Door handle operation and rebuild?

bjwhite

bjwhite

True Classic
On my 82 X, the door handles have always been a little wonky with regards to operating the key. The right door seems to work fine--opens properly, engages the lock pull up and down when using the key, etc. The left door handle recently had the spring fail, which I have now replaced--but this handle would never operate the lock pull when unlocking and locking....although the actual locking did work.

I have traced this down to a missing pawl rod and the very common broken pawl.

But here is where I need some advice. When operating the key in the lock on both sides, the tumbler doesn't seem to "spring back" properly...it's like the tumbler is dragging on something. I thought maybe the return springs in the tumblers were bad and started to look at their operation at least on the left side door handle, which I have removed while doing this work.

It seems though that the spring works just fine, it's just that the pawl is dragging on the backside of the door handle itself. Seems there should be a spacer or something for the door handle to rest upon when closed, preventing the pawl from dragging. But while there is a little rubber "dot" inside the door handle which seems to do this job, it also doesn't seem like it's large enough to do this.

Anyone know what I'm talking about? I've searched a bit on here and Mira and haven't been able to find a thread that talks about this. It seems that if I space the handle just 1-2mm, then the pawl won't drag and the return spring in the lock cylinder works just fine.

Thanks in advance for anyone's advice here.
Brian
 
Hi Brian, I went through the same thing on mine. The drivers side gets a lot more use and suffers accordingly. Broken spring, broken pawl, dragging cylinder, compressed rubber bumper...same story.

Initially I did not have keys for the locks (purchased the car with lost keys), so I needed to get into it to find the "key code" and order new keys. While it was out of the door I did a rebuild of the entire thing (by the way, I discovered the code can be found without removing anything). It came out great, but I decided to swap it with the passenger side mechanism (which had much less wear/tear on it), so I cleaned and service that one as well. Here are some things I learned in the process.

1) Clean and lube. I found it possible to do a much more thorough cleaning and lubrication of the lock cylinder once it was out of the latch mechanism. But it was not necessary to take the actual lock cylinder apart (there are tiny springs behind the tumblers that will all go flying it you open it, and very difficult to get them back in their original positions). First I used a spray solvent to clean out the years of old dirty thickened gunk. It took a lot of cleaning to get all of it out. A locksmith recommended a Teflon based lube called "TriFlow". At first I thought it was too thin to last but it has proven to be excellent. By the way, just cleaning and lubricating everything eliminated a lot of the 'drag' and resistance.

2) Replace the little rubber bumper. With the cylinder out, the main handle (lever) pivot pins can be driven out for easier access to that little bumper. It looks flat but that's because it has smashed down over the years. It should have a raised semi-round top. Thanks to another Xweb member, I learned there is a rubber piece for American cars that works perfectly. Commonly referred to as a 'GM license plate bumper'; I actually found them at a hardware store but they can also be purchased at any auto parts store. It will hold the main handle up flush with the rest of the housing (looking from the front), keeping the cylinder away from things on the back side. I found it easier to install the rubber if a little is trimmed off one side of the round perimeter, making it a slightly "D" shaped. Also cleaning and lubricating the handle mechanism helps make everything move smoothly.

3) Replace the broken 'return' spring. I looked for a suitable replacement spring at various hardware stores, etc. But nothing could be made to work. You'll just have to source an extra spring from another Fiat lock mechanism.

4) Repair the broken pawl. New replacement cams (with pawl) are available however they are rather pricey, and they are no better than the originals (same design, prone to breaking again). [Note: if you decide to buy a new one there are 'left' and 'right' side pawls/cams]. I decided to follow another members suggestion of using a small screw, nut and washers instead. Remove the cam (by driving out the pin), drill an appropriate size hole through it and tap it for the screw, drill another hole through the plastic rod end for the screw to pass (head of screw hold it in place), add washers as needed to space the rod out, and use the nut to lock the screw in position. You can take this a step further by replacing the plastic end with a tiny 'ball and socket' kit (see linked post below) but I found the described method worked perfectly.

5) Swapping sides. If you decide to use the passenger side mechanism on the driver's side, you need to swap the cams (pawl assembly) between them. They have "left" and "right" orientations. Everything else is the same.

Here are some links with some related info and photos:
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index....ith-door-handle-lock-issues.23433/#navigation
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index....ow-how-to-change-out-locks.23405/#post-193351
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/re-keying-door-locks-swapping-lock-cylinders.11277/
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/door-locks-locate-replace.6350/#post-38573
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/keys.32812/#navigation
 
Thanks Jeff. This did the trick—the part about the rubber bumper standoffs is what I needed. Thanks for the comprehensive reply.
 
Got everything out and replaced the rubber bumper. Unfortunately the expansion pin was damaged beyond repair when removing the pawl. Anyone have a source for them? I was going to hit the local hardware stores but usually they are sketchy when it comes to stuff like this.
 
I found roll pins (expansion pins) that fit at a local industrial hardware store. They come in metric and US dimensions but there was so little difference between them that either would work. They are sized by diameter and length but its best to take the piece with you to find the right size.
 
Ace Hardware to the rescue again, which illustrates just how badly Home Depot and Lowe’s sucks for fastener hardware like this.
 
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