stupid door handles

[brake]

Can you get into a 2 door W body with the sideways door handles without the handle actually being there? I've been having the day from hell - One handle snapped right off and the other decided to join it when I tried getting in from the other side. fucking winter.



My car is useless as it sits until my new handles get here from rockauto. How can I even open the goddamn door to install the new handle if the handles are broken?

[94 olds vert]

If you remove the handle you will see two rods in the door. Push down on the one that has the threaded top. That should open the door.

[ScoobyDoo82]

If you remove the handle you will see two rods in the door. Push down on the one that has the threaded top. That should open the door.

You learned that trick from me :P

[94 olds vert]

Yes. Whenever I need to get Ina first gen now I break off the handle and then push that rod down. Never fails.

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

If the paddle part of the handle breaks off, you can reach the rods to open the door?

[brake]

I can't reach anything in there, I don't see how to get the handle off with the door closed either


I can see the two spots where the cheap white metal broke, and I can manipulate those, but I can't see how to get the handle off with the door still closed.


The handles were out of adjustment so being able to manipulate where the handles used to be isn't doing anything for me

[94 olds vert]

Yeah, if you break the handle you replace the whole thing anyway. So doesn't matter.

[brake]

I just don't know how the hell I'm going to get in the car.



I can't see how to take the handle housing off to reach down and actuate the rod in the door with the door still closed.

[94 olds vert]

So both doors don't work?

When I have to do that at the junkyard and both handles don't work I break off the handle I make the opening bigger with a screw driver. Then get a long needle nose pliers to reach the rod.

[Mark 97 Cutlass Coupe]

I don't think you can get inside the car from the outside with the doors shut, like you said. I think you're fucked. Unless someone has a much better idea, here are the three I came up with. One, I assume your coupe is like mine and has the split seat with the pass though. My whole back seat will fold down, not sure about the gp rear seat. If it does, crawl through the trunk to open the doors from the inside. If it does not, maybe just call AAA? Certainly you are not the first person to experience this. Finally, certainly the worst case scenario idea (maybe the only one that works?) bust out one of the door windows. If AAA says this is the only way, certainly do not break the fixed rear quarter glass as it would be expensive to replace. A used door glass from pick a part would only be about 30-40 bucks. In the future, if you know it is going to be icy, the night before open your door and close it over a bath towel, letting the towel hang over the handles. I used to do this when I lived in an apartment, and it worked fine. Good luck!!

[brake]

both handles are snapped off with half of them still in the door (the visible part is what snapped off, the part you actually grab to open the door)...can't get anything past the remaining pieces of metal handle to reach the rod


both handles are snapped off, the car is closed, i don't have access through the trunk (no pass-thru)

[brake]

I don't think you can get inside the car from the outside with the doors shut, like you said. I think you're fucked. Unless someone has a much better idea, here are the three I came up with. One, I assume your coupe is like mine and has the split seat with the pass though. My whole back seat will fold down, not sure about the gp rear seat. If it does, crawl through the trunk to open the doors from the inside. If it does not, maybe just call AAA? Certainly you are not the first person to experience this. Finally, certainly the worst case scenario idea (maybe the only one that works?) bust out one of the door windows. If AAA says this is the only way, certainly do not break the fixed rear quarter glass as it would be expensive to replace. A used door glass from pick a part would only be about 30-40 bucks. In the future, if you know it is going to be icy, the night before open your door and close it over a bath towel, letting the towel hang over the handles. I used to do this when I lived in an apartment, and it worked fine. Good luck!!

thanks!

[rich_e777]

I was able to open mine ONCE with the hook of a wire coat hangar and the inside lever. You have to have it curved out in the middle of the hangar then back in torwards the door and hook it on the bottom part of the inside lever and slowly pull. Something sticky on the hangar helps it grip.

Once you get your new handles take some sandpaper and round of the edge that makes contact with the bar that has what looks like a weight on it. This little metal piece is usually brass looking and pivots about freely. Man i wish i hadnt of dropped my cam with the pics on it. I did this years ago when i was tired of replacing my handles and havent had a problem since.

This edge im refering to over time cuts into the cheap made in china parts every time the handle is pulled from the outside. Looks good but an incredibly stupid design, ive considered swapping doors or i saw on tha Muscle Car show on spike when they redid some handles for an old Buick i believe it was.

[Schurkey]

GM engineers should have their asses handed to them for designing such a crappy door handle--and then specifying crappy metal to build it from. Even the 4-door door handles are junk.

[brake]

Got in. Demolished existing handle and now I have lock and door actuator rods exposed... Gonna redneck something up so I don't need to use the pliers every time.



Your advice has been much appreciated, thanks everybody