door handle stopped working yesterday

so i can no longer open the door from the outside(drivers side) i can however open from the inside! i have taken off the panel and i see a rod which pushes a plate, which then releases the spindle allowing it to open! when i push the button in, it doesn't push the plate far enough to disengage the spindle, it looks like maybe there was a washer or somethingg on the rod to push rthe plate in further??? anyone know how to solve this? thanks
dave