Problem After Replacing Door Handle

Hello everyone.

I just replaced the driver-side exterior door handle on my 1st gen Tacoma.

Upon lifting the new handle, the rod does get pushed down, but the door doesn't open.

I can open the door from the inside.

Any idea what causes this problem? I do I have the sense that pulling really really hard could get it to open, but this is a cheap aftermarket handle and I will definitely destroy the handle if I pull hard.

BTw I have done this job previously on the passenger's side and it works well.

 

try remounting it, possible its at the wrong angle

 

UPDATE

I was able to open the door from the outside, but only by applying a lot of force and lifting from underneath the "wrong" part of the handle. If I were to apply that much force to the "correct" part of the handle, it would break.

Can someone please offer tips to make the door open more easily? I tried spraying some wd-40 on part of the latch assembly, but there's just not much surface area I can hit without ripping apart the whole door.

 

Is the rod bent? Mine was like that until I straightened the rod and it went back to perfect

 

sounds like a bad quality one, this one i got is sturdier than the oem one on my pass side.

$29 Metal Reinforced Front Left Exterior Door Handle Black Black, Textured, Plastic & Steel Driver Side Compatible with 1995-2004 Toyota Tacoma

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HSY19GM

 

I used the same one of my passenger side and it's fine

 

Not sure. I'll try to photograph it tomorrow and post here. How did you straighten it?

 

Just by hand/pliers. Mine had a noticeable kink in it and the exact same symptoms. Basically the rod wasn’t long enough because of the kink

 

I know you don’t want this

but you can compare opposite side for correct orientation of mis-bent rod
(Extra work taking off opo door card)
GL

 

Hello everyone. Here is an update.

I decided that I would have to remove the door latch assembly to inspect it. As some other posters noted, a bent rod could have been the culprit.

In case you don't know, this thing is that which I would have to remove:




Being a novice, I broke the clip for the interior door lock (the white one in the upper-left corner of the photo) in the process of removal.

Therefore I decided to order a new (used) one from a Chinese seller on e..bay for $97 including tax, and to replace the whole thing instead of trying to fix the old one. This one might or might not be OEM..I don't know how to tell but I will say that the rubber black cushion thing that runs on the outside was somewhat misplaced.

The gentleman in this video does an "ok" job of explaining how to remove the latch assembly, and has a couple of follow-up videos explaining how to repair a bent one and then reinstall it. I'd only watch those one time and then get to work. watching the video will help you to familiarize yourself with what you're looking at, which is important. I think getting your hands on it will teach you most of what you need to know, and if you're gentle I don't think you'll break anything. The clips are the most sensitive part, so don't smash them with a flathead screwdriver the way I did.

I found his tip about marking the window track bolts with marker to be unnecesary, and I thought he should have explained that the top rods must be positioned upright (not sagging) prior to reinstall. I ended up having to remount the latch assembly twice because the rods were getting stuck in the wrong position.

Anyway, the new handle and latch assembly are working great. Please don't hesitate to contact me for assistance if you're doing the same job and want pointers. with the correct tools and good weather, this can be an enjoyable job.

I'd also like to emphasize that the cheapo door handles were not the problem. Of course they are crappy and you have to baby them to make them last, but they were not the reason I had to apply massive force to open the door.

 

Just replaced both ext. door handles with steel ones from a1.
Replaced the driver side 2 times with plastic. Junk.
Had a mech do it this time to save time. One that knows how to do it without breaking everything on the way.
Getting parts in correct position is important, and never break the plastic clips. LOL

 

Awesome it's solved, was going to say IME I usually have something not quite attached right. Kinda hard to see inside the door and you have to do most things by feel.