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exterior door handles are stiff

Maz

NAXJA Forum User
Location
LaCanada, CA
The rear (exterior) door handles, on my '89, have stiffened up due to lack of use over the years. The buttons are hard to push in for my kids. What parts to I need to grease up to loosen them up? Do I need to get to the inside of the door handle, or the door itself, or is it the exterior mechanism? What kind of fluid / grease should I use?

BTW, I have the same problem with the rear windows. The handles are very stiff to turn for my kids. For the windows, I am sure I have to take the door panels off, but again, what should I use to gease up the linkages?

TIA
 
You'll probably have to get inside the doors to lube them up. I've always just used anti-sieze cream - the same stuff I use when I change out my spark plugs.


Pop off the door panels and you'll be able to feel the linkages back there. There are connection points where the linkages attach to each other, as well as points where the linkages are attached to the inner door skin. That's where I'd lubricate. Follow it up by working the door a few times to loosen it up.
 
I hit mine with wd40 to flush them out, then blew that out with compressed air, and the finally ubed with graphite lock lube. For the rods and linkages I have white grease spray.
 
I'd take the inner panel off and hit it with lube. Make sure you get the pivot pin on the door handle itself. That can rust and stiffen up, and if you don't get it, eventually it will not only get very hard to operate, but will break. The metal "release arm" is screwed into the plastic body of the door, and as it stiffens up, it bends and makes the problem worse until finally it strips the threads out of the handle and falls off. Get lots of oil on that, and exercise it well.

It's also possible that as the release arm wears and distorts, it goes out of adjustment. You can adjust the release point of the handle by taking the little rubber plug out of the door frame, and loosening the allen bolt in the hole to move the linkage.
 
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