door handle broken (bear with me)

[Blue91Ex]

I know this has been covered before somewhere, but i cant find it anywherem ir one that is different but close enough.

So, anyhow, i cant open the read driovers door from the outside, i can from the inside, and i think the lock mechanism works. It feels like the door is locked though when i pull the handle from the outside, there is no feeling of movement inside the door. I know something is broken but i cant seem to remember or find what parts are most likely to be the problem. This is a 1st gen btw, most of teh threads i looked at in search were from 2nd or 3rd gens which i dont get since i thought this was a 1st gen problem... anyhow if anyone could say what is most likely the issue or point me toward a thread that is relevant, it would be very appreciated!

Also i cant seem to figure out how to get the rear door panels off, the clips are all in different directions so i cant pull the plastic in a way to pop the clips out... any special trick to it im missing? thanks!

 

[Anime]

It's likely that the rod connecting the handle to the latch mechanism broke.

Even though the 2nd gens are slightly different, they're close enough you can follow the directions with the 1st gen hardware to replace the whole thing.


http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243650

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165081

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170619


As for removing the door panel, first you need to remove the screws in the sail panels (opposite the side view mirrors) and the two screws for the interior door handle.

It helps to use a panel popper tool for the panel retainers, though you can use a flat screwdriver if you're careful, go around the sides and bottom of the panel and pry the retainers out, then you need to lift UP on the entire door panel to dislodge the panel since it has the top part lodged into the window lip to keep the panel from just coming off.

Before you completely remove the panel, reach around the back and disconnect the electrical connectors for the power windows, door locks, and one-touch module.

The panels might be super-snug on there if they've never been removed, you may have to gouge an edge with a pry tool to get an opening to remove it.

 

[Blue91Ex]

are the back doors like this? because i could only get one corner loose.. it looks like ti has these xmas-tree retainers with 2 heads that fit into slots on the door panel, should i pry these out and leave them in the door panel or try and slide them out of the door panel and leave them in the metal part of the door itself? thank you for the reply btw i will read over those links you gave me!