Hi All, this one has me stumped: the exterior driver door handle no longer works on my 93 Grand Prix (4 door 3.1L).
I've taken the door apart multiple times, and I understand the general problem. The door latch mechanism is so worn out that the exterior door handle linkage can no longer push down far enough/hard enough to release the catch. The interior door handle does work.
I've tried lengthening the linkage rod, but the problem is it goes through a plastic retaining clip and with the longer rod the force on the clip is too great and it just pops out entirely. I tried modifying the rod to not come out of the plastic clip but even then it won't work. Also, the longer rod seems to put pressure on the exterior door key linkage so it's impossible to turn the key in the lock.
The basic problem is the door latch is just completely worn out. Ideally I would replace it with a new one, but I can find nothing on ebay or at the various online vendors.
I've been looking at junkyards but no success yet. Does anyone have any ideas where I can buy a replacement driver door latch mechanism? The mechanism is riveted together, so it doesn't look like there's much I can do to fix it.
Thanks.
