Dude…. Thank you…. Did this job in about 20 minutes…. Instead of dropping out and disconnecting…. A craftsman square bucket is same height as the panel, so I let it rest on there and took out 3 torx screws and did not have to disconnect a single wire other than the mirror controls.
I would advise anyone who is looking to do this nowadays, they have revised the parts. So if the end of your door lock cable has a metal hook, you're more than likely going to have to take apart the entire door to remove the lock. The cable has been updated with a new tip to fit the revised part, and HAS TO BE REPLACED.
Nice video, it got me on the tight track. Two issues did come up: First, my 2006 Boxster door panels were different when it came to the center trim pieces. We figured it out though Second, the latch didn’t need replacement ! The problem was the spring jumped out of the narrow keeper, that was it. I should have seen that when I got the new latch. Soon as I pulled it out of the bag it came apart; the spring wasn’t in that slot that keeps it in place. Lastly, I lucked out. My helper was an engineer and made it all happen. Get a helper
Great video and helped me replace the door lever on my 911 without a problem. However, I would suggest ordering some "door panel clips" as a few of mine broke during disassembly. Pelican Parts has them ($1.25 apiece) as, I assume, do other parts suppliers. (The "Door Lock Pivot Lever" was $20.75, $34.02 with tax and shipping, from Pelican Parts. This is not the Porsche original but it fit and works perfectly.)
I LOVE this car and happy when you make a video about it whether its fixing or driving it. Please make more videos of this car as I am a Porsche enthusiast.
Did mine (997.2 2S Cabrio). Just a couple of notes: 1. BE VERY CAREFUL when removing the trim piece with the side mirror control. Pry OUT on the bottom of the cover, then lift UP to remove. If you don’t, you WILL break off the plastic clip that holds the top of the trim piece to the door. I broke mine. 2. I could not remove the FWD piece of the armrest. I was able to lift it far enough to access the Torx bolt, to remove it, however. 3. The new door mechanism WILL NOT WORK properly with the old cable. However, it is relatively simple to replace the new lever with the old lever so the old cable will attach (MUCH simpler than replacing the whole cable). It’s just a bit tricky to get the spring to go in the correct places. Any mechanically inclined person can look at the mechanisms and see how to make it work. In all, it took me about 2 hours to complete the job.
DaveInMalabar - I realize it's been a while. Am I correct in assuming the part that breaks making the return spring useless is the frame part that holds the moveable lever? Which is why reusing the old lever in the new frame works?
Thank you for posting this video. Thank you for posting what tools would be needed t20 and t30. However, there’s no need to disconnect all connections and remove the entire door panel. Like another suggested, lean the door card away from the door, sitting on top of a bucket and against your knees. No need to disconnect the cable either. Remove the 3 t20 screws and then you can easily unhook the cable. I chose not to figure out how to install a new cable to the exterior door handle so I removed the new part from the bottom of the new part and attached to the previous upper (you’ll see what I mean), then reset the tension spring. Why doesn’t Porsche sell only the wimpy plastic piece that breaks??? I chose this rather than trying to make the prior cable work with the new plastic piece. Either way, I was done in maybe 30 minutes by not removing the entire door card. Now I have an extra cable on hand. Thanks again for your video.
This is a great video. Three things, on my 2008 cayman. The trim piece under the seat memory buttons is the whole handle cover. The leather piece. Also look at DaveInMalabar comments. He is right about the cable. I was able to get it to work but I wished I had read his comments and advice. Third, getting the door off was really hard. I was prying and pulling. It takes effort
If you don't mind taking the door apart before ordering parts, I found that my lever mechanism had simply had the spring slip out of position, and I was able to reposition things and probably could have just reinstalled it. I had already ordered the new one plus extra cable, so I went ahead and put the new one in anyway, but now I have a spare. I too was able to avoid replacing the cable assembly and reused the old one.
Kurt, I really appreciate how genuine your love for cars comes through on your channel. You do a great job explaining what tools and steps are required to work on a car, including where to find the parts and how long the repair will take to complete. Have you had any professional automotive repair training or did you just learn by doing? I ask because you have a high level of confidence and when working on German cars, missteps can be quite costly.
This might be the nicest comment I've ever received on youtube, thank you! I consider myself a very casual mechanic, since I got my first car I've just tried to learn by doing. Starting small with oil changes and taking on larger projects as the need for maintenance items came up on my vehicle. Eventually it was modifications and engine swaps. I do like working on cars, but I love driving them more. There are some jobs that I leave to professionals like involved internal engine work since I simply don't have the expertise or tooling it requires. As for the confidence, I've worked on enough cars that I know things are bound to never go as planned. At the end of the day though, Porsche or Ford, it's all nuts and bolts. Thanks again for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoy the channel!
