Oops.

[mrphiltx]

Broke my door handle today.

Was checking to see if the hinge ping bushings were shot causing me to have trouble closing the door.

Anyone got a spare driver's side interior door panel for a blue interior 93 ex?
(if you look, you can see where I broke the reflector out)

Wonder if the local junkyards will have one...

 

[bjorkmae]

Farely common problem on these explorers. Mine came broke and the guy I bought it from included replacement pieces he bought off of ebay. They run about $30 for a set on ebay and are just the plastic peices that include the handle and go around the window and lock switches. They are melted into place which is easy to fix just takes time. Mine also was blue so I had to get paint custom mixed to match and then I sprayed it. Have only ever seen replacements in grey. Got to an industrial paint supplier or automotive paint supplier, don't use the rattle can plastic stuff it won't last.

 

[mrphiltx]

Thanks - I'll look into that. I'd like to get the reflector thing fixed too. (Planning to sell it soon.)

 

[bjorkmae]

My reflector also fell out so I used epoxy and glued it back in. Also did the door hinges, get someone to help with the door hinges or you will probably do damage to the door from the stress when one of the pins is removed.

 

[dmorris]

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/DoorHandleInterior/Ford/Explorer


you could also glue back in using some med CA glue (hobby shops carry) my 92 handle broke 8 yrs ago, the glue has held it since. How ever I will prob break down and replace with the above linked setup someday just because.

 

[Willard]

Try this place, only 16.99 plus shipping.

http://www.directautomotiveproducts.com/repair-and-replacement-handles-ford-explorer.html

 

[TexasJenn]

OMG....mine did the same thing about a month ago! Same year and color as yours LOL! I was going to start looking for a door panel myself. Only it wasn't just the handle for me....the plastic cracked where the screws are above the open handle too. It's that common huh....well I'll be dang!!

 

[TedJ]

If the handle is hollow, maybe you could run a piece of threaded rod through it and put nuts and washers (you might have to cut one side of the washer smaller) on the ends inside the door panel. (never did this, its off the top of my head)

The one on my truck broke by the screws, but the prev. owner fixed it with washers. Of course the hinges were totally shot (1/4in+ sag), the door is big and heavy. I used rope to attach it to the ceiling in the garage, there is a sticky with instructions on how to replace the pins here. If you don't fix the hinges it will just break again. I ended up taking the door completely off to work on the hinges. The wiring plug is behind the E-brake which is a PITA to get off, but it's worth it.

-Ted

 

[mrphiltx]

TexasJenn, well I grew up in Houston, so man! That's funny.

Anyway, Ted that's a good idea about hanging it from the ceiling. I was trying to figure out a way to use 2x4s and a jack to prop it up to work on the hinges, which a body shop supposedly replaced for me (charged me $100, too). I think the lower one is the problem tho.

There's a lot going on by that e-brake. My ebrake light turns on without any relationship as to the actual emergency brake status. I'm guessing that little switch back there is shot, but I couldn't see any obvious way to fix it. Of course, my 2 year old son was wanting to climb in the drivers seat at the same time so I was a little distracted. Concrete driveways and little boy's heads aren't on friendly terms.

 

[mrphiltx]

Oh, and TXJ, those links above were for the whole section where it sounds like your cracks were. I think the a1auto place had the parts cheaper on ebay than their store. Err, no, they were the same price, but another seller had them cheaper. I might have a two toned door soon...

 

[TexasJenn]

I saw that MrPhil! That might have to be my Christmas present to myself LOL. I'm the only one in my car so I could care less about a two toned door....but then I am a girl....so LOL. Now...if the other problems I'm having were this easily fixable. UGH!

 

[TedJ]

If one is shot, the other will be as well, and doing only one will make it's life shorter. Do it once, do it right.

The e-brake has around 3-4 bolts (use a swivel socket), they're not too bad but the cable makes it a $#*# to move out of it's position. Once you do that though, you can unplug the wiring harness to the door, mark the hinge positions, support the door, and take the 4 bolts out. Move the door out of the way and now you can work on the hinges.

I cut the old pins in half with a grinder and popped them out. The bushings are in the part of the hinge that comes off, you can put it in a vice and pop out the old bushings (shouldn't be too hard, they usually are falling apart anyway) Then use the vice to press in the new ones. Don't pound on them, they'll get messed up. Grease the heck out of them (I used wheel bearing grease). Now reverse the process, with lots of swearing when you get to the E-Brake.

Taking out the seat is easy any makes the job a lot easier, you should do that in the beginning (not to mention the treasures you will find underneath it).

-Ted

 

[DeRocha]

Before you tackle the door hinges you should take a peek at the Door Hinge Pin replacement thread. It has lots of info and pictures detailing how to do this job in under an hour..

 

[mrphiltx]

Saw that thread, DeRocha, nice job on it.
Ted: both is a good idea.

 

[mrphiltx]

Saw another thread where they said the ebrake light could be on because I'm low on brake fluid. Sure enough, I was. Put some in yesterday, and the light hasn't been on since. Does this mean its time for new brake pads? (Don't remember having this problem before, tho if it is a leak, it is really slow, as the light first started coming on on cold (usually wet) days, and we've not had those those in quite some time)

 

[mrphiltx]

Got my door fixed - ordered from directautomotiveproducts. They charged my credit card right off, and then didn't ship for a week or more. The order date on the receipt is a week after my card was charged. But I got it, and I can close my door more easily. Now to fix the reflector, the hinge pins and the fan....

If you are doing the handle replacement and don't have dremel or similar, like me, I used a combination of a drill, needlenose pliers, and a regular screwdriver to get the old handle off. I used a smaller than 1/8" bit to do most of the removal, and then used a 1/8 bit to clean up the openings a bit to get the new part in.