Hi everyone - a new XJ40 owner here, and I've read all about the fun door handles...but had a simple question that I haven't seemed to be able to track down: What is 'normal' movement for the exterior door handles?

I have an 89 with the drivers side door opening, and barely any movement on the handle...but it does open. I also have the passenger side and drivers side rear doors which open from the inside, the passenger side rear which doesn't open period.

I pulled the door panel off of the drivers side first, since I was working and the on door I can't afford to get worse, and shot some lubricant into the handle and latch assembly, and I really didn't make an difference to how much motion the door handle makes. Am I missing something on what's causing the handle to have such a limited movement, or are the handles not supposed to have that much movement to begin with? The interior handles swing like 90 degrees, so you have all of this play, then the exterior ones with like 15 degrees of movement.

Any info, a video of 'normal movement', etc would be greatly appreciated!

Pete

 

My interior handles do pull fairly wide. Ive never actually measured the angle.... As far as the outsides, 15 degress does seems shallow. I would say, as a guess, from here on my warm comfy couch, that its more like 45 degrees "Or So". Mine had the problem of non- operation when i got it too, but I found it was simply that the rod connectors had worn out and was only a matter of replacing them for a fix. Maybe yours has the rod in a too- close- to- the- pivot- hole? i dont remember if there is more than one but theres my 2 cents. Good luck.

 

The 88-89 handles are a different size and design than those used on 90+ Model Year XJ40s. The early cars have not much movement, maybe an inch or so.

Stolen from the XJ40 book at Jag-Lovers:


"Well, to adjust the door handles, you take off the door interior panel.

There's a little gray rectangle in the interior door handle. Push up and it will pop out revealing a screw. There's also a screw behind the puddle lamp (the little red lamp on the door interior, near the rear). It's sort of scary, but take a large flathead screwdriver, hold it horizontally, insert it in the crevice between the puddle lamp and the door and pry it off (be sure to hold your tongue in just the right position or you'll break the plastic).

After all the screws are out, just pull the door off gently from the edges, there are plastic 'clips' that hold the door on - not to worry, you'll see.

Inside the door you can see the door handle assembly. There is also a turnbuckle which can adjust the length of the arm that connects the door handle and the latch. The bad news is, you have to take the outside handle off to adjust this turnbuckle. It's more time consuming than it is difficult.

Anyway, there are four screws on the bracket that hold the outside handle on.

I found that a pair of simple pliers was the best method for loosening them.

BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DROP THEM INTO THE DOOR ONCE THEY ARE LOOSENED!

Adjusting the turnbuckles is very important and they need to be adjusted to completely eliminate all free play from the external handles when the doors are closed but unlocked.

The standard Jaguar tool kit includes the right open jaw spanners to do the job. Other very small 8 & 7 mm open jaw spanners would also be OK. The front doors are no problem at all; the rears are difficult but possible.

The job can be made a little easier by buying a small 8 mm open jaw and heating and bending the shank about 30 degrees, as near as possible to the jaws and in the flat plane. "


Heck, I might have written that part myself... so I don't feel too bad

Bill

 

Ok, so it IS a fairly limited movement? The reason I ask, is when I opened my door panel, I couldn't for the life of me see what was actually causing a problem... the door was opening, the movement was fairly small, but I saw the white plastic mech travel nearly the full distance of an inch or so, and it didn't have much further to go before being blocked by a piece of metal...so the latch itself seemed to be fully operational. I may just have to pull the handle to figure out if I can add some 'play' to the handle so it's not engaging the latch right from the very start...but perhaps gives the handle a bit more travel before engaging it.... Not quite sure.

I can't quite picture the 'rod connectors' ... is this just a metal clip with a plastic hole in it? I wouldn't expect my drivers door to be good but all the other seized doors to be worse, unless it's not plastic but something else that's corroding against the rods...

I have a feeling a Saturday afternoon task is ahead of me heh
Pete