4000 Door Handles

[Kneale Brownson]

It IS possible to take off the door handle without removing the inner
panel, but nine times out of ten you'll have to take off the inner panel to
retrieve something that gets dropped inside the door in the process.   You
need to pop out the chrome trim strip by prying at the leading edge (if I
remember correctly).  That exposes a screw that I THINK you can just
loosen.  Then you pop off the rubber grommet in the door edge and that
exposes another screw.  I think you need to remove that one and the handle
will wiggle out of its anchorage.  I think it's possible to disengage the
first part of the linkage from the second part through the holes in the
door edge to get the handle out.  If you don't drop the second screw, you
may be able to actually get a new handle installed.

After you drop the screw (I remember dropping it at least twice), you'll
find that the inner panel is rather complicated to remove.  There are
screws anchoring the storage bin and the armrest that have to be taken out.
 The armrest then swivels something like 90 degrees to release.  The lock
knob unscrews.  The inner door lever has a screw holding its housing in
place. And there are a bunch of spring clips into the door.  


At 02:52 PM 12/9/2003 -0500, Dave Nuzzo wrote:
>Ok, Thanks for the responses.  I'll try shooting some lube in there this
>evening when I get home.  I leave late enough from the office, so nobody
>should see me crawling through the other side to pop open the door from the
>inside to get in.. :)  If I do have to replace the handle, which I'm sure I
>will, is the inner door panel just held on my those little plastic fasteners
>that I need to pry carefully to avoid breaking them?  I guess it won't be as
>easy as swapping the handles on my '85 GTI which I was hoping it was.
>
>Dave
>'87 4000CSQ
>'84 Mustang GT
>
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