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Door Handle Dilemma

Question:	"I thought when you squeezed a door handle, it was supposed to open the door."
Answer:	"What do you want? A working door? Grumble, Grumble"

Level of Difficulty:

Advanced difficulty

Time:

Long, if you're clumsy

Re-published from the Spring Edition of the "Quattro Quarterly"
Publication - By BLAUfergnügen's Jim Blau

You can find the article here. Along with some other advertising junk

Pictures:

Four together

Showing some mechanism

Oops! Not another broken door handle! How many times has your Audi caused you to
say this? I'd bet at least once. Did you know that there are a couple little
things you can do to prevent this from happening?

The main cause of broken or sticky door handles is, plain and simple, lack of
lubrication. There are several hard-to-spot pivot points on the door handle
mechanism. To lubricate them, you must get at the back side of the door It's not
much work at all. In fact, you don't even have to remove the door handle, just
the mounting screws.

On 4OOO and 5OOO Series up to 1988,there are two or three screws securing the
handle to the door. One is on the face of the handle and one or two (depending
on series) on the door jam. To get at the screw on the face side of the handle,
you need to carefully remove the chrome trim piece with a sharp, pick like
object. Start prying on the section the chrome strip located toward the rear of
the car, NOT toward the front. It easily comes off. Remove the Phillips head
screw on the front side of the door handle. Now open the door. There's a rubber
grommet in line on the handle on the door jam. Use your sharp object to
carefully remove the grommet. See the screw(s)inside the hole? Use a magnetic
Phillips head screwdriver to remove the screw(s). Now you can pull the door
handle just far enough away to lubricate the pivot points. Use "Lubro Moly
Hi-Tack Lube Spray". It sprays on, but then solidifies into a waxy grease. Be
careful so as not to upset the connecting rods. When done, reverse the procedure
to reinstalling the handle.

While you've got the lubricant out, check the latch assembly on the side of the
door. Remove the two screws with an Allen wrench. Sometimes it's necessary to
jar them loose by rapping the head of the screw with center punch. Now carefully
pull the latch assembly away from the door jam. It will only pull out a short
distance.

On some vehicles there is a rubber dust boat on the back side of the latch. Pull
it away and thoroughly spray the lubricant on all the rods and springs.
Reinstall the latch and try the door. It should work like brand new again.

If you have an 80/90 or 100/200 Series with flush door handles, you can
lubricate the latch as above. However, if you want to lubricate the door handle
properly, you'll have to remove the door panel to get at it from the inside.
Sorry, the newer stuff isn't as easy as the old stuff!

Putting old tumblers into new handles...

From "Peter Sperry" 

I don't know if there's a writeup, but it's fairly simple.

1.    Pull the tumblers out of the new lock core, but leave the little
springs  (if they come out, you can just pop them back in, but be careful,
as they're super small).
2.    Wash the old lock core w/ some good cleaning solution (gas would work,
too).
3.    Orient the lock cores in a similar matter, one right next to the
other.
4.    One at a time, pull the tumbler from the old and transfer it to the
same place on the new core (you'll want to have  a good grease on hand too,
as you should grease the tumbler before you put it into the new lock core).
The tumblers should slide in with no resistance, except at the very end of
their travel when they hit the spring.
5.    Once you've transferred all the tumblers into the new lock core, slide
a good (factory if you have it) key into the new lock core and make sure
that all the tumblers now are flush with the lock core.
6.    Grease the outside of the lock core (with the key in it) and put it
back in the handle and test to make sure that you can lock and unlock the
handle (before you put it in the door).
7.    Install it in the car and you're off!

Peter

And from Mike Del Tergo...

From "Mike Del Tergo"
Date Fri, 27 Jul 2001

Hi Peter  Is there a writeup on how to make the changeover using the new cylinder
 and the old tumblers?

Donald,
To change the lock cylinder over to the new handle is fairly easy.
With the old handle out, insert the key in the lock.  At the bottom/inside of the cylinder
is a phillips head screw retaing a plastic cam and spring.  
Note the location of the spring for reinstallation.
Remove the screw and the spring and the lock cylinder will come out of the handle 
by removing the key. (take the key away from the handle and the lock cylinder remains attached)
Simply insert into new handle with retainer and spring (correctly) installed.
Mike

But Richard Bies had a different opinion...

From richard bies

I don't think it's that simple.

The cylinder in the old (very weak) handles is not interchangable with
that in the new (less weak) handles -- and the keys will not work in
crossed cylinders.

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Page last updated: April 28, 2003