GoCougs!

So when opening the drivers side door from the outside it opens no problem but from the inside I usually need to pull the handle at least twice and sometimes as many as 5 or 6 times for the door to open. Any idea whats going on? Thanks!

tvand13

There's a stamped steel piece in there that breaks pretty easily. It can be beefed up. Does it feel sloppy? There's plenty of threads on broken handles.

https://www.f150forum.com/f10/door-h...ailure-286048/
https://www.f150forum.com/f10/anybod...handles-97664/
https://www.f150forum.com/f98/how-re...0-f350-186963/

fltdriver

Once you get a support tacked on it you can prevent future damage by lubing the latch mech as well as the handle pivots and pull wire. Do the latch every 3-4 months and hit the handle stuff once a year. Once you have taken the panel off get a good feel for where everything is that you need to lube up on the handle and you will be able to do it in the future without removing the door panel.

Mista_Breeze

Even a nice sized body/ fender washer with a nut and bolt does the trick nicely. The whole clip, that the factory bolt went through, ripped through the metal on mine.

theshummer

So, I'm in the same situation as GoCougs, but I broke two handles (yes, metal ones) before getting that area beefed up and I just broke another one today. Is the only solution lubrication? I did that after I broke the first one and it worked for a few months. Seems like there should be some adjustment that's off just enough to not fully engage the unlatching mechanism?

Mista_Breeze

I would recommend taking the whole thing. Latch, handle, cable, and door lock out. That way you can see if anything needs replaced. You'll be able to narrow down the problem. It might be the trigger in the latch itself that the cable from the door handle pulls on. Mine was starting to rust and was sticking halfway. You can clean it up with a wire brush and oil it. This way you can make sure EVERYTHING gets oiled properly.

EDIT: if you take the bottom bolt out of the window bracket (window rolled up of course) you can gain about 3 extra inches to move everything around in.

Markiii

Yes there's many threads on this and lots of ideas on reinforcing the mounting plate etc. I've got posts from a while back about how I did mine.
I've since welded the whole mechanism to the door and backed it with 3/16" steel plate. What I haven't seen addressed though is the cable stretch which I believe is the underlying problem causing everyone to yank on their handles and break stuff.
I pulled the whole thing apart last week and got it on my bench to really see what was going on. When you pull the handle a lever releases the latch, but with cable stretched the lever has to travel too far before engaging the release.
To solve this, look at the cable ends. There's a notch in the ends for the retaining clips but there's another, smaller notch behind that which can be forced in and used instead. Doing that at both ends effectively shortens your cable 1/4" or so.
Next I found the little pocket where the post at the end of the cable catches. It's like a U shaped pocket with a slit in it, and at the end of the cable there's a metal cylinder that rests in it. I'm sure all this has a name.
Anyway, I pulled the cable out of there at both ends and filled the cavity with epoxy putty, put the cable back with a little tension to shape the putty, then pulled the cable back out and let it harden. I did this twice on each end, shortening the cable another 1/4" or so.
Now when I pull my handle, gently, it releases the door with minimal travel. In another twenty years the cable will stretch and I'll be back where I started, but it functions very well for now.

theshummer

Markiii,
Great post. Thanks for the practical suggestions to shorten the cable. I've done the lube thing several times and I've still broken 3 handles, so I was hoping for a mechanical solution. Not to mention it's a PITA to take apart the door every few months. So, when it happened this past May/June, I took out the whole assembly (again) to check it over thoroughly. All of the metal was in great shape and did not look bent anywhere, so I lubed it up and put it back in there. Thankfully, it's still working.

But, I had trouble getting the automatic door actuator to seat correctly. I couldn't reach in any farther and the rubber boot kept sliding down over the *****. Does anyone know any tricks for getting that thing lined up to pop in there?

I don't want to hijack this thread, but if I'm going to take apart the door again to shorten the cable, I might as well get the actuator back in right too.
Thanks!