09-20-2010, 11:06 PM
Project 1: Door handle
By far the most annoying problem that this car has is that entry through the driver door is tricky at best b/c pulling on the handle doesn't open it. The previous owner had mastered a well-timed knee bump to accompany pulling on the handle that opened the door, but I had been unable to repeat it consistently and don't have the patience to learn it when I can fix it; reaching through/entering from the side/back door is equally annoying in my opinion.
So, I set out to find the root problem. I'm not going to detail how I got the handle out but would instead refer you to this thread and this thread for ideas on doing it yourself. I will note that I was able to do this without any manipulation/removal of the window, just had to lower it down a couple inches to have room to work.
Once I got the handle out, I discovered to my surprise that it was perfectly functional. The arm linkage was intact and showed no signs of wear. I did notice that the handle did not engage smoothly, so I used my dremel to remove some of the plastic that was rubbing and now the handle mechanism moves as smooth as silk.
WARNING: Ghetto rigging ahead
From my observations, I deduced that my problem was actually that the arm was not moving far enough forward to trigger the latch mechanism. So, I tightly wrapped a relatively thick layer of aluminum foil (with an outer layer of racer tape) around the protrusion on the arm to force the latch trigger a little further forward. I used aluminum foil because it won't compress or wear over time like tape would.
Reinstalling went smoothly and I also gave the latch a shot of white lithium grease to motivate it to move more freely. You still have to pull the handle all the way for it to release, which I intended b/c I did not want the latch to be on a hair trigger (don't want it opening as a result of vibration while driving). The handle now pulls more smoothly than any other handle on the car and no longer requires a bump to open. I don't know if simply greasing it would have had the same result, but I'd consider this repair a success. And, might I remind you, it was free.
By far the most annoying problem that this car has is that entry through the driver door is tricky at best b/c pulling on the handle doesn't open it. The previous owner had mastered a well-timed knee bump to accompany pulling on the handle that opened the door, but I had been unable to repeat it consistently and don't have the patience to learn it when I can fix it; reaching through/entering from the side/back door is equally annoying in my opinion.
So, I set out to find the root problem. I'm not going to detail how I got the handle out but would instead refer you to this thread and this thread for ideas on doing it yourself. I will note that I was able to do this without any manipulation/removal of the window, just had to lower it down a couple inches to have room to work.
Once I got the handle out, I discovered to my surprise that it was perfectly functional. The arm linkage was intact and showed no signs of wear. I did notice that the handle did not engage smoothly, so I used my dremel to remove some of the plastic that was rubbing and now the handle mechanism moves as smooth as silk.
WARNING: Ghetto rigging ahead
From my observations, I deduced that my problem was actually that the arm was not moving far enough forward to trigger the latch mechanism. So, I tightly wrapped a relatively thick layer of aluminum foil (with an outer layer of racer tape) around the protrusion on the arm to force the latch trigger a little further forward. I used aluminum foil because it won't compress or wear over time like tape would.
Reinstalling went smoothly and I also gave the latch a shot of white lithium grease to motivate it to move more freely. You still have to pull the handle all the way for it to release, which I intended b/c I did not want the latch to be on a hair trigger (don't want it opening as a result of vibration while driving). The handle now pulls more smoothly than any other handle on the car and no longer requires a bump to open. I don't know if simply greasing it would have had the same result, but I'd consider this repair a success. And, might I remind you, it was free.