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Exterior Door Handle Inoperative

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by joshhemming, Jan 14, 2020.

  1. Jan 14, 2020 at 4:06 PM
    #1
    joshhemming

    joshhemming [OP] Active Member

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    For the last couple of years the driver side exterior door handle has required me to lift if farther and farther up to open the door. Today, it stopped working all together from the outside. I'm lifting the handle all the way out/up but nothing happens. The inside door handle opens the door fine and the manual lock works normally. I assume the linkage inside the door has gradually slipped.

    Is this a common problem as Tacomas age? Mine is a 2003 but only has 88,000 miles.

    So, is this just a matter of removing the door panel and seeing what has slipped or come loose?
     
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  2. Jan 14, 2020 at 4:08 PM
    #2
    otis24

    otis24 Hard Shell Taco

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    This is pretty common. There’s a plastic part of the handle that most likely broke.
     
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  3. Jan 14, 2020 at 4:19 PM
    #3
    Black DOG Lila

    Black DOG Lila Well-Known Member

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    Stock. EZ pass.Dump pass.Inspection sticker.Convict printed lic.plates.FG cap.
    Yes. I'm on my 3rd ext.handle and clip. My armrest screws had locktite on threads, so theres that. Panel clip tool is plenty helpful but not totally necessary if you don't mind sporting broken clips and pulling it off twice.
     
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  4. Jan 15, 2020 at 6:04 AM
    #4
    Colchicine

    Colchicine Well-Known Member

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  5. Jan 15, 2020 at 9:39 AM
    #5
    Xbeaus

    Xbeaus Well-Known Member

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    Black hills South dakota
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    Toytec coilovers. Height adjustable Bilstein's. 265/75/16 MT. TRD wheels. Rebuilt r150f. Marlin clutch kit. All kinds of new parts...
    Very common. After fixing I spray the inside of the door and key areas with some Houdini lock lubricant stuff. Have only had to replace the handle once. Rockauto handles and not OEM as well. Cold weather and grime contributed to my OEM breaking. There are very small clips in the inside. Be very careful. If you break the inside parts the dealer is the only place to get these I believe.
     
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  6. Jan 15, 2020 at 9:53 AM
    #6
    GQ7227

    GQ7227 mw survivor

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    309km east of Hazard ...the good life
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    '97 black SR5 0g ~ MT @ 176k ...
    black woolWax, green IFC, borlaCB, custom Line-X PC drums, skid, nuts, hooks, 1/4 silver frame...
    you need to be much 'gentler' with them
    i have yet to break one of mine and many winters when truck was in the elements there would be a fine glaze of ice sticking, especially after the many times washing slop off in below freezing temps and parking in the unheated garage

     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2020
    Taco critter likes this.
  7. Jan 17, 2020 at 6:29 PM
    #7
    joshhemming

    joshhemming [OP] Active Member

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    Do I need a special tool to remove the window crank handle?
     
  8. Jan 17, 2020 at 7:58 PM
    #8
    DustyGreenTaco

    DustyGreenTaco Member

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    I think I used a screw driver to remove the clip
     
  9. Jan 18, 2020 at 8:32 PM
    #9
    Geeoh43

    Geeoh43 Well-Known Member

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    I had the same symptoms, door handle broke. Replaced it & it was still hard to open. I sprayed everything with PB blaster and now it opens like butter.
     
