So, I went out to open the door of my fd and the door wont open from the drivers outside. Then I went and leaned through the pass. side and opened the door from the inside. The door locks and unlocks, and will open from the inside,so I guess the problem is the handle itself. Any suggestions???????

 

I have the almost the same problem. Mine won't open 40% of the time. It really sucks! The body shop that repained my car messed mine up.

I could use some help here too.

 

same thing happened with me and I just had to get a new handle, its an fd thing

 

My handle works fine, but my keyhole doesn't work unless I literally snap the key off in it! FD-Door handles-the sux

 

are the handles expensive, new from factory?

 

this happened to me and it turned out that it got stuck and i pulled the handle real hard from the top so as not tp break it and it came open

 

I can tell yo u exactly whats happening and there is a really simple way to fix it.

I had the same problem with my car, to the point where it got so bad one day I broke the handle off because I had to pull so hard. I was able to drill into the handle and get it back on but thats another long story...

Anyways, your problem is that the inside of your door mechanism is getting loose, when the metal parts begin to get loose, the L shaped mechanism which retracts by a spring goes past its resting point. So when your pulling on the handle to open it, the L shape has now aligned almost in a straight line, so when you pull itsn ot bending in half (or as easily atleast). I guess the best way is to just take it out and look at it.

Its really simple to pull out and see,

Take off the plastic cover on the inside of the door, on the opposite side of the door it self. I beleive there are two 10mm bolts holding it fastened, unscrew it and pull out from the ouside of the car.

There will be two plastic pieces connected on two metal rods, you need to (twist them up, they lock onto the rods but are easy to slide off) Once you twist them up, you can pull them out. Then there is a small piece of plastic that has been fastened with a philips head screw you need to loosen and twist, (it holds the electrcal wire down)

Your going to notice, that it runs underneath the mechanism part. You will need the philips head screw driver to remove the bolt holding down one end of the mechanism and spring underneath. Once you have the wire out just re assemble the unit and fiddle with it, you'll be able to understand why its locking like that.

Its a real simple fix, I just put a small screw in a spot that would keep the mechanism bent enough that when I pulled on it, it would bend alot easier.

Sorry if this didnt help much, I'm deleriously tired. Removing the door mechanism takes approx 10 minutes.

 

i had the same problem.. i fixed it very easily.. just take out the mechanism and put put a bit of tape around the area where the mechanism rest, this will raise the lever just a tiny bit.

Mine would not open at all but a few layers of electrical tape fixed it.. weird.

 

i had the same problem with mine...be careful because if you keep trying to open the handle from the outside the plastic piece that connects to the metal piece....the plastic piece will strip and you will have to replace the handle. good luck

 

^^ Ditto

 

The door handle is VERY easy to take off - pop off the plastic cover, 2 10mm bolts, then you can un-do the rods going to it. It's a simple mechanical device - if it's not working properly, it shouldn't take much work to find out why.

If your locks are stiff, they need to be lubricated. Get some graphite lock lubricant and put some in the lock, work the key in and out a few times, then turn the key back and forth a few times. That will loosen up pretty much any stuck lock and make it work great.

When I got my FD, both of the flapper doors that are on the keyholes were broken off - pretty common. I took both cylinders off the car and took them to a locksmith. He put new doors on, lubricated everything up well, and made 2 key copies for under 20 bucks and was done in an hour.

This is just simple mechanical problems, nothing FD specific or special to these problems. Just spend a Saturday afternoon and whup 'em.

Dale

 

lmao i am in the same boat as u are haha

 

Well, I just got done looking inside the handle and the door only to find that it cannot be repaired. The handles internals are simply too worn. If anyone has a good conditon drivers side handle in good working order I need one PRONTO!

 

bump...

 

please??????????

 

Haha my passenger door handle is having the same problem.

 

I need a new handle...anyone?????

 

Really, I'd get a new one. I don't think they're *that* bad all things considered, and a new one will be good for another 100,000+ miles.

Call up Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda on Monday and get a quote on it.

Dale

 

seriously man pull it off. it takes 5 min. see maybe you got lucky and the plastic retainer broke. i doubt it but you wont know till you go and look. i have had to buy a used one. still opening. also it is a great idea to put some good syn grease on the slides. the plastic tends to bind a bit which increases the load on the shitty hinge.

 

I have already taken it apart. There is no fixing it the internal are just too worn. Anyone know how much for a brand new one average?

 

I think it's like $100ish. Put it this way - you HAVE to have a door handle, and it's worth getting a new one, as it's pot luck finding used ones that are in good shape.

FC's have similar door handle problems, and over the years I learned it's way better to get a new one than used - you just end up fighting the same problem soon. New door handle, you're good to go for years.

Dale

 

a new one from ray is more along the lines of $175... i just got used to going in from the passenger side on mine

 

i think it was like $125 from mazdaformance.com
the plastic piece on mine just busted. seems like an overly complicated mechanism to me.