread http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170619&page=2 for other posts about the outside handle.

 

[95Limited4x4]

See thread http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170619&page=2 for other posts about the outside handle.

Thanks, I appreciate you searching and replying but it's not what I needed.

I did find this photo in the link below which is exactly my handle so I'm going to see if I can somehow apply the tension springs on each end.

http://70.38.66.123/b4/989/550976/1288470187-732.jpg

 

[eric b157]

Thanks all for the great information! With the great write-up and detailed pics, I was able to fix my floppy door handle.

I chose to replace the spring and not the entire handle. If I have to do this again, I would just spend the $17 for a new handle and paint the new one. It would have saved a lot of time and trips to Ace. Kudos to Ace hardware! They have a much better selection of springs and misc hardware than Homey Desperate or Lowes.

 

[sean99]

No need for a new handle. I bent the original springs in the door handle without taking it apart and it still works great two years later. No trip to the store needed

Both my springs on the handle were broken. I used two needle nose pliers to put a small bend on the broken end of the springs. I hooked the bent part of the spring into a channel of the handle bracket. I used a couple of zip ties to make sure the spring does not pop out of the channel. The loose handle, and the door not unlocking are two separate issues. My handle springs broke a year before I ever had an issue with the door not unlocking. I think the handle springs are there for a nice solid feel when opening the door, and so the handle does not rattle when driving. After tapping out the rivet center and breaking off the peels with pliers, insert a small screwdriver into the rivet hole from the outside of the door to pop it right out.....

 

[edwardjameson]

Need to replace drivers door handle and passanger's door handle

Hi,

I am new at this but am being quoted $200.00 to fix two door handles. Wondering if I can find a cheaper part and fix it myself since I am pretty handy. Can anyone give me advice. Please respond to jamesonfamily5@comcast.net.

Thank you,

Ed

Okay, just finished this project on my truck.

I'd discovered that the return springs on my drivers side exterior door handle were broken, and the handle felt "limp" or "loose". I'd read a few other posts about people who'd had this same problem. Some had pulled the handle out, and replaced the spring, others had replaced the whole assembly. I chose to replace the whole assembly.

I bought the new part from ford for $41.

Steps:

Before you begin, you'll want to just barely crack the window open, maybe about an inch or so. For me, with the window all the way up, the bracket that the window lays on interferes with the removal and installation of the door handle. You'll likely need to move the window up and down a few times (I did).

The first part is to remove the door panel. It's held in by the two screws just above the inside door handle, and about 8 of the plastic anchors. I won't go into great detail on this, since it's covered in a few places, and isn't terribly difficult.

Once you have the door panel off, you'll want to remove the one bolt which holds in the "outer" window tract and move it out of the way. I layed it in the bottom of the door as per this suggestion. With it still intact, you won't be able to see, or really work with the rod that connects the door handle to the door latch mechanism. You can see the bolt which needs to be removed, highlighted in the image below.

With this out of the way, you'll be able to see where the linkage between the door handle and the latch mechanism meet. You'll want to detatch the linkage from the latch mechanism by "unclipping" the yellow fastener that holds them together. You'll want to pull the tab on the fastener toward you. Once it's open, be sure to mark the linkage with a permanent marker indicating where it rests in the fastener. Here's a picture to describe this better. Pull the tab that the arrow points to toward you.

Now you'll be able to rotate the linkage so that it "unhooks" from the door handle. The following picture should help you visualize this.

Now, with that linkage disconnected, you'll need to drill out the rivets which fasten the door handle to the door. You can do this by holding the door handle up, and drilling from outside.

Once you've drilled out the front side, you may need to get into the inside of the door, and "finish off" the rivets from the back. The way these are designed, the rivet pulls into a sleeve, and on the inside of the door, it looks like a banana peel. You may need to bend, or cut off the banana peel parts in order to pull the rivets out from the front side of the door. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of this.

Once the rivets are out completely, you should be able to pull the whole door handle assembly upward, then rotate the bottom of the assembly upward, and pull the handle out.

You're half way there! The door handle is out!

Now just reverse that motion with the new door handle to put it in place. You can safely rivet, or bolt the new one in place now. I've heard of many people using bolts, but I chose to replace it with rivets. I had a 1/8 x 5/8 steel rivets, which were deep enough, but the head was too small, so I used two SAE #6 washers to make up the difference. Below is a picture of the rivet assembly I used, and the finished product. You'll probably need someone to help you hold the inside washer, if you go that route. I'm sure there are rivets that are the right size, but I had to use what I had on hand.

Now re-attach the linkage to the door handle, and then to the latch mechanism. I'd test to make sure the door handle works at this point. If it does, you can proceed with assembling the rest of the door.

Replace the window tract and the bolt you removed at the beginning. Re-stick the door liner to the door, and replace the door panel.

That's it! You're done!

 

[eric b157]

Hi Ed!

Welcome to the board! This is a fantastic site and has helped keep my Ex running to 237k!

Lots of options presented, from rebending the broken springs, replacing busted springs (the route I took) to complete handle replacement - read this thread several times, and then several times more and you'll have all the encouragement you need to tackle this yourself.

I spent less than $10 replacing the springs on my handle and it works well.