My drivers side door handle broke a couple weeks ago. After researching the solutions, I found that maybe the best way is just to repair it instead of replacing it and having to worry about paint color etc. Here is what I did.
1) Remove the handle from the car by removing the door panel (remember to remove two screws).
2) From there, you can access the 2 nuts that hold the handle in place, and the 1 nut that holds the keypad.
3) Once those are removed, you can start to figure out how to disengage the electrical connector on the back of the lock tumbler, and to disengage the rod that connects to the tumbler which unlocks the door with the key. (Be careful with that small plastic clip, mine broke and now the key will not work)
4) There is a large metal shaft attached to the moving part of the handle facing towards the front of the vehicle that is held in place by a screw. The shaft makes it very difficult to weasel the assembly out of the opening BUT it will come out with a little thought and trial and error. Once it is out, I removed the metal shaft from the handle and reinstalled the screw AFTER the entire assembly was repaired and slipped back into the opening. (It is tight, but easier than trying to get it back into place with the shaft attached)
5) For the repair, I cleaned the broken piece and the handle with contact cleaner.
6) I then applied a thin coat of JB weld to get the small metal tab re-attached to the handle. Take great care to make sure that the tab is positioned properly, not twisted or allowed to differ from the original position.
7) Once the JB weld hardened, I could now use some VERY thin gauge stranded copper wire to wrap around the repaired area. Making SEVERAL passes around and around in a pattern that would give the reinforcing wire the best chance of working. My theory was to use the copper wire as re-bar is used to hold concrete together. The wire ended up looking like a carbon fiber "weave".
8) Once the wire wrap was complete, I used a soldering iron and electrical solder to make the repair more solid, like a single piece of metal. Work the solder into the wrapped copper so that it encases it almost entirely.
9) Then I applied a generous helping of JB weld to one "side" of the repair, allowing it to harden before completing the encapsulation on the opposite side.
10) When complete, the repair sure does appear to be pretty strong. I will still be gentle when opening the door, but at least it is fixed!
11) Then CAREFULLY slip the plastic sleeve back over the metal rod that unlatches the door. Be careful not to apply much side load to the repair or you could break it off again. The repair seems to be very strong in the direction that the pressure will be applied when the door is opened.
12) Re-assemble the handle back into the door (remember to remove the large shaft to allow easier installation).
The total time it took was less than 2 hours of work with a couple days in between to allow the JB weld to harden. WAY less time than having to paint a new handle or something like that, and the cost... about $5-10. Hope this helps someone else. This website rocks!
1) Remove the handle from the car by removing the door panel (remember to remove two screws).
2) From there, you can access the 2 nuts that hold the handle in place, and the 1 nut that holds the keypad.
3) Once those are removed, you can start to figure out how to disengage the electrical connector on the back of the lock tumbler, and to disengage the rod that connects to the tumbler which unlocks the door with the key. (Be careful with that small plastic clip, mine broke and now the key will not work)
4) There is a large metal shaft attached to the moving part of the handle facing towards the front of the vehicle that is held in place by a screw. The shaft makes it very difficult to weasel the assembly out of the opening BUT it will come out with a little thought and trial and error. Once it is out, I removed the metal shaft from the handle and reinstalled the screw AFTER the entire assembly was repaired and slipped back into the opening. (It is tight, but easier than trying to get it back into place with the shaft attached)
5) For the repair, I cleaned the broken piece and the handle with contact cleaner.
6) I then applied a thin coat of JB weld to get the small metal tab re-attached to the handle. Take great care to make sure that the tab is positioned properly, not twisted or allowed to differ from the original position.
7) Once the JB weld hardened, I could now use some VERY thin gauge stranded copper wire to wrap around the repaired area. Making SEVERAL passes around and around in a pattern that would give the reinforcing wire the best chance of working. My theory was to use the copper wire as re-bar is used to hold concrete together. The wire ended up looking like a carbon fiber "weave".
8) Once the wire wrap was complete, I used a soldering iron and electrical solder to make the repair more solid, like a single piece of metal. Work the solder into the wrapped copper so that it encases it almost entirely.
9) Then I applied a generous helping of JB weld to one "side" of the repair, allowing it to harden before completing the encapsulation on the opposite side.
10) When complete, the repair sure does appear to be pretty strong. I will still be gentle when opening the door, but at least it is fixed!
11) Then CAREFULLY slip the plastic sleeve back over the metal rod that unlatches the door. Be careful not to apply much side load to the repair or you could break it off again. The repair seems to be very strong in the direction that the pressure will be applied when the door is opened.
12) Re-assemble the handle back into the door (remember to remove the large shaft to allow easier installation).
The total time it took was less than 2 hours of work with a couple days in between to allow the JB weld to harden. WAY less time than having to paint a new handle or something like that, and the cost... about $5-10. Hope this helps someone else. This website rocks!
lol
