[bradaskins]

Oh, that damn lock rod. That one rod ruined my whole day. It came unhooked and fell down. I had to take the interior panel off to retrieve the nuts I dropped and put the rod back together.
After putting the lock rod back in its place. Then I tried to install the new handle only to realize I had to install the handle first then the lock rod.
I drilled a 1 1/4" hole that made it easier to fit my fat fingers in there.

 

[bradaskins]

It's amazing how much faster replacing the second door handle took!

 

[WildBorego]

i just replaced mine but now it seems hard to open...... what did I do wrong?

 

[AstroWill]

i just replaced mine but now it seems hard to open...... what did I do wrong?

If the new parts are good, I would make sure that you have everything well lubed and nothing crossed or bent.

 

[goodgodfather]

Nice job. Mine recently snapped right off... Drivers and passenger. What years and models can I part from?

 

[JuneauCabbie]

Before I bought my 2003 LS (it was a one owner 110K dealer trade-in) the dealership replaced the driver's door handle. I had to wait several days before the dealership could get the original GM part. Unfortunately, the latch on the door is apparently too low, which causes problems with shutting and locking the door, and prevents the solenoid from latching or unlatching the lock. It's also very difficult to manually lock the door, since my fob locks every door but the driver's.

Got my Harbor Fright panel removal tools, but my door might also be a little low. I tried the old 2x4 lift trick, which didn't fix it. Can the door latch be moved up or down if the screws on the door edge are loosened?

I'm in Portland OR until after Thanksgiving, and I'm wondering if there are any Portland area folks on this forum that might be able to provide some advice before I pop the panel, or if there's a Portland body shop that could help me without charging me a fortune. I replaced numerous door solenoids back when I drove Astros and Safaris as taxis because of SE Alaska's freeze and thaw winters meant that they would get frozen and burn out about once a month. The guys at O'Schmuck's joked with all Astro owners returning solenioids that were under warranty, but it's been 8 years since I've done it.

 

[highfigh]

I'll be replacing the driver's door handle for the second time- glad I bought a Dorman with lifetime warranty.

POS design, if you ask me. Lots of parts on these that could have been much better.