Date:         Mon, 25 Aug 1997 14:11:30 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Sean Bartnik <sbart7kb@WWW.MWC.EDU>
Subject:      sliding door handle broken?

Hey all,
A bit of sliding door handle weirdness on the '81 Westy manifested
itself the other day.

I was getting some stuff out of the van, and found that the sliding door
wouldn't unlock.  Meaning, I put the key in from the outside, and turned
the key but the lock didn't disengage.  I had to open the front
passenger door and move the lock lever with my hand to get it to unlock.

When I shut the door, it locked fine from the outside, but the next time
I tried it, I couldn't get it to lock or unlock.

Next time I tried it, the handle came off in my hand(!) when I attempted
to open the door with it.  It didn't break, but rather pulled out of
its hole in the door, tumbler and all.

When I shove the handle back in, I can get the door handle to work like
it's supposed to, i.e. it locks, unlocks, and opens the door.  So it
looks like something is loose in there, possibly a retaining clip has
come adrift.  I plan to take it apart as there's not really anything
holding the handle in the door at this moment.  But I'd appreciate any
suggestions on what to look for from those who've had this problem
before.

Thanks,
Sean
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