outside driver door handle has a lot of play in it

[watt9386]

94 X 4X4. outside drivers door handle has play in it. takes a full pull up to open the door. any way to fix this? or just replace? help is much appreciated.

 

[Iron Weasel]

Mine is like that too.

There's a metal rod that connects the outside door handle to the release mechanism. On the end of the linkage (the metal rod) that connects to the release mechanism is a plastic clip that grabs onto the linkage and over time and people yanking on the handle, the linkage gets pushed into that clip a little bit (or more). The further the linkage is pushed into that clip, the more the door handle flops around. Worse comes to worse, the clip ends up stripped and won't hold the linkage.

You can try to unlatch the plastic clip then slide the linkage back up, but chances are the plastic is brittle and you'll break it long before you manage to get it open. Napa carries a Ford door linkage set, it's made by Dorman and it comes in those red "Help!" packages. They were about $7 or so the last time I picked up a package.

It's a tight squeeze inside the door panel, so be prepared too spend some time messing with it and leaving some skin behind too.

 

[Anime]

The tension on the handle is controlled by two circular springs, one on either end.

You can get replacement springs, but the work involved to replace them means removing the handle anyway, so you might as well replace the entire handle while you're at it. These are extremely inexpensive as aftermarket parts, or you can spring for an OEM Ford replacement.

 

[FirstExplorer]

This is a good thread on "floppy door handle" problem:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217264