Team doorhandle to the rescue!!!!! Re: Broken door handles....

[JordanVw@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/14/99 3:11:18 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
Leuck@concentric.net writes:

<<  Well the time finally came for me....  I broke the rear door handles,
 (86 4kcsq) both of them, in the same day....  As I am about to go up to the
 snow it could not had come at a worst time....  Could some one tell me how
 to fix them?  Do I need to go to the junk yard to get new handles???
  >>

i take it its pretty cold where you are now, they always seem to fail in cold 
temps.   DONT even bother with junkyard doorhandles - they're prolly just as 
bad as yours (tho since your in a fix, if theyre cheap, you might was well 
try it, but i wouldnt pay over $5 each for them used).. when  the drivers 
doorhandle crapped out on my '84 5k, i replaced it with a used one, it lasted 
about 2 days. i got a new one from Blau..  its holding up great. it was about 
$35 or so.   if you go w/ someone else, make sure you get the german ones.  i 
got an italian made one once, and it was a piece of crap, plus you couldnt 
swap the lock cyl, so i woulda had to have a seperate key for just my drivers 
door.   i got a german one, and changed the cyl so i could use my old cyl, 
and key. 
i have never owned a 4k, but i imagine the r&r is pretty much the same as the 
5k. 
first , pry off the little alum trim strip in the middle of the doorhandle, 
starting by the lock part, with a thin screwdriver or knife. 
then remove the screw that holds the outer part of the doorhandle to the 
door..  then open the door, and remove the rubber plug inside the edge of the 
door.  you can see the 2 screws in there. i use a magnetic phillips head 
screwdriver to remove them, so they dont fall down inside the door. 
then the doorhandle will be loose. carefully pull it away from the door so 
you can see inside the hole where the 2 metal rods are connected to the 
handle. there are little plastic caps at the end of these rods, with a little 
cover you have to pry off, and then you can pull it away from the lock. its 
like a little ball and socket, its just pressed in there.  careful, these 
plastic caps are usually brittle with age. remember which rod goes to which 
part on the lock....  
after that, the handle is off. 
as for the keyed front doorhandles, swapping the cylinder is simple.. remove 
the phillips head screw on the back of the cyl, and the part w/ the ball on 
it, and the spring.  remember how these go, as you will have to put them back 
exactly as they were.  the cyl should slide right out, keep it in the right 
position.  reinstall everything the reverse of removal...

hth-
chris
'86 5kT, TQ  both with new drivers doorhandles