Door handles hard to work
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,962
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From: Topeka-Pothole capital of the universe
Door handles hard to work
The door handle on the drivers side of my 82 is getting harder to push in, at times my wife can't get the door open. Is this a project involving the removal of the interior panel?
The key mechanism is getting stiff as well, perhaps they should both be repaired at the same time. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
The key mechanism is getting stiff as well, perhaps they should both be repaired at the same time. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
It could be an adjustment problem (the actuator rod that attaches to the handle), or it could just be that the grease is stiffining up in the colder weather. I think that's what's happening to mine. The latch mechanism sticks when I open the door from the outside. If I jiggle the inside handle a little it's fine.
Maybe I'll get my act together soon and get the door panels off and everything in there cleaned & greased.
[Modified by jerryp58, 5:10 PM 11/3/2002]
Maybe I'll get my act together soon and get the door panels off and everything in there cleaned & greased.
[Modified by jerryp58, 5:10 PM 11/3/2002]
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 2,897
Likes: 0
From: Moon Township PA
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
These are easy repairs. The door panel will have to come to expose the various components. The hardest part is removing the rear most nut that holds your door handle in. I would take the panel off, look for any obvious things hanging up and then start with a general cleaning. You would be surprised how much you can clean on the lock mechanism, the door latch, the window tracks, etc without taking anything apart. I had some previous experience with similar doors (66 Corvette) so I went ahead and took the lock out, the outer door handle, and the lock cylinder. I cleaned them in solvent, lubed them up and reinstalled it all for a like-new function. The whole procedure was only a couple of hours per door.
Gary
Gary
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 162
From: columbia city in
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
on my 82 ,it did the same thing but it turned out to be the power lock that was binding . took everything apart and cleaned it and lubricated all moveing parts and a new power lock .
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 12,399
Likes: 247
From: San Jose CA
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
Not sure about the key mechanism, but as far as the handle goes, WD40 and white lithium grease are your friends. Use WD-40 on the handle's actuating parts, spraying as you actuate the handle. Then, use white lithium grease to preserve the smoothness. It'll be the best mod you ever do to your vette, guaranteed. ;) I used to have a very strong grip before doing this.
You can get white lithium grease[spray] at any parts store.
-Steve
You can get white lithium grease[spray] at any parts store.
-Steve
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
From: Raleigh NC
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly. My door is completely stuck right now. :mad :mad :mad
They were like yours, getting harder to push in. And sometimes they'd stick, and if I jiggled the handle on the inside, things would get umm.. unstuck. heh. Anyways, one day the locking mechanism got stuck. Key wouldn't open it, and I couldn't pull it unlocked from the inside. So I had to crawl out the passenger side for a few days. Then, I got it unlocked once. YES! I go to get back into my car from the driver's side and it gets stuck open again, and the only way I could get it unstuck (after 10 minutes of handle jiggling) was to lock the door. ANd now that's stuck again. :cuss
They were like yours, getting harder to push in. And sometimes they'd stick, and if I jiggled the handle on the inside, things would get umm.. unstuck. heh. Anyways, one day the locking mechanism got stuck. Key wouldn't open it, and I couldn't pull it unlocked from the inside. So I had to crawl out the passenger side for a few days. Then, I got it unlocked once. YES! I go to get back into my car from the driver's side and it gets stuck open again, and the only way I could get it unstuck (after 10 minutes of handle jiggling) was to lock the door. ANd now that's stuck again. :cuss
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,921
Likes: 2
From: York PA
Re: Door handles hard to work (TFeld78)
fix it as soon as you can, my outer door handle eventually stopped working. It's fairly easy to remove the latch mechanism, clean it and grease it. Mine now works like new, the old grease had almost turned into glue