Very inclined to buy two. Passenger handle has this problem. Shitty luck might dictate that two days after my drivers door goes. Do them both. Warm fuzzy type thing. Looks fairly straight forward. Thanks bud.
Thanks! Excellent video. This is exactly what I needed. Sorry - but I kind of hope you have a few more minor problems as that will lead to more videos!
Just performed this fix. Got it done, but not as quick as I’d hoped. That Z wire was different on new latch. Looks like door panel has been off before. Missing door clips.
Oh, and one other interesting tidbit - it looks like the bottom piece of the lever assembly, which can separate from the top, is reversible. I guess if you flip it, it works with either side door? Not sure if there's any usefulness to that but hey...
Well if I can do it anyone can following this DIY. **Warning** Be sure to take a picture of the Bowden cable connection before disassembly, putting it back was not obvious to me and was the biggest challenge in this DIY. Also note that for no experience it took me 2 hours. But everything works...for now.
This is fantastic TY! Would I need to remove the door panel to replace the housing around the power window switches? I've ordered a replacement since mine is badly scratched around the window switches.
Thanks so much for doing this video. My 2010 GT3 has a minor vibration in the door handle area that I’ve been meaning to go investigate. This is exactly what I needed to see to know how to tackle the job without breaking trim pieces.
thank you for this resource. I was able to do the repair and save a significant amount of money. Any chance you have better footage of how the z clip fit into the door mechanism? I struggled with that for a while and it seemed to sit well and is working but it probably added 20min of fiddling. As a side note, you probably had the same issue of the spring just having popped out of its fitments. Did you find any easy way of reattaching the spring? I spent a good amount of time trying to return the spring to its proper postition before deciding the lever is inexpensive enough to not waste anymore time. Thanks again -this was inspiring.
has anyone found a tutorial in how to remove the door spears? Piece right behind the door lever? Mine is all scratched up and can't find a diy anywhere
I did this over the weekend and only ordered the latch and not the cable. And the handle still wasn’t sitting in place. I’m guessing I have to order and replace the cable as well
Sort of. I installed the part and with the door on a chair I pulled the handle and saw the cable moving. I was not sure exactly how to connect the cable. I think I did it opposite of Kurt. My hook was down into the hole. The top had a gap
I think my 997 might be in poorer shape than yours. I broke all 3 trim pieces when removing them. Even with the right tools, the exact placement, direction of pressure, and method of removing the trim pieces wasn't super clear from the video.
Hi... great video as this just happened to me. Bought a used 2008 rs60 and the handle is limp. Do you have a link to the lever you purchased? I don't see it on Sun Coast.
Original Part number is 997 555 381 01 but I couldn't find it because probably it's replaced with 997 555 381 03 which, judging by the comments fits well.
Dude…. Thank you…. Did this job in about 20 minutes…. Instead of dropping out and disconnecting…. A craftsman square bucket is same height as the panel, so I let it rest on there and took out 3 torx screws and did not have to disconnect a single wire other than the mirror controls.
Thanks for this tutorial. Gives me the confidence to get the parts and deal with this annoying handle.
Did you fix it? Having the same problem
I would advise anyone who is looking to do this nowadays, they have revised the parts. So if the end of your door lock cable has a metal hook, you're more than likely going to have to take apart the entire door to remove the lock.
The cable has been updated with a new tip to fit the revised part, and HAS TO BE REPLACED.
This is awesome thanks. This just happened to me. Was trying to figure out if I wanted to bring it in or diy
I have my door panel off.watched you repeatedly. Would have never been able to do it with out your video. Thank you.
Nice video, it got me on the tight track. Two issues did come up: First, my 2006 Boxster door panels were different when it came to the center trim pieces. We figured it out though
Second, the latch didn’t need replacement ! The problem was the spring jumped out of the narrow keeper, that was it. I should have seen that when I got the new latch. Soon as I pulled it out of the bag it came apart; the spring wasn’t in that slot that keeps it in place.
Lastly, I lucked out. My helper was an engineer and made it all happen. Get a helper
Great video and helped me replace the door lever on my 911 without a problem. However, I would suggest ordering some "door panel clips" as a few of mine broke during disassembly. Pelican Parts has them ($1.25 apiece) as, I assume, do other parts suppliers. (The "Door Lock Pivot Lever" was $20.75, $34.02 with tax and shipping, from Pelican Parts. This is not the Porsche original but it fit and works perfectly.)
I LOVE this car and happy when you make a video about it whether its fixing or driving it. Please make more videos of this car as I am a Porsche enthusiast.
Great lighting in your garage!
