Ugh.

I replaced the original drivers door cable a while back. The new one lasted about a year before the retaining bit at the end popped off. Figured I just got a bad Chinesium cable, ordered a different one and put it in maybe a year ago. I did notice that handle seemed to need some extra pull to open. As the cold weather approached it got worse and presumably broke or popped this weekend.

What do you think?

Wrong cable?
The actuator itself going bad?
Doing something wrong with install (not sure what as install seems fairly simple once door panel is off).

Any ideas appreciated before I order and replace cable #4,.

Thx

Mike

 

I too have broke them and the leaver ...and have fixed many. My problem was pulling too hard or trying to open when door was locked. Now I take it ez

 

The door lock assembly inside the door needs to be throughly cleaned and lubricated.

 

+1 to A2B....also, don't shut the door after assembly, you know it latches, its a question of how. After cleaning and lubing and reassembly, trip the latch with a screw driver and then pull the release to see if it has the same tension on it or not. If not, then close the door and open it to see if its releases easily, because your issue could be door latch/post alignment.

 

Pulled door card today. Cable was not broken. I sprayed a bunch of oil into assembly, but I thin the actuator is broken or frozen. Thinking I need to find a replacement assembly?

 

I think it would be best if you took it out and looked into it more in depth just to see what’s going on.

 

Agree with Addicted, because your asking us to guess for you then.

 

This happened to me a while back. It ended up being the handle itself, not the cable - the plastic part where it hinges was broken. The lever could not pull hard enough on the cable because the plastic that the handle attaches to would give way just enough that the latch wouldn’t release. It was a head scratcher til I found it, because it was NOT obvious at all that the handle hinge itself was moving slightly.

Edit: Regardless of what you find, be sure to clean up the latch assembly because that’s probably what is causing the problem in the first place, as A2B and Highhorse mentioned.

 

Hi All,

Just to close the loop.

Removed the lock assembly. Discovered that the only really good way to clean and oil it is via removal which is a bit of a pain, but not awful. Cable was actually fine. It is now operating better than it has in years.

The Uro cable is nice in that it has the foam sleeve piece which most of the aftermarket cables do not. However, the grommet at door latch side is not as original and is a bit too large. Unless you shave it down, there is no way you will seat it properly without removing latch assembly. With latch out, I could squeeze it in with big pliers. I suspect it will last longer than original style grommet but would only recommend if you are removing the whole mechanism.

Thanks to those who replied.