Odd Door handle problem, newbie question

creepyjon · Post by **creepyjon** » 22 Nov 2006, 06:44

Hi I just picked up an 1995 850 that I'm fixing up. The wierd thing is the door handle on the drivers side will only open if you pull on it really quick and give it a hard yank. The inside handle works smoothly, as does the lock. I took the door skin off, but have yet to find any broken rods or clips. Then of course I can't really see much of the outside linkage either. Any ideas on what part it is or how to get the handle the rest of the way apart to investage it.

CarVolvo · Post by **CarVolvo** » 22 Nov 2006, 08:17

i would remove the door handle (held on with two torx screws on the side of the door.

Sometimes the parts inside ( a short rod with a connector) might corrode or seize and a bit of lubrication wont hurt.

creepyjon · Post by **creepyjon** » 22 Nov 2006, 13:21

ok I tried a ton of PB Blaster on it, from several angles. If it helped it wasn't much. I tried to take the handle out by removing those two screws, but it was still attached somehow to the linkage which I can't see enough of to figure out how to disconnect it.

tca217 · Post by **tca217** » 24 Nov 2006, 02:29

According to the Haynes manual, you have to remove the lock cylinder from the handle first (there is a small plate you need to remove and there is a small hole next to 2 screws, take and insert your key in the lock, take a small screwdriver and push it in the hole to depress a spring clip, then remove the lock assembly), then loosen the 2 door lock retaining screws (that are on the edge of the door by the latch),, then remove the 2 outer door handle screws from the edge of the door (under that plastic piece you need to remove to get the lock out), pull the handle out and disengage the forward part from the forward pivot point. Hopes this helps, if not buy a manual, Haynes is the better of most of them.

CarVolvo · Post by **CarVolvo** » 24 Nov 2006, 07:48

spraying it on the outside wont help because the mechanism is jamming on the inside where it meets the locking mechanism.

Take the mechanism off with the two bolts directly below where the handles are.. not a bad idea to lubricate that too. Once you remove it ..it should slide out and you will see the rust build up inside which is most likely the problem.

ski32287 · Post by **ski32287** » 18 Jun 2007, 12:17

I had the same problem with my 94 850
When the door is open close the latch with your finger (the same latch that will flip down when u shut the door)
you might get some grease on your fingers.
Apply some pressure to it, to get it back open (it wont flip up of course, this is how the door is kept shut), then pull the door handle out while still applying pressure. If it flips right up, which im sure it will, there is nothing wrong with the handle itself, but rather the door hinges and the piece that the door clings onto when it is shut need a small bit of adjustment, your mechanic should be able to do this in 15 miniutes.

On the other hand if when u pull the handle out and it doesnt flip up (while simultaniousely trying to lift it up) then u might have some problems with the handle, but still it is an easy fix, most likely just the spring.

Hope this helps

fredstock99 · Post by **fredstock99** » 27 Jun 2007, 03:00

my 1993 850 got broken into... they first tore out the lock stem, but the good old volvo door still would not open for them, even after pulled so hard they ripped off the door handle... so they broke my window, and stole all my stuff. anyway, i too the door handle and lock stem off of a dead 1996 850 wagon we have (different key, but its the passenger door, i don't mind).

There is a piece that couples the door handle to the lock mechanism, it is an oblong metal thing, that has a screw head on it. This I assume is used to adjust how far the handle has to be pulled before opening the door. Of course I didn't have that piece, and the square hole of the door handle, does not fit nicely next to the circular gold ring on the door lock mechanism, so I used a couple of strategically placed zip-ties to hold the pieces together. Several iterations of the zip ties had to be tried, because if the handle portion is to far into the door, the door won't open (i.e. like your problem, can occasionally get it to open, with a real quick hard yank, or several of them in a row), and if the door handle is to far out when its attached to the lock mechanism, the door will never close.

my point... If you look at the face of the door where the lock is, there is a plate with two screws, on my car, there is a hole in that plate which looks directly at that oblong piece that couples the lock to the handle. Turning this moves the handle back and forth compared to the lock mechanism. A philips head screwdriver, and maybe 5 minutes of small adjustments should be all you need to get it working grat again. (in my humble, newbie opinion). I wish I could find one of those pieces without having to buy a whole door handle assembly, then I'd be able to get rid of my zip-tie ghetto rig, which still occasionally gives me trouble.