Replaces
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Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the driver side exterior door handle on this 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. It's the same part and similar process on these Mountaineers from 2002 to 2010. The items you'll need for this is a new exterior door handle from 1AAuto.com, a 7 and 11mm socket and ratchet, a flat blade screwdriver, and a 90 degree pick.
You want to make sure that your courtesy lights don't stay on so you don't drain you battery. Just make sure you turn those off. Pry out from the bottom of this panel with a flat blade screwdriver. Then just slide the panel towards the front of the vehicle and off the door handle. Then lift up on the front of your switch panel and then slide it forward and up. Then push the tabs on these harnesses and disconnect them. For this last one, you're going to want to use a flat blade screwdriver and push in on the tab and pull it free. Your switch panel is free. Now you want to remove this 7mm bolt and these two 7mm bolts right here. We'll just fast-forward as Mike does that. Pry out the switch and then just pry out the tab on the harness and disconnect the harness. Then feed that back through the door panel. Lift the door panel up and then pull it back. Push the tab on this harness to disconnect it, and your door panel is free.
Peel back this top corner of your water shield and you can see that Mike uses a razor blade to help separate the adhesive. Now, reach in here and just open up this yellow clip and it helps to use a pick tool as you can see. Then, you just pull the rod from that clip and then remove this 11mm nut and this 11mm nut right here. We'll just fast forward as Mike does that. Now, open up your door handle so that you can get the lever outside of the door and then you just pull your door handle free and pull the rod up and out.
I've got my socket and ratchet extension on the inside and you can see I took the door handle off, but the studs stayed here. I'm actually just going to take a set of locking pliers, lock them on to the studs. Just wipe down the area where the door handle goes. Something you don't want to do is shut your door while there's no door handle, but if you happen to, just look down in and find that yellow clip that you unhooked the rod from, and reach down. Let's see here. Just press it with your thumb and open the door up.
Here's our original door handle. At 1A Auto, we sell the chrome door handles. We also sell just a regular black handle that you can paint to match. Obviously, the black door handle, if you have a broken door handle and you just want a handle that works, you can mount the black one on as is and it's fine. If you did want to paint it to match, you can be as crude as just going to the hardware store and finding some paint that's a decent match for your color, paint the handle. You would want to take the gasket off when you paint it. If you want a closer match, you can go to an automotive paint store and purchase paint that matches closer and finish it that way.
We're going to put this chrome handle on. Just take your rod, twist it, and pull it out. Take the new handle and then, again, twist it and put it in and then put your handle down in. You want to put the front in and then push, pull the handle out and push the counterweight in there. Then, line up the stud, put it in, and make sure the gasket is lined up correctly. Take your lock and bend it down off of that rod, so now it's free. Now, you can put it up in place and on the stud for the door handle. Now, the lock's in place and we'll put our first nut on here. You're probably won't be able to see this but I'm just going to take the nut for the front one, the door handle, and put that on as well. We'll just fast forward as Mike tightens up those two 11mm nuts. Make sure your lock rod is in and then just pull it in to the lock. Then put your handle rod back in place and now push up on the rod a little bit, and down on the latch. Push it in and lock it in place. Just make sure your door's unlocked.
To replace your door panel, just reconnect this harness, and make sure you push the harness for your mirror switch through. Then push the door panel into place and slide it down. We'll fast-forward as Mike replaces those three 7mm bolts and tightens them up. Reconnect this switch and push it back into place. Then reconnect your switch panel and slide the back end first. Then push the front end down. Then slide this panel back over the door handle and push those tabs back into place. Then push in the front. You're all set.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
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Hi, I'm Mike from 1AAuto. We've been selling auto parts for over 30 years! We're dedicated to delivering quality auto parts, expert customer service, and fast and free shipping, all backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. We've created thousands of videos to help you install our parts with confidence. That saves you time and money, so visit us at 1AAuto.com, your trusted source for quality auto parts.
We're going to remove this trim panel first. Plastic trim tools from 1AAuto.com best way to do it without harming your interior finish. Pull out on this panel. Once you get it out, make sure you're pulling straight, and then it comes off this way. Same thing here with your switch panel. Then disconnect the switches, their tabs, green tab here, and this blue tab here. Looks like this one came right out. Just a little tab on the side. Disconnect it.
