The door handle
This has to come off to take the mechanism out. If its old and rotten you may throw it away and get a new one.
First take off the T30 screw at the back of the door off, followed by the 10mm nut in the door
Send the handle foreward, pull as if you were opening the door and jiggle it out of position. There are now 2 rods holding it in place, prise them out wit a flat head screwdriver and out comes the handle.
Fitting alternative handles? Highly recomended. Marea handles are a straight swap but get ELX or HLX ones only as the SX has the rubber ones and your back to square one in a few years. Alfa 147 and Fiat 500 handles fit without too much work. As there are alot more Alfas in yards, thats what I'll be working with
Compare them first to see how much metal you'll have to take off (I've had these for years hence no pics before and after) but it should look something like this:
Once satisfied with the result, take out the barrell from your old handle. Its held in with a small clip
Do the same with the Alfa handle. Test the key in the lock before you put the clip in. Once satisfied, put the clip in
Refitting is by far the hardest part. It's much easier to get the rod for the lock from the mechanism and attach it to the handle first
The rod to open the door can be adjusted by twisting it. Attach this first, then test the handle (can it open, is it too hard to pull etc). Working on the inside attach the rod to the mechanism and perform a similar test.
Satisfied? Bolt it all up. Job done
- Next page: Removing the mechanism
- Previous page: Getting started
