Help: Door handle stuck

[redShift]

One of the rear doors in my X can no loner be opened from the inside. The handle sticks out from where it should be almost flush against the door and makes about a 30 degree angle with the door now.

I have taken off the door panel there before to pound out a dent so Im pretty sure I somehow caused this, but when I put the door back together, the handle was fine so it had to have been broken when being used. It can be pulled out farther, but cannot be pushed in any more and when I pull out on it to open the door, nothing happens, I dont hear or feel anything mechanical going on inside the door.

Is there something specific I can look for when I take the panel off or anything to look for where the door latches to the body? It opens fine from the outside.

 

[section525]

The handle mechanisms in the 95-97ish Explorer suck. They break all the time. A new one is only about $10. What happens is a little plastic lip sort of deal breaks off making the pulling of the handle do nothing. Mines been broken for years. Still trying to scrounge up that $10.

 

[old#7]

I've got the same problem in my '96 right now. It's already been replaced twice.

 

[redShift]

Is it a ford part or can I get it at advance?

 

[old#7]

Last time I fixed this, I got the part for about $9 from O'Reilly's while Ford wanted $12.

 

[Ray z]

What is the proper name of the part or part number to correct this problem

 

[Opera House]

Both handles cracked on my '97

New ones still didn't work because the grease washes out of the latch mech on the door. Shoot a lot of oil in the latch and lightly work the handles about 30 times. Eventually they start working. Pressure washing likely takes the grease out. Handle only operates a thin wire that that easily bends if the mech sticks.