So the other day the misses and I decided to go to the mall and we took the FD. Well the passenger door ever since I got it was hard to open. You would have to really pull on it to open. She was having issues getting it open so the last couple times I opened it from the inside for her. This time I left the windows down because I just got back from the store so instead of reaching in and opening it she grabbed the handle with both hands and just pulled up as hard as she could. *POP!* Im come over and she just looks at me like "My bad" lol. Knew I had to replace it soon but man...

So has anyone else had this issue? Is it pretty common? What all will need to be replaced? I figure I shouldnt have to replace the locks or anything like that but I never dealt with it before.

 

outer handle?
someone makes a replacement from cast aluminum iirc
not expensive, maybe 150 for drivers and passenger side.

edit:http://cgi.ebay.ca/Mazda-RX-7-FD3S-A...item35acbdd68f

 

This is kinda on you IMO. All you had to do was put on some grease lightning (not WD-40)and it would have been like new again. All you do is spray it on the key hole and you're done, 2 sec worth of work.



If you want OEM replacement then you have to buy the whole assembly (I know ouch!) But fear not there is forum member who has made aluminum (IIRC) replacement handles (as the previous post mentioned).


yeah it's actually quite common. The mechanism that opens the door looses its viscosity due to the elements and becomes hard to operate and the first thing to give is the plastic handle. Mine broke a few years back, After pricing the handle I ended up buying the whole triangle piece from mazda recycling and swapping out mechanisms. A couple of years ago the other handle started getting hard again to open as well and immidieatly I put on some grease lightning. Problem solved without any casualties.

 

It is a common problem. You can get the aluminum ones posted above or stock replacement from Ray Crowe at Malloy Mazda. I don't think the stock ones are that much money either. You can also get the stock replacement here. http://www.rhdjapan.com/mazda-oem-le...dle-fd3s-28199

 

hey back when I broke mine I was told i couldn't just buy the handle has that changed?

 

When it happend to me i had to buy the whole thing too but that was back in 2004.

 

I got mine from Tom.

http://rx7doorhandles.com/

His door handles are the sturdiest and I think they are worth it even though it may be overkill. Tom is also a good guy to boot so he will definitely help you and make sure you're set. I got mine in the aluminum finish but I suggest you order it painted from Tom. The bare aluminum gets really hot to the touch. I got mine painted so its much better.

 

If she is your wife she already has all the *** and at least 1/2 the money in the relationship. Might as well let her have the door handles as well. See previous posts for all relevant info:

Exhibit A: Malloy
Exhibit B: rx7doorhandles.com (or similar)

 

Thanks guys. I just bough the eBay ones from the second post. Looked pretty much the same as the ones from Tom but cheaper in price by a little. What do you need to do to replace it?

 

we have all had this problem- wife is hard on **** lol. tell her next time she breaks the fd that your new girl friend will be pulling on the new door handle hehe

 

^^^ lols... then she might get half the FD, not just the door handle...


J.

 

lol nice. I say **** like that to my wife all the time. She laughs....and then beats me up... lol

 

As far as I'm concerned the OEM handles are plenty strong, they're just almost 20 years old now. You just need to grease up the inner moving parts every once in a while when you feel it getting stiff.

When you replace it, make sure that you grease up all the metal moving parts and the spring inside the handle, or you're going to break the new ones again within a week.

 

have a few hours free
remove the inner plastic or rubber cover behind the triangle (don't remember the material)
you'll see how it should come apart, and get too it. It was a pain in the *** when I did it. I took a break about halfway through, went to a movie with friends, then came back and finished up. Its frustrating and just take it slow. I thought I had it ready to go back in but then I realized I had the arm in the wrong position and had to take it back apart.

 

I bought some of the ones of ebay. Turned up 2day and they are both drivers side lol
Typical considering i needed a passenger one. Nothing ever goes to plan on these cars

 

Mine was the same way when I got my car.

It's possible the plastic part was already cracked, mine was and while you could still open the door it took a lot of upward pressure to do so.

They're plastic, they break, common problem like folks have said.

I'd still throw her a beatin to teach her a lesson (wear a white t-shirt when you do it for dramatic effect)