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How to- sort door handle not operating

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bigwinn
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How to- sort door handle not operating

Post by bigwinn » Fri Sep 10, 2021 7:07 pm

Today I tackled the passenger door not opening from the outside. I didn't take too many photos as I got to the root of the issue quicker than I thought!

Simple issue- door won't open when outer handle is pulled- the reason is that the cable has stretched, so when you pull it, it doesn't travel far enough to open the door.

How to fix:

Be warned- you need to be around airbags for this, if that concerns you or you don't feel competent to do this then get someone else to do it! DONT blame me if you c0ck things up.

Disconnect battery, leave for 20 mins
Remove door tweeter pod- care when undoing the connector
Remove the door handle cover, start at the top using a good trim removal tool and pop off
Use a stanley blade to remove the blanking grommet in the inner door handle
Pop the airbag grommet cover off (if unsure it sits below the lock tell)
Now undo the 4x 25 Torx screws- one under that airbag grommet, one under the handle hole, two on the door pull

Once all out pop the door card off start at the bottom and do the top rail nearest the window last. Unclip the inner door cable (white clip) and the other looms (electric window etc) so you can pop the door card to one side

Remove the door air bag 3x 10mm bolts and take connector off

CARE- be careful when you unpeel, open or remove the door membrane. If you don't do this right you will let water get into the car! It may be worth pricing up a new membrane or a method to repair if you do damage it.

If you reach into the door, toward the back of the car you will feel/see this apparatus.
IMG_1294.jpeg
IMG_1294.jpeg (125.49 KiB) Viewed 872 times
This is where the cable from the outer door handle terminates. If you pop your fingers at the bottom of the set up you can pull the cable out of its holder.

Next step is to put something EITHER on the cable OR in the holder that will space out the wire. I used a 1.5mm o ring that could fit over the cable and its retaining lips, that when clipped back in place it took the slack up.

Close up but doesn't show the o ring I forgot to take a photo of that, see approximate location in black
IMG_1296.jpeg
IMG_1296.jpeg (141.85 KiB) Viewed 872 times
And thats it- door now works!
If the forum helped you, why not help the forum back. Thats the Z4 way! :thumbsup:

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Zulu4
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How to- sort door handle not operating

Post by Zulu4 » Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:23 am

Great write up. Thank you Stuart. :thumbsup:
2007 3.0si Auto Sport Roadster. Whippy.
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