Loose door handle?

[shyster77]

Fellow Boxster-mates,

I'm curious about this recent wear and (hopefully not too much of) tear - The driver side door handle felt like it snapped out and no longer has the spring back motion but the window moves down and up, when the handle is pulled back and pushed forward. The issues are - during driving, the handle tends to move back and this causes the window to slide down (as if the door was opened) and also when the door is closed from the outside, it tends to make the handle move, makes the window to be down and leaves that gap between the sill and the window too.

I'm attaching a couple of photos to show how the handle stays when the door is opened.

Would I have to replace the door handle mechanism, to get back the spring back motion of the handle? Does the door panel need to come off?

Appreciate your insights here,

Cheers!

Edited February 9, 2012 by shyster77

[RFM]

Looks like the handle retaining spring is broken, the door upholstery must be disassembled to check and replace the spring. Do a search in the 986/996 forums, this topic is certainly already discussed.

[N41EF]

Yes the door panel has to come off to check it. It isn't that bad of deal, the Bently explains it pretty well. Go to Harbor Freight and get their 5 piece plastic door panel popper set. Go easy removing the silver C shaped piece from the inner door pull, easy to scratch. As you pull the panel away from th door, there are several small wire connectors for the door handle, the light shining on the ignition switch, and the light for the handle, Remember where they go, and remember to plug them back in.

[shyster77]

Thank you very much, Gents!

Let me get hold of the panel popper and report back.

Do you happen to know the part number for the spring? I couldn't find it on Pelican Parts.

Appreciate your prompt responses here.

Cheers!

Edited February 10, 2012 by shyster77

[dghii]

Don't worry about buying another spring. You can reuse your existing spring. When you remove the door panel, you will see that one end of your spring will be broke. Simply take a pair of plyers and work the broke end into a "U" shape and reconnect it to the handle. It will work fine. The spring is very strong and once the end is fixed, you'll be good as new.

I had this issue in my 2000 S back in November. The whole repair is easy and takes less than 1 hour, even never having done it before.

Good luck!

[mikefocke]

Since the door panel is somewhat close to the side airbag, might want to disconnect the battery while you have your head in there.

[shyster77]

Thanks for the pointer, dghii - I got the door removal tools from Harbor Freight last week and plan to take a stab at this soon. Appreciate this idea.

Good point, mikefocke - I was wondering if there is way to ensure the airbag stays where it is - this helps :)