B737-300 INDICATED ASYMMETRICAL FLAPS ON APCH. FLT CREW EXECUTED GAR AND INADVERTENTLY RETRACTED FLAPS. FLAPS EXTENDED SYMMETRICALLY AND NORMAL LNDG ACCOMPLISHED.

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I WAS THE PF ON A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 12L. I CALLED FOR FLAPS 5 DEGS AND AS I SLOWED TO 180 KTS IT IS MY HABIT TO CHK THE FLAP GAUGE BEFORE CALLING FOR LNDG GEAR DOWN AND FLAPS 15 DEGS. I NOTICED THE FLAPS INDICATED ONLY F1 AND ABOUT 1 1/2. I VERIFIED THAT THE FLAP HANDLE HAD BEEN PLACED TO THE 5 DEG POS. WE WERE 6 MI FROM TOUCHDOWN AT THIS POINT; SO I INITIATED A GAR. I CALLED FOR FLAPS UP ON THE GAR. WE COORDINATED WITH ATC FOR AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND SO WE COULD GET OUT THE QRH AND WORK THE PROB. THE FLAPS INITIALLY DID NOT COME UP; BUT AS WE GOT OUT THE QRH AND ESTABLISHED OURSELVES ON THE ATC ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT THE FLAPS THEN CAME UP. WE CHKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS; HYDS AND LED STATUS AND THE AIRPLANE SEEMED TO BE BACK TO NORMAL. WE STARTED RUNNING THE QRH FOR FLAPS; TRAILING EDGE: ASYMMETRICAL. AT THIS POINT WE HAD ONLY ABOUT 5800 LBS OF FUEL. WE REALIZED WE MADE AN ERROR BY PUTTING THE FLAPS UP ON THE GAR AFTER READING THE FIRST PROC (W); HOWEVER; BECAUSE THE ACFT NEVER SHOWED ANY ROLLING TENDENCY DURING THE INITIAL CONFIGURING FOR THE GAR IT DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY OCCUR TO ME THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY ASYMMETRIC. SINCE WE WERE NOW CLEAN ON DOWNWIND WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL AIRPLANE; WE BEGAN TO CONFIGURE THE ACFT. WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL FLAPS 15 DEG LNDG WITH SYMMETRICAL FLAP INDICATIONS. WE DID NOT CORRECTLY CONFORM TO THE QRH CHKLIST BECAUSE I CALLED FOR A GAR AND AS IS A HABIT TO CLEAN UP THE ACFT ON A GAR I COMMANDED FLAPS UP. PERHAPS THERE CAN BE MORE EMPHASIS TO THE CREWS THAT IN ANY SPLIT FLAPS SITUATION THE FLAPS SHOULD NOT BE MOVED. PERHAPS HAVE A BOXED ITEM FOR STEP ONE OF ANY ASYMMETRIC FLAP INDICATION. AS THE PF I NOTED NO ROLLING TENDENCY SO IN MY MIND I'M MENTALLY GOING THROUGH THE MANTRA 'MAINTAIN ACFT CTL; ANALYZE THE SITUATION; TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION; AND MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.' I WAS NOT THINKING 'SPLIT FLAP INDICATION; DON'T TOUCH THE FLAP HANDLE.' ONLY AFTER I GOT THE AIRPLANE SAFELY AWAY FROM THE GND AND DIRECTED THE FO TO THE QRH DID I REALIZE MY ERROR. ONCE THE AIRPLANE WAS CLEANED UP AND THE FLAPS RETRACTED WE NO LONGER HAD AN ASYMMETRIC PROB. AT THAT POINT WE STILL USED THE QRH TO CONFIGURE AND THE FLAPS CAME DOWN SYMMETRICALLY. A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING AT THE TIME; BUT WE WERE PREPARING OURSELVES FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.