stupid door handles

[brake]

Can you get into a 2 door W body with the sideways door handles without the handle actually being there? I've been having the day from hell - One handle snapped right off and the other decided to join it when I tried getting in from the other side. fucking winter.

 

 

 

My car is useless as it sits until my new handles get here from rockauto. How can I even open the goddamn door to install the new handle if the handles are broken?

[94 olds vert]

If you remove the handle you will see two rods in the door. Push down on the one that has the threaded top. That should open the door.

[ScoobyDoo82]

If you remove the handle you will see two rods in the door. Push down on the one that has the threaded top. That should open the door.

 

You learned that trick from me

[94 olds vert]

Yes. Whenever I need to get Ina first gen now I break off the handle and then push that rod down. Never fails.

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

If the paddle part of the handle breaks off, you can reach the rods to open the door?

[brake]

I can't reach anything in there, I don't see how to get the handle off with the door closed either

 

 

I can see the two spots where the cheap white metal broke, and I can manipulate those, but I can't see how to get the handle off with the door still closed.

 

 

The handles were out of adjustment so being able to manipulate where the handles used to be isn't doing anything for me

Edited January 15, 2012 by brake

[94 olds vert]

Yeah, if you break the handle you replace the whole thing anyway. So doesn't matter.

[brake]

I just don't know how the hell I'm going to get in the car.

 

 

 

I can't see how to take the handle housing off to reach down and actuate the rod in the door with the door still closed.

[94 olds vert]

So both doors don't work?

 

When I have to do that at the junkyard and both handles don't work I break off the handle I make the opening bigger with a screw driver. Then get a long needle nose pliers to reach the rod.

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

I don't think you can get inside the car from the outside with the doors shut, like you said. I think you're fucked. Unless someone has a much better idea, here are the three I came up with. One, I assume your coupe is like mine and has the split seat with the pass though. My whole back seat will fold down, not sure about the gp rear seat. If it does, crawl through the trunk to open the doors from the inside. If it does not, maybe just call AAA? Certainly you are not the first person to experience this. Finally, certainly the worst case scenario idea (maybe the only one that works?) bust out one of the door windows. If AAA says this is the only way, certainly do not break the fixed rear quarter glass as it would be expensive to replace. A used door glass from pick a part would only be about 30-40 bucks. In the future, if you know it is going to be icy, the night before open your door and close it over a bath towel, letting the towel hang over the handles. I used to do this when I lived in an apartment, and it worked fine. Good luck!!

[brake]

both handles are snapped off with half of them still in the door (the visible part is what snapped off, the part you actually grab to open the door)...can't get anything past the remaining pieces of metal handle to reach the rod

 

 

both handles are snapped off, the car is closed, i don't have access through the trunk (no pass-thru)

[brake]

I don't think you can get inside the car from the outside with the doors shut, like you said. I think you're fucked. Unless someone has a much better idea, here are the three I came up with. One, I assume your coupe is like mine and has the split seat with the pass though. My whole back seat will fold down, not sure about the gp rear seat. If it does, crawl through the trunk to open the doors from the inside. If it does not, maybe just call AAA? Certainly you are not the first person to experience this. Finally, certainly the worst case scenario idea (maybe the only one that works?) bust out one of the door windows. If AAA says this is the only way, certainly do not break the fixed rear quarter glass as it would be expensive to replace. A used door glass from pick a part would only be about 30-40 bucks. In the future, if you know it is going to be icy, the night before open your door and close it over a bath towel, letting the towel hang over the handles. I used to do this when I lived in an apartment, and it worked fine. Good luck!!

 

thanks!

[rich_e777]

I was able to open mine ONCE with the hook of a wire coat hangar and the inside lever. You have to have it curved out in the middle of the hangar then back in torwards the door and hook it on the bottom part of the inside lever and slowly pull. Something sticky on the hangar helps it grip.

 

Once you get your new handles take some sandpaper and round of the edge that makes contact with the bar that has what looks like a weight on it. This little metal piece is usually brass looking and pivots about freely. Man i wish i hadnt of dropped my cam with the pics on it. I did this years ago when i was tired of replacing my handles and havent had a problem since.

 

This edge im refering to over time cuts into the cheap made in china parts every time the handle is pulled from the outside. Looks good but an incredibly stupid design, ive considered swapping doors or i saw on tha Muscle Car show on spike when they redid some handles for an old Buick i believe it was.

