How to: How To: Drivers Exterior Door Handle Replacement

[toypaseo]

The rear handle removal is pretty much the same as the front (punch & drill rivets, open yellow rod clip and unhook rod from the slot in plastic handle). Installing a rear one with screws, washers and nuts is slightly more difficult because the rearmost screw is harder to get at, but it's doable with a bit more cursing.

One tip to make punching & drilling of the rivets easier:

Run a bungee cord from the top of the door to the handle, and use that to hold the handle up for access to the rivets. That way, less chance for damage to the handle, and easier to drill and punch. I had some minor cosmetic damage from my drill and punch when I removed my driver side handle. Total PITA trying to hold the handle up and use a punch and hammer. The bungee cord made removal faster and easier in sub 40º temps in the junkyard

 

[Frdtuff]

Great write up

 

[Frdtuff]

Great write up

 

[SparkyGT]

Really helpful information on here. I Have to do this handle swap also on my 1998 explorer , i stole a exterior handle out of a 2002 sport trac door to swap into my 1998 explorer. it looks the same. but havent taken off the explorer handle yet, unfortunately my door latch spring is broken, so i have to do the spring fix also, i was thinking about swapping the whole sport trac latch in but seems like alot more work.

One question i have is that my key lock assembly has a 3 wire switch/sensor attached to the back of it, whereas the sport trac lock doesnt. (key lock is kinda sloppy, so was thinking about keying the sport trac to the explorer)

you can see the connector here attached to the back of the key lock, hidden by the spring, what does it do? picture pasted from earlier post

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...handle-replacement.165081/page-5#post-2449044

 

[koda2000]

I would have bothered taking a used handle from another vehicle (unless maybe if it was painted the same color) as new ones can be had for under $10 and seen to be no-less crappy than Ford's handles. The handle springs eventually break anyway. I'm guessing the wires on the key-lock are for the alarm system. I had a broken latch spring on my '97, which caused it to jam about 3 times out of 10. I was able to see the broken spring in the latch and removed it. It's worked fine w/out the spring for over 2 years now, but I've read where the add-a-spring fix has helped others with this problem. I did the add-a-spring to fix the floppy door handle issue on another Expl and it's been working great for over 4 years now.

 

[koda2000]

I would have bothered taking a used handle from another vehicle (unless maybe if it was painted the same color) as new ones can be had for under $10 and seen to be no-less crappy than Ford's handles. The handle springs eventually break anyway. I'm guessing the wires on the key-lock are for the alarm system. I had a broken latch spring on my '97, which caused it to jam about 3 times out of 10. I was able to see the broken spring in the latch and removed it. It's worked fine w/out the spring for over 2 years now, but I've read where the add-a-spring fix has helped others with this problem. I did the add-a-spring to fix the floppy door handle issue on another Expl and it's been working great for over 4 years now.

BTW, If you remove the rear lower window channel (one bolt on the door and pull down), replacing the latch isn't that hard to do.

 

[SparkyGT]

hey thanks koda2000, since i had the extra door close and it was from a low km use vehicle i thought why not.(plus being long weekend, not too much stuff open) will have to check into the alarm stuff sometime later.

 

[koda2000]

hey thanks koda2000, since i had the extra door close and it was from a low km use vehicle i thought why not.(plus being long weekend, not too much stuff open) will have to check into the alarm stuff sometime later.

BTW, Rather than fool around with riveting you replacement door handle on, go to the hardware store and get 2 stainless steel dish-head screws, 2 washers and 2 nyloc nuts (be sure to use a little anti-seize on the threads of the stainless steel screws (you can buy a tiny bit of anti-seize at AutoZone for about $1 if you don't have any). W/o anti-seize they tend to gaul and jam, This method of attachment is much easier than using rivets and will make it very easy to replace the door handle should it break again, which is fairly likely if you plan to keep your vehicle for a while.

 

[SparkyGT]

i found some screws at work, they are slotted but 1/4. used external star washers and star washer nuts, i did attach the spring to the back of the threads on the door handle. and put a nyloc on just so it wouldnt ride off. by the time i got off work, there was no chance of getting to any parts stores. so after testing it all works fine and put back together. i should put some pics of it up , having that extra door is a lifesaver just to see where everything goes from different angles. the biggest problem i had was the top weather strip that goes around the door lock knob, it was a real pain to get it back in the proper spot.

 

[chuckklr98]

On a 2001 4 door, how do attach the Rod that attaches to the outside door handle . I cant figure it out

 

[koda2000]

On a 2001 4 door, how do attach the Rod that attaches to the outside door handle . I cant figure it out

It's kinda a weird deal. The rod has a hook in the end and it just hooks into a slot on the inside part of the handle. Nothing really hold it in place, but it stays there.

 

[chuckklr98]

It's kinda a weird deal. The rod has a hook in the end and it just hooks into a slot on the inside part of the handle. Nothing really hold it in place, but it stays there.

I see that, but no matter what i do I cant get it in. is there a trick?

 

[swshawaii]

Did you disconnect the outside door handle rod by opening the yellow clip shown in the OP's second pic?

http://www.fordforumsonline.com/attachments/clip-jpg.1072/

 

[chuckklr98]

Did you disconnect the outside door handle rod by opening the yellow clip shown in the OP's second pic?

http://www.fordforumsonline.com/attachments/clip-jpg.1072/

no, so release the yellow clip at bottom, put hook on, then reinstall clip?

 

[swshawaii]

^ Bingo! As quoted in OP post #1:

Window Bolt by qwikrex, on Flickr

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.


Linkage Fastener Closed by qwikrex, on Flickr

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.


Door Latch Hook by qwikrex, on Flickr

 

[koda2000]

Oh, I thought you wondering how the rod attached to the handle. Yes, pop the yellow clip open (noting where it is on the rod) to release/reconnect the rod from the handle.

 

[chuckklr98]

Oh, I thought you wondering how the rod attached to the handle. Yes, pop the yellow clip open (noting where it is on the rod) to release/reconnect the rod from the handle.

thanks all, looks like rod was not adjusted right and it came loose. Used cars always come with surprises. Gonna fix it today. do i have to move any to get to the clip. looks pretty tight.

 

[swshawaii]

Again, as per instructions given in the OP, remove the glass run channel held by one single M10 bolt. Disconnect any wiring attached before pulling down to remove it. Yellow clip can easily be released using a small flat head screwdriver or similar. Test ALL door handle and locking functions before buttoning everything back up.

 

[chuckklr98]

omg was that easy

 

[koda2000]

omg was that easy

Funny how most things are easy once you've done them. That's one reason everyone in my family drives a Gen II Ex. Once I've learned how to fix something on one, it's an easy fix on the next one.