How do I take off the door latch-handle off the inside of a door panel? I removed the screw and all that, but can't "jiggle" the plastic door latch off. HELP! snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com
- posted
19 years ago
Taking off the door panel -- 94 Toyota truck
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- posted
19 years ago
It's been years, but Toyota tends to be consistent once they find a design that works. So: If I recall, the screw allows you to remove the rectangular plastic indented shell. If you pull the latch as if you were opening the door, you should be able to pull the front of the shell out about 30 degrees, and then forward, removing it completely from the door panel. The latch itself is part of a mechanism whose screws will still be hidden behind the door panel, so that'll still need to be removed, and removing the little shell is part of that procedure.
A disclaimer, and a hint: Disclaimer: As I mentioned before, I haven't done this in quite some time - at least 5 or 6 years. I've given you a general idea, but be careful. The best tool to have for this is a penlight to peek around the edges of the shell.
Hint: If you end up having to remove the entire door panel, don't do it when the panel is cold. If part of the panel is hard plastic, you risk cracking it. And, if the whole panel is soft, you still risk breaking the little plastic clips that hold it on. They're cheap, but it's silly to waste time & gas for a buck's worth of clips.