[Schurkey]

GM engineers should have their asses handed to them for designing such a crappy door handle--and then specifying crappy metal to build it from. Even the 4-door door handles are junk.

 

[brake]

Got in. Demolished existing handle and now I have lock and door actuator rods exposed... Gonna redneck something up so I don't need to use the pliers every time.

 

 

 

Your advice has been much appreciated, thanks everybody

[Z34guy]

If you remove the handle you will see two rods in the door. Push down on the one that has the threaded top. That should open the door.

 

This should prove VERY handy on that Cutlass I've been working on!

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

Got in. Demolished existing handle and now I have lock and door actuator rods exposed... Gonna redneck something up so I don't need to use the pliers every time.

 

 

 

Your advice has been much appreciated, thanks everybody

Could you be more specific? If I'm ever stranded away from home, I'd like to know how you did it. Did you end up damaging your car in the process? Congrats on getting in!

[brake]

No damage really, might be a scuff or two underneath where the handle covers as you use the door to put a screwdriver against to pry pieces of the handle housing off.

 

 

Since the handle is snapped and the whole thing is replaced as an assembly, you can just wreck it. If you manage to get something (long flathead screwdriver or even better, something curved) under the long black piece (handle housing) at the top of the door, you can pry the handle housing up over the edge of the piece above it, which gives you room to stick that long screwdriver down further between the handle housing and the door. Work it in down there and basically pry pieces off until you get far enough down that the rod is visible. Pieces of the housing were just snapping off for me, as it is very cold today and they're made of really cheap metal.

 

I disconnected the lock rod and just pulled the whole assembly out - currently there's no handle or housing over the rear door area, the lock rod and handle rod are exposed but can't be seen unless you look down inside the door. I can reach down with needle nose pliers and push down on the rod to open the door.

 

 

the bolts that go through the inner part of the door that hold the handle on will stay where they are (they'll just break off of the pieces you're removing from the outer)

Edited January 16, 2012 by brake

[brake]

another question since I have access to my car and will need to install/adjust the new handles.

 

 

 

how do I adjust the new handles once installed so you don't need to pull too hard on the handle to open the door? anyone happen to have some photos?

[94 olds vert]

You will want to play with the threaded end and thread it up or down and try it every time you turn it until you like the way it feels when you open the door.

 

No really wrong way to do it. I've found if you put it closer to the top of the rod it's easier to open.

[brake]

thanks brother!

[AL]

To make sure you adjusted it right, dont close the door before trying it out... Just manually click the door latch closed and use the handle to make sure it comes unlatched

[pitzel]

Same problem turned up on my car *again* this year.

 

The bane of my existence, especially when its -30C here this week, and I have no heated garage to work on it.

 

Last time I had this problem, I used a long straight barbecue tool to open the door. Then you have to dissassemble the innards, and perform a sort of contortionist act to get to the rods to actually manipulate them for removal.

 

Giant PITA. I'm almost afraid one day that all the scratches and such will make the cops/Customs guys think I'm smuggling dope in the door, lol.

 

I seriously want to get a few spare parts, and take them to a metallurgist friend of mine and see if they can be 'annealed'/heat treated or something after they've been bent to increase strength. Anyone have any thoughts?

Edited January 17, 2012 by pitzel

[rich_e777]

another question since I have access to my car and will need to install/adjust the new handles.

 

 

 

how do I adjust the new handles once installed so you don't need to pull too hard on the handle to open the door? anyone happen to have some photos?

 

There is a little cylinder with a threaded whole and a peg sticking out, when you go to thread that back on keep it as close to the end as you can, and round off that edge on that brass looking piece that slids up and down the lever. That edge digs into that lever and makes the handle have to travel further to open the door. I`ve replaced my drivers side handle at least 4 times and since doing this the last time I`ve had no trouble. And also you need everyone of those selfthreading black nuts or at least some replacments to hold the handle in there tight. I got rid of mine because they were frail and broken and ended up with some even better ones from Lowe`s. I cant remember the size but you should be able to take the handle down to a hardware store and match them up.

 

This is only what i`ve done and what i know works for my car, i know more will have done this plenty of times to. I plan on swapping doors or removing these handle completly going with a more traditional handle because i dont think the pillar handles would work very good with scissor doors. (Yeah i think i`m going to do it, they look good with the 2-d CS`s and GP`s)

[brake]

thanks man.

 

 

i figured the handles might look good in body color but i don't want to be the one to try it first