Jon Usher

The driver side outside door handle just failed on my 86 951. The only way I can get into the car now is to crawl in the passenger side and use the inside door release handle -what a pain!

So I've removed the door panel and read through the Pelican site's preoceedure for removing the door handle, but... mine has factory power windows. Am I going to have to remove the power window assembly to fix/replace the outside handle? At this point I'm about ready to unload this car if this turns into a big hassle. It's been a blast to drive but I'm really starting to appreciate how little hassle I've had restoring/upgrading my 91 Miata!!!

-Jon
Calimesa, CA

86 951 Guards red/creme leather, sun roof delete, SFR 3" exhaust, Koni yellows, new CV/axles, rear bearings, SS brake lines, speed bleeders, plug wires, K&N, coolant tank, diverter valve, shift boot/****, center tray/cup holder, glove box stays, mats.

83na944

The Haynes manual has a good description of the process. You'll need to remove the inside door panel to get at the connection to the latch. As I recall there's just one screw on the edge of the door that you remove then wiggle the handle out.

If its just hard to operate, it probably just needs adjustment. The handle mechanism attaches to a plastic piece that is threaded on a rod that operates the latch. Unscrew it to make it longer and the handle will probably work fine. Of course ther migh be something broken. You just have to get in there and look.

Good luck.

icat

Toss the book, in this case it doesn't know what it's talking about. The door handle can be removed easily from OUTSIDE the car. There is no need to remove the inner door panel at all.

Read the 968 Door Handle Upgrade Procedure listed below. There is a detailed section on removing the original door handles.

<a href="http://www.951motorsports.com/968DH.htm" target="_blank">968 Door Handle Upgrade Procedure</a>

Later,
<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

PeteL

I second Icat's suggestion. I used his procedure and changed a handle in 25 minutes.

Jon Usher

Thanks also Icat,
I sure wish I would've seen that artical before I removed the inside door panel. Using this method, I pulled the door handle off in about 10 min. Unfortunately I found that the door handle cast material was broken right where the small pin passes through so the handle will have to be replaced (almost $200!!!). Explains why the handle wasn't working.

Also it appears that someone else was in there before, because the central locking selinoid was epoxied to it's mount (the tabs were broken off).

I guess this answers the question about what I'm spending my $100 PCA coupon on...

Thanks again,
Jon

icat

Two suggestions Jon.

First, used 968 Handles are a great cosmetic improvement. They can be had for around $350 a set. If your lucky, you can find them in a color that matches. More than likely you'll need to have them repainted - runs around $75.

Second, alot of 944 owners have already made the 968 conversion. As such, there are alot of 944 handles "floating" around in the marketpalce. You should be able to find one for significantly less than the new price. On occassion you'll find the 944 owners want to keep the set so they can go back to original at a later date. You should be able to get a handle for around $75.

Thanks for the compliment on the procedure!

Jon Usher

Sounds great Keith,

Anybody out there willing to part with one of their old driver side handles that will fit an 86 951?

-Jon