Removing exterior door handle on 2001 Jeep Wrangler

Thundergod is right - there is a wire retainer clip that helps to secure the plastic crank to the metal post.

To remove it, I used a fat screwdriver to wedge between the bottom of the crank and the door panel. This gave me enough clearance to see and remove the wire retainer clip. Using needle-nose pliers, I managed to snag the clip. A quick pull and the clip was out and the crank handle popped right off.

After that, there are three torx screws that hold the interior panel in place - two at the bottom and one toward the left center of the panel.

But this is the easy part - removing the exterior handle is a bear...you'd be better off paying someone with the appropriate tools and knowledge to do that for you.

Between the panel and the part of the crank you can see there is a c clip that needs to be pulled out to release the crank from the inside mechanism. (usually you can "hook" the end of it and pull it out and they also make a removal tool if you really need it. To put the crank back on, put the clip on the crank and just push it back on.