On mine the handle operates a vertical sliding bar in a metal channel the whole height of the door with a number of pegs on it that engage with slots in the frame. I had to remove the whole bar and clean out gummy stuff between the bar and thee channel it runs in so that the handle could easily move it through the whole range of movement. But in my case the first symptom was stiffness moving the handle even when the door was open. So it doesn't sound too much like your setup.