Door handle installation problem (Never herd of it before!)

[Po924S]

So I was installing a script handle onto my car. Oh I swear though getting that little fcking plastic piece on the ball (the bigger one) is a PITA!!!!! :soapbox: It took me like an hour or two to get it on the ball! Anyways, I screw the handle back in and everything. And I go to test it... and it doesn't open. :banghead: I pull it back off, and notice the metal piece attached to the handle just isn't pushing the door popper down enough. You know how that metal piece has that plastic piece that screws on the end of it? So I screw it down to the lowest possible point, place it back on the ball, and it still doesn't push it down enough! I can take a screw driver and just light push it, and it pops the door open. It literally just needs a tiny bit more. Weird thing is, when I screwed the plastic piece in all the way (which means it's shorter), it was closer to opening the door than when it was barely screwed in. Somebody please help me with this. It's very irritating not being able to drive my car because of my stupid door handle. Ha.

[Po924S]

Anyone? I really need help with this please.

[mikepellegrini]

Clark's has a good procedure: Door Handle - Removal, Installation, and Adjustment

You just have to keep playing with it, I've done them maybe a dozen times; sometimes it takes one minute, sometimes an hour. There's a lot of luck involved.

I usually attach the small plastic lock actuator first, then go after the handle linkage. Holding the handle horizontal (with the lock actuator linkage in-place), I use a long screwdriver to push the end of the linkage onto the ball.

If you're getting the thing on and it still isn't working, then you probably need to lengthen the linkage. Clark's procedure describes how to do this. Here again, it seems like (at least for me) there's a lot of luck involved in finding the "sweet spot."

[Po924S]

Originally Posted by mikepellegrini

Clark's has a good procedure: Door Handle - Removal, Installation, and Adjustment

You just have to keep playing with it, I've done them maybe a dozen times; sometimes it takes one minute, sometimes an hour. There's a lot of luck involved.

I usually attach the small plastic lock actuator first, then go after the handle linkage. Holding the handle horizontal (with the lock actuator linkage in-place), I use a long screwdriver to push the end of the linkage onto the ball.

If you're getting the thing on and it still isn't working, then you probably need to lengthen the linkage. Clark's procedure describes how to do this. Here again, it seems like (at least for me) there's a lot of luck involved in finding the "sweet spot."

I've played with it for hours... lol. I've got it on three or four times. Somewhere around the third time I got it on, it opened once. Then after that it wouldn't open anymore! Ha. I've lengthened the linkage as far as it'll go. If it could just go a hair more... it would open. Would adjusting the striker plate work? I can pop the door open just fine with a long screw driver. So I don't think it's that. Thank you soooo much for your help! I felt alone here. Lol.

[mikepellegrini]

Yeah, they're a real flaming PITA.

I don't think adjusting the striker plate will do anything. All that does is change the way the latch interacts with the body when the door closes.

I've had the same problem as you, where it seems like the rod is too short, even when you've lengthened the thing as far as it will go. I had that happen with my 951.

On that, I think I had it too far; I backed it off a little and now it works pretty good. But I think it took me several hours of screwing with it to find that "sweet spot."

See if you can figure out how it was adjusted originally - can you look at the threads on the thing and see how far in it was - is there dirt/crud on the threads which shows how far in/out it was adjusted? If so, adjust is just slightly farther than the original position.

Try that and see if it works.

The thing (if I remember correctly) pushes down, so you'd think the longer the better, but at least on my car, it didn't work that way.

Gotta love 'em!

[Po924S]

Originally Posted by mikepellegrini

Yeah, they're a real flaming PITA.

I don't think adjusting the striker plate will do anything. All that does is change the way the latch interacts with the body when the door closes.

I've had the same problem as you, where it seems like the rod is too short, even when you've lengthened the thing as far as it will go. I had that happen with my 951.

On that, I think I had it too far; I backed it off a little and now it works pretty good. But I think it took me several hours of screwing with it to find that "sweet spot."

See if you can figure out how it was adjusted originally - can you look at the threads on the thing and see how far in it was - is there dirt/crud on the threads which shows how far in/out it was adjusted? If so, adjust is just slightly farther than the original position.

Try that and see if it works.

The thing (if I remember correctly) pushes down, so you'd think the longer the better, but at least on my car, it didn't work that way.

Gotta love 'em!

I looked for how it was originally adjusted. Which was like a little bit screwed on, and it didn't work. Lol. But yea! The one time it did pop open, was when it was screwed on all the way! I'll try that again. Thank you so much!!!