Did mine (997.2 2S Cabrio). Just a couple of notes:
1. BE VERY CAREFUL when removing the trim piece with the side mirror control. Pry OUT on the bottom of the cover, then lift UP to remove. If you don’t, you WILL break off the plastic clip that holds the top of the trim piece to the door. I broke mine.
2. I could not remove the FWD piece of the armrest. I was able to lift it far enough to access the Torx bolt, to remove it, however.
3. The new door mechanism WILL NOT WORK properly with the old cable. However, it is relatively simple to replace the new lever with the old lever so the old cable will attach (MUCH simpler than replacing the whole cable). It’s just a bit tricky to get the spring to go in the correct places. Any mechanically inclined person can look at the mechanisms and see how to make it work.
In all, it took me about 2 hours to complete the job.
Goof advice here
DaveInMalabar - I realize it's been a while. Am I correct in assuming the part that breaks making the return spring useless is the frame part that holds the moveable lever? Which is why reusing the old lever in the new frame works?
Thank you for posting this video. Thank you for posting what tools would be needed t20 and t30. However, there’s no need to disconnect all connections and remove the entire door panel. Like another suggested, lean the door card away from the door, sitting on top of a bucket and against your knees. No need to disconnect the cable either. Remove the 3 t20 screws and then you can easily unhook the cable.
I chose not to figure out how to install a new cable to the exterior door handle so I removed the new part from the bottom of the new part and attached to the previous upper (you’ll see what I mean), then reset the tension spring.
Why doesn’t Porsche sell only the wimpy plastic piece that breaks???
I chose this rather than trying to make the prior cable work with the new plastic piece.
Either way, I was done in maybe 30 minutes by not removing the entire door card. Now I have an extra cable on hand.
Thanks again for your video.
Just used your video to assist me with changing the blown speakers in my doors.
This is a great video. Three things, on my 2008 cayman. The trim piece under the seat memory buttons is the whole handle cover. The leather piece. Also look at DaveInMalabar comments. He is right about the cable. I was able to get it to work but I wished I had read his comments and advice. Third, getting the door off was really hard. I was prying and pulling. It takes effort
Thx much for the video, perfect for my 997.2 gt3 - replacing the cracked carbon door blades.
If you don't mind taking the door apart before ordering parts, I found that my lever mechanism had simply had the spring slip out of position, and I was able to reposition things and probably could have just reinstalled it. I had already ordered the new one plus extra cable, so I went ahead and put the new one in anyway, but now I have a spare. I too was able to avoid replacing the cable assembly and reused the old one.
Good tip, thanks!
I need to replace my driver lever as you just did. I searched for a video and yours was spot on. Look forward to making my repair. Thank you.
Kurt, I really appreciate how genuine your love for cars comes through on your channel. You do a great job explaining what tools and steps are required to work on a car, including where to find the parts and how long the repair will take to complete. Have you had any professional automotive repair training or did you just learn by doing? I ask because you have a high level of confidence and when working on German cars, missteps can be quite costly.
This might be the nicest comment I've ever received on youtube, thank you! I consider myself a very casual mechanic, since I got my first car I've just tried to learn by doing. Starting small with oil changes and taking on larger projects as the need for maintenance items came up on my vehicle. Eventually it was modifications and engine swaps. I do like working on cars, but I love driving them more. There are some jobs that I leave to professionals like involved internal engine work since I simply don't have the expertise or tooling it requires. As for the confidence, I've worked on enough cars that I know things are bound to never go as planned. At the end of the day though, Porsche or Ford, it's all nuts and bolts. Thanks again for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoy the channel!
Very inclined to buy two. Passenger handle has this problem. Shitty luck might dictate that two days after my drivers door goes. Do them both. Warm fuzzy type thing. Looks fairly straight forward. Thanks bud.
Did the same. parts from Pelican. Thanks for your video. really helped. Nice to have a nice tight door handle, not flopping around
Not Cheap, Suncoast quoted 179.95. great vid, spot on description.
The exact problem I have on my Turbo S. Thanks for the instructions.
Great video and very helpful! Really appreciate you taking the time to do it.
Nice video of the job. Wish you had shown what was broken on the part that was replaced. My car has the same failure right now I think.
2021 ...THANK YOU STILL HELPFULTILL TODAY!!!!! GREAT VIDEO AND GREAT DIY
Nice, porsche does sell the updated cable for about $17 too
that 911 is bad ass dude hopefully this year i'll have my 1st one
Thank you so much. I just successfully changed a lever.
Glad it helped!
Thanks man! Just completed mine. Great instructions!
The torx on my 997.1 were 20 and 27. The 30 was too big. Otherwise, thank you for your wisdom!
Man I did this a men’s broken 4plastic clips! Lol he made it look easy but is tricky and sound terrible when u pull the door card off
Very nice tutorial, I was wondering though, what exactly failed on the old part?
