I have a problem with the outside door handle (half doors). It won't open the door from the outside. I need to open it from the inside to get the door open. I pulled apart the door panel to take a look inside. When I pull the inside door handle, I see everything moving like it should. When I pull the outside door handing, I see a spring moving. Nothing looks broken, or disconnected. There are quite a bit of moving parts for both the inside, and outside door handles. I really want to get this resolved but I can't see what is wrong to fix it. Is my best bet to try and purchase a new door latch? install it and pray it fixes it? I have messed around with cars for a long time, and I have to say trying to take this latching mechanism apart makes me nervous. It's difficult to get to, to see, and if something pops out and falls into the door, it is not going to be fun. Thanks for any help.
Outside door handle doesn't work (half doors)
- Thread starter Uneedav8
- Start date
There should be a trip rod attached to a lever on the outside handle that connects to the latch assembly. The plastic keeper on the rod may have come off or broken so you need to try and find a loose trip rod flapping around inside the door panel. It is a big help to remove the window glass (not a big deal) for better access.
crackedcornish
TJ Enthusiast
crackedcornish
TJ Enthusiast
never had my TJ doors apart, so I may be talking about something I don't know, but when I repainted my YJ I took the handles out of the doors, both half doors and tailgate, and don't remember having much difficulty getting them back together...so take it apart and reinstall the handle and see what you get
I had the same issue and the problem was where the rod from the outside door handle connects to the door latch. Plastic keep broke
Most likely the plastic keeper inside or the metal clips , that connects the rods to the outside latch, is unclipped or broken. Follow the rod from outside handle to the latch mechanism as you pull the handle. Should be a plastic clip on one end of the longer of the rods and two plastic clips on the shorter of those rods and both are connected together by a pivoting L shaped bracket with a metal clip. That was the case on my 97 passenger half door. I didn't take a picture of it. But I have one of the driver door I attached. If it's broke you can get replacement clips for less than 1.00.
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