have recently noticed a sticky door handle situation, i.e. i pull on it, and it doesn't engage...

have tried wd-40 on the lock mechanism on the side of the door, seems to improve for a few days, then locks up again...

the handle is also very stiff, any suggestions?
thanks!

 

Fire some graphite powder into the sucker

 

The main cause of broken or sticky door handles is, plain and simple, lack of lubrication. There are several hard-to-spot pivot points on the door handle mechanism. To lubricate them, you must get at the back side of the door. It's not much work at all. In fact, you don't even have to remove the door handle, just the mounting screws.

On 4000 and 5000 Series up to l988, there are two or three screws securing the handle to the door. One is on the face of the handle and one or two (depending on series) on the door jam. To get at the screw on the face side of the handle, you need to carefully remove the chrome trim piece with a sharp, pick like object. Start prying on the section the chrome strip located toward the rear of the car, NOT toward the front. It easily comes off. Remove the Phillips head screw on the front side of the door handle. Now open the door. There's a rubber grommet in line on the handle on the door jam. Use your sharp object to carefully remove the grommet. See the screw(s) inside the hole? Use a magnetic Phillips head screw driver to remove the screw(s). Now you can pull the door handle just far enough away to lubricate the pivot points. Use "LPS3". It sprays on, but then solidifies into a waxy grease. Be careful so as not to upset the connecting rods. When done, reverse the procedure to reinstalling the handle.

While you've got the lubricant out, check the latch assembly on the side of the door. Remove the two screws with an Allen wrench. Sometimes it's necessary to jar them loose by rapping the head of the screw with center punch. Now carefully pull the latch assembly away from the door jam. It will only pull out a short distance.

On some vehicles there is a rubber dust boat on the back side of the latch. Pull it away and thoroughly spray the lubricant on all the rods and springs. Reinstall the latch and try the door. It should work like brand new again!

 

Mine had been like that for a LONG time. Finally I got fed up with having to open the door from the inside, and I took the door panel apart. There are a couple things that cause this.

First, the mechanism gets dry after a while and you need to lube it up good either with some grease or good thick oil, from the inside. Second, if you pull on the handle and it just won't open unless you have to use 'english', here's the fix: take apart the door panel, reach in to the vertical metal rod that goes to the door latch and straighten it out a bit. Over time this bar gets bent and can't fully push down on the latch. Third, the door pin originally came with a plastic sleeve. If this has disintigrated it will give you problems. You can't put another on, just replace the whole pin.

Hope this helps.