Tried to get out this afternoon and door handle stuck, pulled a couple times and finally got it to open but it wasnt a smooth opening so to say. Took the door panel off to see what the deal was, come to find out that the piece that the cable hooks onto (on the door handle linkage) has quite a bit of play on it and when it has the pressure from the cable on it, it puts it in a position that doesnt let the handle piece leverage down. Called ford and they want 140ish for a new linkage set........ My question is does anyone have an extra they would be willing to part with?

 

I am not sure but when the handle inside gets "hung up" isn't that a sign of the hinge pins getting worn? I thought when you try to unlock it from the outside it's a sign of the cable stretching.
Is this right?

 

if you mean hinge pins as the rivits then yes that my problem

 

hey where are you located? i just replaced my driver side door and i have an extra handle and cable. i'm sure they are the same as i have a 96 f150. same door isn't it?

 

Im down in florida.......

 

I think you can buy a kit from ford that replaces everything. I think it was around $100, but it included everything you'd need to replace the handle, linkage, lock mechanism, etc.

When I took mine apart I found that that the stretched out cable had made everything else out of whack...

 

That's the way mine was too farm. I thought there was a cheap fix, and I think I did it, but of course I can't remember at all...

 

I actually remember now I just changed the handle, it broke, cable wasn't stretched that bad. Sorry

 

If it makes you feel any better I replaced the handle three times before I threw in the towel. Lol.

 

HAHA that would about do it. 3rd times a charm, time to actually fix it.

 

You guys with door handle problems need to start by adjusting the door proper. Open it slightly and look at the body lines. If it's low or high then adjust the hinges till it all lines up. Then adjust the striker till it closes right.

If the handle is still jicky then take off the entire handle inside and look at the door where it mounts. I can almost guarantee you that it's all cracked out from years of being misadjusted or having really dirty latches.

It's a simple fix if you have a mig welder. Find a big steel washer and clamp it in place on the inside of the door and align the hole in it so the single bolt that holds the handle on can go through then weld it on. Try to run a small bead over the cracks on the outside too. Put the handle back on and it's good to go. After doing this you may need a new cable too since they get torn up fast when the door is cracked like this.
Also the cable is adjustable. If you look at where it attaches to the back of the handle you will see that tab is open at the top. If it won't quite open the door then stick a screwdriver in there and bend that tab back till it does.

Oh and have a fire extinguisher handy when you weld inside the door and make sure the safety pin is not broken off where you can't pull it out. I did this to my kids truck this weekend. Door caught fire inside from the zbart crap in there and the ring on the extinguisher safety pin was broken off. I had to push the thing out of my garage and get the fire hose on it. He now has tinted windows on that side but at least his door works!!!

 

DANG DOOR HANDLE BROKE....AGAIN!
I see where the top hinge is getting rounded and sloppy (bottom hinge is tight). Is there and adjustment that can be made on the top hinge-door side?

 

My dad is having issues with his drivers door. 97 f250. He said that he can't even open the door. He said the inside handle just comes up and doesn't open the door. He said that when you push the button on the outside nothing happens either. He messed with the door lock with no luck. Any ideas on how to fix this or open the door to take the panel off? Thanks for you help.

Red

 

also to check the doors hinge pins the rivits open the door and lift it up form the back corner if there is a lot of play in it the pins are worn out

 

I'm gonna start a new thread Ronnie