Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Help! Door latch broken!

I just bought a 1995 Contour LX through a private owner who had the passenger side door tied shut to the center piller with twine! The door latch is broken and I was wondering if there is anyone here who has attempted to replace one themselves? The car has power door locks. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am trying to do this myself. So far, I've gotten everything loose except the main rod and lock rod between the outside handle and the latch mechanism. I can't figure how to get these loose. Would it be easier to take the outside door handle apart and bring it all out at once? If so, then what do I need to do to take that loose?
Thanks!
Duane

From your post I can't tell how much you've removed... Is the inside door panel removed? Have you removed the lock mounting bolts and plate on the inner edge of door?

Hey dude did it many times.

First thing is to remove door panel. Next remove the rubber stopper on the inside of the door shell, this will give you access to one of the outside door handle nuts, the other you can easily access from inside of the door minus the panel. Next remove the three screws that hold the latch assembly to the interior of the door. You can then easily slide the latch mechanism out to undo the rods. Someone here should have an exploded view of this. Also, it is listed step by step in the Haynes Manual. Good Luck>