rich_e777 Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 Ive had this problem for a long time on my `94 Cutlass SL and even when i bought a entire new door handle about 45-50+ bucks at autozone but before installing take a grinder or some sand paper and there is a silver looking part torwards the bottom. round this part off where it makes contact(sorry for no pics) and make sure you adjust that little part that threads up and down to the right height and you should be good to go. I hope this helps all the dudes and dudettes with pillar mounted door handles. (if you luck up on one of these handles at a junk yard go play the lottery cause luck is on your side.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 or get one for $5 at a junk yard and keep it adjusted correctly and you will never break one again. I cant believe how many people have bad luck with these. they are pretty tough and rugged. in my opinion easier to work on than other makes and very easy to adjust. for something so simple it really is a very common problem and its simply amazing to me. as for bending rods. not sure why the rods are bending. if they are you must have adjusted it wrong or got rough with it. you should only need a couple turns to get it right. Im sure people on here have spares they would sell for cheap for future reference. try placing a want ad in the classified section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTP091 Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 or get one for $5 at a junk yard and keep it adjusted correctly and you will never break one again. I cant believe how many people have bad luck with these. they are pretty tough and rugged. in my opinion easier to work on than other makes and very easy to adjust. for something so simple it really is a very common problem and its simply amazing to me. as for bending rods. not sure why the rods are bending. if they are you must have adjusted it wrong or got rough with it. you should only need a couple turns to get it right. Im sure people on here have spares they would sell for cheap for future reference. try placing a want ad in the classified section. X 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss427 Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 I cant believe how many people have bad luck with these. they are pretty tough and rugged. in my opinion easier to work on than other makes and very easy to adjust. for something so simple it really is a very common problem and its simply amazing to me. I think the problem is that most people who break them are not members of this community but rather folks who simply have a W coupe as their means of transportation and don't understand/care about how and why the door handles work or become problematic. Then we buy the cars with broken handles and have to correct the problems. The rods don't really bend, they just stretch a little over time where the factory bends are, because careless people have trouble opening the door and thing the harder they pull the better luck they will have getting it opened, until the handle snaps. Just an FYI, don't buy NAPA handles, the "gloss" black paint will fade/oxidize to a flat mess in about a month, and the mechanism setup is inferior to the OEM design in several ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 Other than GM what is the best aftermarket brand for fit, finish,and durability? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 The junkyard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg35765 Posted July 1, 2010 Report Share Posted July 1, 2010 I'm sure I'll get pelted with empty beer cans for posting this, but I'm actually really happy with my cheap ebay "made in China" ones. I did have to grind a little off the bottom for it to fit, but that part is hidden by convertible trim on my car anyway. And they look really good. I'm sure the Chinese metal is garbage. But my logic was that 3 month old junk Chinese metal will be stronger than 16 year old GM metal, especially after seeing how many of them at the junkyard were broken. My junkyard charges $15 for vertical door handles, but only $5 for normal ones. And I think I paid about $27 shipped on ebay. [Covers hands with head and ducks behind desk] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 the strongest ones are 22 year old metal and they are $5. then again my logic differs from that of todays ricer crowd. hey at least you did something for the economy stimulus. too bad it was a communist country half way across the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted to eaton Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 i had 4 first gens befor EVER breaking one ( i broke the passenger side on the 95 teal Se i had.. i forgot it was locked lol, i thought it was froze shut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artemis Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 I've been looking over this thread for a solution to my problem. I'm sure it'll be somewhat straight forward. I replaced my broken door handle the other day... but the lock rod came loose from where its attached by the latch. Do I need to take apart the door or remove the panel to put it back, or just jiggle around and try to find where it goes blindly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 you gotta pull the door card off to get at it. sucks, i know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artemis Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 you gotta pull the door card off to get at it. sucks, i know. By door card you mean the panel? If so, not a huge deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 olds vert Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 When I replaced my door handle, the lock rod also came loose. I was able to take off the door panel and put it back on. On my car there was clear plastic behind the door handle I just cut a hole in it and then when I got the lock rod back in I just taped it back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radray64 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I'll be replacing the handle on my 93 Gp soon..its been acting up for years, I've even adjusted it some..that did help for a little while, finally the door was frozen shut, I guess I pulled a little hard and broke it... I was thinking the hinges being worn may have something to do with the door being hard to open, but no one has ever responded like it could have been that..Been looking at this forum for years, thanks for all the good info everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radray64 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Just Replaced mine today...Only one 1st gen grand prix at the junkyard and of course that handle was gone....went over to the Cutlasses and Buicks...Got one! not much to it.... and 10 bucks got that done!! Now the door Opens alot better than it has for the last three years....Not sure if something in the old handle was bent out of place though.... Whos been to Kentucky striping Gp's ...The GP did have a couple crosslasses on it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afubar Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 had to replace my drivers side door handle this past Monday. Went to Autozone on sunday and the part was in the next day. I had to replace the drivers side on my 94 Cutlass a few years ago, got that one off of Evilbay, one for each side, so the one I had in the Garage was for the wrong side. Dang. The 93 that I just replaced was a little harder than the 94. This one had a screw at the bottom left of the handle under the window trim peice. I got it done though. New one works great, real smooth. I did have a small problem getting the lock back into it's rightful place along with that little lighted ring. It's still not perfectly straight, haven't tried using the key to lock or unlock the door, but I always use the remote anyway. The key never would work on the 94 even when I first got it in 97. Live in the desert and the blowing wind and sand had clogged it up. Any tips for getting around the tight wire and small working space in getting the fit better? Thanks guys. Kaye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Is there a company that makes these parts in America or is it all chiniese crap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BXX Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 We dont have companies in America anymore. Only greedy CEOs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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