Outside Passenger Door Handle

[reewinder]

While out and about today the passenger side outer door handle decided to stop working. I figured the linkage rod came loose but that's not the case. I also came across a link on SolCal:

http://www.teamsolcal.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10429


So I pulled the door panel and it's not the rod but it's a point at the center of the door handle where the scissor looking mechanism that connects the handle to the rod. A spring goes behind that mechanism and is sandwiched between it and the outer door handle. When you pull on the handle it's like something is missing that holds that mechanism and the spring to the handle itself and the spring pops out of place and the linkage rod doesn't get to move.
I couldn't see any threads in the center part that the spring goes around for a bolt or a screw. It got too dark to keep working on it so I just put it back together until I can get to it again.
I should have taken pictures while the panel was off. Any ideas on what holds that all together? I didn't see anything in the bottom of the door that may have fallen off and ran a magnetic pickup through there pretty thoroughly. From the solcal link I couldn't see any parts for what I'm talking about in that diagram. Any ideas?
Thanks. [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]

[Geo VP]

Here's a picture of a working door handle, that help any?





Geo
President
Team Sol of Washington

[reewinder]

I will have to look again. Maybe the door handle latch rod is loose. Maybe it needs that bush replaced. When you pull on the handle from the outside the mechanism that moves the rod tries to move but it kinda gets pushed inward instead of straight back and allows the spring behind it to pop out of place.
I'll probably try again tomorrow if the rain stops....otherwise I'll have to try and make some room in the garage.