2000 Ford Explorer Lift-gate Door Latch

Lately the lift-gate door handle operated with more and more difficulty. Finally, the door handle lost all tension and is completely loose. It has no tension and will not open the lift-gate. I was able to open the lift-gate by inserting a long tool-hook into the lift-gate through the cover plate - working it against the latch mechanism. Then, I removed the lift-gate skin to expose the insides of the lift-gate. Now, I'm at the point where I can see the latch mechanism working as I attempt to operate the door handle. I see the handle and the plastic on the connector joints, but can't figure out how to make the repair. It's made even more difficult because the two openings in the lift-gate frame are (1) far to the left of the mechanism or (2) below and to the right of the mechanism. What advice do you have to make the repair? Do I need to remove the entire system - the lock actuator, the window lock, the locking mechanism, etc? Or, is it possible to simply reach my fat fingers in there and hope to blindly connect it to the latch mechanism? Thanks for any advice!