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I replaced my door handle gaskets (that had basically disintegrated) today. I used the instructions in this incredibly helpful thread.
Passenger side went back on, no problem (I just seated the front part first, and then the back part (with the lock mechanism, etc.) popped right in with a little tap from my palm.
The driver’s side, however, is about to drive me to drinking. When I seat the front part, the back part won’t go in. It doesn’t seem to be lined up at all (several mm too far forward to match up with the hole it’s supposed to fit back down into.) I’ve tried only seating the front part of the way, which will allow me to seat the back, but then there’s no way to get the front to go in.
Any tips/tricks would be much appreciated! Thank you.
This will show you how it's done but it's a lot easier to show and do without the gaskets. Sometimes the new gaskets are thick and stiff and don't like to cooperate. But this is how you get them on (without having to hit it to go in)...
First, put tab A into the hole and slide the handle all the way forward towards the front of the car...
This will let tab B slide into that hole.
You'll see that once you get both A and B into the hole, the back does not line up. Like it will not go into its own hole.
But if you slide the handle back towards the rear of the car (with both A and B still in the hole) you can then get the rear part of the handle to line up....
And then just push it into the hole and the handle is nice and flush with the door.
There shouldn't be any force needed. But like I said before, sometimes the gaskets make this harder than what it should be. Some handles require more pressure to get B into the hole and slid back than others. But once it's lined up, it just slides right in.
Thank you so much @royalschwarz , I really appreciate you taking the time to post this—and so quickly. That's more or less what I've been doing, but it's invaluable to see it mapped out and to know that the gaskets can make it more challenging. Helpful to have these detailed steps and to know that that is the correct process. I'm going to head back out and try again!
Update: FINALLY… somehow got it to work. Closed the door (that helped because then I could push harder down on the front tab while I pulled back to seat the back part. Still had to tap the back part a bit, but it finally came together. Thanks again, @royalschwarz !
Okay, any other ideas? This is just not working. I tried it without the front gasket to eliminate a variable, and even then I can just barely get tab B to engage. Then I pull back toward the rear of the car, and every single time I try to seat the back part, once it engages the front tab pops out.
Update: FINALLY… somehow got it to work. Closed the door (that helped because then I could push harder down on the front tab while I pulled back to seat the back part. Still had to tap the back part a bit, but it finally came together. Thanks again, @royalschwarz !
Glad you got it in! It's a lot easier to do when it's just a bare handle with no levers, lock wiring, rods, gaskets, etc attached to it, that's for sure. At least you won't have to do this job for another 20+ years. :-)
07-10-2022, 06:09 PM
Reinstalling door handle—help!
