Adjusting rod for outside front door handle?

[1998rollover]

1998 Mountaineer right front door will not open from outside but will open from inside. There's no problem with the electric lock or door ajar. Just the outside handle.

I have the panel off the door and I can feel the bottom of the rod to the outside handle is threaded, goes through a plastic thing attached to the door latch - and it seems to have slipped all the way down.

When the outside handle is lifted it won't push the rod down far enough to open the latch. The handle does not seem to be broken and it's spring is good.

Is there a way to adjust that without taking the whole thing apart?

 

[koda2000]

That yellow "plastic thing" opens up and clamps around the groves in the rod. You can try opening it and resetting it, but you'll probably need a new one. I'd bought one 4 years ago at the Ford dealership for under $4. Dorman probably has an assortment of them in the HELP section of most auto parts stores, but being Dorman the quality is probably not as good as OE.

 

[shucker1]

@koda2000

Are they still available from the dealer?

P\n?

I know I'm asking a lot...

I have the same problem.

 

[1998Exp]

1998 Mountaineer right front door will not open from outside but will open from inside. There's no problem with the electric lock or door ajar. Just the outside handle.
...

It could be the "yellow plastic thingy" at the end of the rod, but chances are it's the common problem of a broken internal spring in the latch mechanism itself. When it breaks, the symptoms are what you are describing. Unless you see something else obvious, I suggest you remove the latch (it's held by three screws) and take a good look inside, viewing from the top. If you see a tiny spring dangling free, you found the problem. The only known cure is latch replacement. I believe that someone posted a photo of this defect a few years ago.

 

[koda2000]

@koda2000

Are they still available from the dealer?

P\n?

I know I'm asking a lot...

I have the same problem.

Sorry, I have no idea if you can still get them from the dealer. If you can, it's because they continued using the yellow plastic clip on newer models (which is quite likely). IIRC the parts guy at my Ford dealer just looked at my old clip and went a grabbed me a new one w/out even trying to look it up. I used to have the bag that the clip came in. I'll see if I still have it and if I do I'll post the PN for you.

Found it: E83Z 5421952 B

 

[1998rollover]

Removed the rear window channel, popped the clip open. Moved the rod up to put the middle of the threaded section into the clip then snapped it shut. Re-assembled everything.
Now it works fine. (Aside from the loud GRRNNNCH the driver's door electric lock actuator makes. But that still works so it'll get replaced when or if, it fails to function.)

The problem is the door lock system doesn't disconnect the levers from the latch. It moves a piece to block the movement of the outside handle lever. (More like sticking a board through bicycle spokes than a real lock.)
So when people yank up on the handle with the door locked it puts pressure on that threaded clip. Yank hard enough and the threaded rod can be pushed down through the clip. If the threads don't slip, repeated yanking can break the plastic handle.

Bad design, used for a long time. Been a while since I worked on one of these and I forgot how they were put together.

 

[1998rollover]

It could be the "yellow plastic thingy" at the end of the rod, but chances are it's the common problem of a broken internal spring in the latch mechanism itself. When it breaks, the symptoms are what you are describing. Unless you see something else obvious, I suggest you remove the latch (it's held by three screws) and take a good look inside, viewing from the top. If you see a tiny spring dangling free, you found the problem. The only known cure is latch replacement. I believe that someone posted a photo of this defect a few years ago.

From what I found, broken springs in the latch have more symptoms than *only* the outside handle not unlatching the door. A bad latch usually involves the inside handle also not working and the outside and/or inside handles being 'floppy' without a firm spring return.

On this one it was only the outside handle not being able to unlatch the door.