    GQ7227 likes this.
  10. Jan 19, 2020 at 4:37 AM
    #10
    QMEDJoe

    QMEDJoe Proverbs 3:5-6

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    Fox 2.0 Coilovers in the front and Fox 2.0’s in the rear, Total Chaos UCA’s, Al-lpro expo leafs, K&N cold air intake, TRD headers,Magnaflow catback exhaust,URD short throw shifter, switched out my 60/40 bench seat for some Tacoma Limited seats, Replaced the vinyl shift boot for a leather one, completely soundproofed the cab w/ Frost King. Replaced stock radio with a Pioneer AVH series head unit. Focal component system w/a 10" sub powered by 2 Alpine amps. Weathertech floor mats. Line-X'd the bed. SCS Ray 10’s, Installed an A.R.E. MX series camper shell. All-Pro Apex front bumper w/ All-Pro skid plates all the way back to the Trans. Low Range fuel skid plate.
    My driver side broke a little over a year ago so I ordered the “Limited” oem ones. (Dipped in chrome vs just plastic.) many have said that the Dorman aftermarket ones are better and beefier than the oem ones. I figured mine lasted 15 years so I went with oem. Plenty of diy YouTube videos out there. If your somewhat mechanically inclined this will take you 15 min per side.
     
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  11. Jan 19, 2020 at 5:12 AM
    #11
    GQ7227

    GQ7227 mw survivor

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    :confused: they are not all the same on all trucks?
     
  12. Jan 19, 2020 at 7:01 AM
    #12
    thenodnarb

    thenodnarb Well-Known Member

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    anyone know where to get new door panel clips kit? or part numbers? I've been into my door panels so much that my clips are pretty shot. i think they're red and blue. they aren't the same as the red and blue fender flare clips are they?
     
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  13. Jan 19, 2020 at 7:14 AM
    #13
    GQ7227

    GQ7227 mw survivor

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    309km east of Hazard ...the good life
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    black woolWax, green IFC, borlaCB, custom Line-X PC drums, skid, nuts, hooks, 1/4 silver frame...
  14. Jan 19, 2020 at 7:37 AM
    #14
    thenodnarb

    thenodnarb Well-Known Member

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    thanks. that was fast. they're in there, but dang, they're like almost 3.50 each. that would 35 per side. i think i need to find some aftermarket clips.
     
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  15. Jan 19, 2020 at 7:53 AM
    #15
    cruiserguy

    cruiserguy Well-Known Member

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    Yeah you want the Amazon generic cheap ones link for those man. I personally won't allow you rip yourself off and allow you to buy those. :D someone will have a link for em
     
  16. Jan 19, 2020 at 8:10 AM
    #16
    GQ7227

    GQ7227 mw survivor

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    309km east of Hazard ...the good life
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    '97 black SR5 0g ~ MT @ 176k ...
    black woolWax, green IFC, borlaCB, custom Line-X PC drums, skid, nuts, hooks, 1/4 silver frame...
    yeah i am probably going to be needing to for the first time ever attempt to break free my near cherry paneling to fix a fricking window chatter that is now bugging me too much, not sure what it is either yet, maybe just the run channel is needing replaced, since that is the only thing i did (cleaning the tracks) to induce this awful noise :(
    maybe change the stock speakers while its all apart and add dynomat stuff everybody says makes it quieter in the doors on the road :notsure:


    or should i wait until i finally break the door handle from the icy elements, ... had another close call the other day but it made it! was very very gentle with it
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
  17. Jan 19, 2020 at 8:18 AM
    #17
    cruiserguy

    cruiserguy Well-Known Member

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  18. Feb 16, 2020 at 4:23 PM
    #18
    joshhemming

    joshhemming [OP] Active Member

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    Original Poster here.

    I bought a pair of aftermarket door handles on Ebay and finally got around to pulling the door panel. I used the rag trick suggested by the big ol' boy on YouTube to move the clip on the window handle up far enough to grab it with a mini-pick. I temporarily forgot that the interior handle bracket has to slid to the side a little after removing the screw to free it from the door.

    After removing the door panel and weather barrier, I looked to see exactly why the original outside handle wouldn't open the door. I couldn't see any bent or broken parts. I decided to try lubing all the linkage joints with PB Blaster before changing the handle. It started working fine again.....smooth as new. I did notice that when the handle was lifted, the entire bottom of the assembly was lifting up almost 1/8". This was because one of the two mounting bolts had worked itself loose several turns over the past 17 years. Tightening the 10mm bolt secured the handle. So I left the now good as new original handle installed.
     
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