Thanks! Excellent video. This is exactly what I needed. Sorry - but I kind of hope you have a few more minor problems as that will lead to more videos!
Haha, it's a Porsche, of course!
This was a super easy repair thanks to your video Thank you so much
Oh, and yes, thank you very much for putting this video up! Good stuff!
Thank you, thank s was a big help!
Glad it helped!
Can you link to the part at Suncoast, or share the exact name of the part?
That's amazing. Very helpful
Just performed this fix. Got it done, but not as quick as I’d hoped. That Z wire was different on new latch.
Looks like door panel has been off before. Missing door clips.
You can get them for $1.25 a apiece from Pelican Parts. None of mine were missing, but a few broke during disassembly.
Awsome! Now i have this guide as well 😀
Dobra robota, super film. Pozdrowienia z Wrocław - Marek
Oh, and one other interesting tidbit - it looks like the bottom piece of the lever assembly, which can separate from the top, is reversible. I guess if you flip it, it works with either side door? Not sure if there's any usefulness to that but hey...
Well if I can do it anyone can following this DIY. **Warning** Be sure to take a picture of the Bowden cable connection before disassembly, putting it back was not obvious to me and was the biggest challenge in this DIY. Also note that for no experience it took me 2 hours. But everything works...for now.
Hi
Great job
Any chance to get the serial number for this part
Regards
This is fantastic TY! Would I need to remove the door panel to replace the housing around the power window switches? I've ordered a replacement since mine is badly scratched around the window switches.
That's hella funny, my dad's old 86 911 door handle broke so often he kept spares in the car. Some things never change I guess.
Hi there, do you have a video or instructions on how to remove the bin lid on the door? Cheers
I have the same issue in my 987 cayman
VERY Helpful
Nice, thanks
Great job 👍
Thanks so much for doing this video. My 2010 GT3 has a minor vibration in the door handle area that I’ve been meaning to go investigate. This is exactly what I needed to see to know how to tackle the job without breaking trim pieces.
Thank you handle broke on my Cayman
thank you for this resource. I was able to do the repair and save a significant amount of money. Any chance you have better footage of how the z clip fit into the door mechanism? I struggled with that for a while and it seemed to sit well and is working but it probably added 20min of fiddling. As a side note, you probably had the same issue of the spring just having popped out of its fitments. Did you find any easy way of reattaching the spring? I spent a good amount of time trying to return the spring to its proper postition before deciding the lever is inexpensive enough to not waste anymore time. Thanks again -this was inspiring.
Glad it helped Joseph. Sorry I didn't have the same issue with the spring or zclip, I must have just got lucky.
I drilled 2 holes and put smallest zip tie I could find to hold spring in place. I would attach a picture if I could.
has anyone found a tutorial in how to remove the door spears? Piece right behind the door lever? Mine is all scratched up and can't find a diy anywhere
Thank a lot, great vid 👌
Good tuto
I sir, brilliant stuff. Did you disconnect the battery? Or no need for that?
These parts will work the same with a 2005 Porsche boxster?
I did this over the weekend and only ordered the latch and not the cable. And the handle still wasn’t sitting in place. I’m guessing I have to order and replace the cable as well
Hi Kurt, can you test out the new door lever before putting back all the fasteners to the door? Please instr.
Unfortunately I'm not sure. Sorry.
Sort of. I installed the part and with the door on a chair I pulled the handle and saw the cable moving. I was not sure exactly how to connect the cable. I think I did it opposite of Kurt. My hook was down into the hole. The top had a gap
i have a question, where can i find this handle piece that you changed ? thank you
Great video! Have this exact problem on my 997. Would you have the part no. for the lever so i could order from suncoast?
thanks!
Email Ric at Suncoast: rknab@sunsetautogroup.com Tell him EatSleepDrive sent you and he'll help you out!
just ordered the part plus some other stuff too! thanks again!
can you provide the part number for the latch? Thanks
I think my 997 might be in poorer shape than yours. I broke all 3 trim pieces when removing them. Even with the right tools, the exact placement, direction of pressure, and method of removing the trim pieces wasn't super clear from the video.
Hi... great video as this just happened to me. Bought a used 2008 rs60 and the handle is limp. Do you have a link to the lever you purchased? I don't see it on Sun Coast.
Nevermind, just found it!!
Glad i could help!
Can you list the part number thanks
I was delivered a 977 I purchased and it has the same problem.
What is the value of the piece that you install
Part number from suncoast??
Have you unplugged the battery? Thank you
I didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to.
Can you list the part number you used please
Original Part number is 997 555 381 01 but I couldn't find it because probably it's replaced with 997 555 381 03 which, judging by the comments fits well.
Why would/does Porsche make shit that fails so much?