outside door handles loose

[trozei123]

i am very curious as to if my guess will work on this situation.

both passenger door outside handles are very loose. the doors will open, but the handles "jingle" if you barely pull on them. as i am driving and i hit rough patches, i can hear them "jingling" against the door. i pulled the door panels off and took a look from the backside. the two springs are definitely not as tight as they should be.

my guess is that if there is a way to tighten both springs, the noise will stop. is there an easy way to pop the handles off and tighten the springs? or are the handles not repairable?

 

[frankcal]

I'm wondering the same thing, 40 bucks for a replacement seems so pricey to me when its just two springs that are the issue

 

[Anime]

It's possible to replace the springs with new ones, but it's hard to get springs other than the ones that are already on new door handles. It's also hard to get access to the door handle to replace the springs while the handle is mounted on the door, so the handle generally has to be removed.

So, it's easier to just replace the door handle itself.

You don't have to buy a $40 door handle. You can get brand new cheapo replacements on ebay for ~$10-12.

 

[trozei123]

how hard is it to replace the handles? i figure i could hit my local junkyard for two of them. save more money.

 

[Anime]

Replacement thread with pics:

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

It's for a 1999 model, but the handles are similar except for how the rod attaches.


Junkyard handles are going to have wear and tear, on the handles and the springs, which is the reason you're wanting to replace them in the first place.

You could possibly use rear handles and swap the springs in from those, but it'd cost less in time/money/gas to buy the ~$12 new handles from ebay and just have them shipped for free.

 

[larrydd999]

I've replaced a couple of them with aftermarket ones, it's not a big deal as long as you have basic tools and a bit of patience.

 

[trozei123]

what is a good tool for knocking out the rivets? i tried a punch with a hammer, and a drill. they are not coming off. i cant seem to find where the handles are connected to the door latch on the rear passenger door. i tried removing the bolt that secures the window track and pushing the track aside, but it wont budge.

 

[larrydd999]

I drilled them out - after tapping out the center of the rivet, which is harder than the rest of the rivet. Don't know about the back door latch, I've only replaced the outside handle on the driver's door.

 

[FR-425]

what is a good tool for knocking out the rivets? i tried a punch with a hammer, and a drill. they are not coming off. i cant seem to find where the handles are connected to the door latch on the rear passenger door. i tried removing the bolt that secures the window track and pushing the track aside, but it wont budge.

Use a large drill bit, 1/2' or so. Once the aluminum gets good and thin you can break it off, then the center pin will push through.

The rear uses the same clip as the fronts to connect the rod. Just a matter of getting a look at it. Remove the screws holding the latch itself and you can wiggle it out where you can see it. First remove the inner door handle to free up the long rod.

 

[FR-425]

Oh yea, also disconnect the child safety push rod as well.