Now you want to get this off. Should pull out. There are six 7mm bolts: one, two, there's one missing here, but three, and four, right down to the bottom, five, and six. We'll remove those. Again, using your plastic trim tool, get in underneath of the mirror switch. Clips are on the side. Just get it under there, twist, and it pulls up and out. You do have to rotate it up like that and out. Plastic tab, and disconnect. Make sure you have all your bolts out on the door panel. One of mine just fell out, which is okay. Whole panel comes out and off. Pull your handle to pull the cable out, then grab hold of this little ball here to hold the cable out. Then pull the cable from the door lock. Then use a screwdriver or something to help you release the tabs here.
You'll need to raise your window up, and disconnect your switch again. Pull your shield back far enough to reveal this 6mm bolt, and remove it. That allows you to slide this forward, and hold. Actually, that'll be good enough right there.
Inside the door, use a little pick tool. You could use a screwdriver, too. Release this clip, and pull the rod out. Two 11mm nuts hold the door handle in place. One is right up under here, and a little hard to get to, because the window regulator rail's in the way. Then you can get to the other one very easily right through here. We'll remove those 11mm nuts.
The front one, use a deep 11mm, and go in behind the rail. This back one is really easy to get to, just with an extension on the 11mm deep socket. And remove them. With this back nut off, just pull the lock cylinder right out. Most likely, if your door handle's broken, it's just going to come right out. But if you're looking to upgrade to chrome door handles, pull the bottom out, and the door handle comes out. A lot of times this will happen, that the stud actually comes out from the door handle. A set of locking pliers, and your ratchet and socket, and just take this stuff out.
Original handle from the vehicle, and actually you can see it's in good shape, other than the stud coming out. At 1A Auto, we sell chrome door handles which are a nice upgrade. We also sell handles that are smooth black. You can paint to match your original color, as well as textured black. You can see that the handle from 1A Auto is a quality replacement. It's going to go on there just like the original. We'll take the rod out, put it into the new handle, and we're ready to go.
Good, while you're here, a little cleaner, just clean up the mounting area. Make sure that your lock rod is just over to the side. Put the latch rod down in place, and the top should go in first. Hold the handle out, and look back in where the studs go. Take one of the 11mm nuts, and feed it right back into place, and start it on. Before you put the rear nut in place, put your lock cylinder in place. Then start this nut on. Just take your rod, make sure it's nice and free, and also actuating. The rod right into the clip pole. That's secure, and then this one goes back into the clip. Push up on the rod, then push it into the clip, and lock the clip in place. Put this block back in place.
Make sure that your door lock cable is clipped into the back side, and top on, back of the latch, and the bottom latch. Okay, lock this back in place. Make sure all your harnesses go in there. Put your 6mm bolt back in place. Then you can put your water shield back up. The door panel has a series of hooks that go into slots in the door, so you can put it into place. Make sure your harnesses go through. Put the cable into the door, pull it, and push it through. Make sure your harnesses come up through. Put your door lock button in. Line up all those hooks. Just got to make sure our door lock button goes into the hole. The hooks should all line up and allow the panel to be flush with the door. Make sure your mirror harness comes through, as well, both the front and the back are flush. Push it down into place. Then we can reinstall our six 7mm bolts that hold it in place. For these two that go in at the door handle, we just put some grease on there. That actually is just going to make it so they stay in our socket.
Feed it into place, and start them in. Just clean the grease off the socket, and start the other ones in. On these bottom ones, tighten them. Don't get them too tight, because you'll end up stripping the plastic nuts that they go into. Reconnect your harness leads, green, blue, small black one. Make sure you put it in there correctly. Push it down, and lock it into place. This one hooks on the top first, snaps in place, and then this one snaps right into place. Install the mirror switch, reconnect it down and in. Just make sure we clock it correctly. When it's in the middle position that should be straight up, and push it in.
Thanks for watching. Visit us at 1AAuto.com for quality auto parts, fast and free shipping, and the best customer service in the industry.
