Driver's Side Mirror

[Elanlover]

................which would be the left side on my Fed car of course.

The mirror is now a bit floppy from the up/down movement perspective. The mirror switch will control thr left/right motion but it won't do the up/down motion. I also don't seem to hear the motor when moving it up/down. I'm sure this has come up before but not for me. Any suggestions as to the root of the problem and how it may be fixed? Thanks!

[Specky]

Remove the mirror,

Manually push the glass inwards towards the housing...push outboard, upper, top.

You will be able to get your fingers under the inboard, inner, lower.

Pop the mirror out of the housing, disconnecting the heater.

Check the motors drive...

Check you have two pivots...

Check the metal cross beam plastic mount is not broken...

When it comes to refitting...

Electrical cables on..

Square the pivots up...

Align with motor drives...

Gentlly push them in, they'll sound serated.

Push quite hard in the middle of the glass to get cross beam pivot to locate...

Push harder until you hear a positive click..

Motor the mirror around...

Hope that helps..



TTFN

[cliff]

This might help as well

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=19153&p=247961#p247961

[Elanlover]

Excellent both of you. I'll scrub up and prepare for surgery shortly and then report on the patient's health.

[Elanlover]

Well, the mirror does come out easily enough. With it out I can easily see that the motor doesn't appear to work for the up/down function. All the plastic bits look to be in good shape with no deterioration at all. I push the button and nothing moves and no sounds. Strangely enough I've just noticed that the passenger side doesn't move left/right either. I'm wondering if its some kind of cut wire - I did have the fascia out and was putting stuff back together. And, when I was, i had some trouble with a stubborn cable which needed to be yanked a bit. Hmmmmm.....................


Edit: Could it be the same (as in just one) wire that's causing the issue on both sides? I'm looking over the electrical schematic and its clear as mud. One of the most confusing ones I've looked at yet. It "seems" as if there's some cross over between the wires for the right and left mirrors depending on the switch position............

[Specky]

Sounds like the toggle switch, most probably the connector, especially as it's that bloomin short and also it's a bugger to put the console back in and keep it connected.

TTFN

[Elanlover]

Do you mean the mirror switch itself? I have the centre console out now and the switch. It looks ok to me. I do get some function on the right and left sides just not all. The heater button works and lights up when pressed.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

My switch had bad contacts and both mirrors didn't work in different ways. I popped it open and cleaned the connections and added some dielectric grease and it works properly again.

[Elanlover]

My switch had bad contacts and both mirrors didn't work in different ways. I popped it open and cleaned the connections and added some dielectric grease and it works properly again.

Glad you said that John. Never would have considered that as its a brand new switch in there. Of course, I did crack it open to put in a red LED for the yellow one............... So that was one cause for my problem but there was another. The mirror glass had come separated from the top adjusting peg for some reason. Some judicial use of force to get it back in seemed to do the trick. Thanks everyone!

[Elanlover]

Crap.. Still having issues with the switch. Seems they don't ever like to be cracked open. Certain positions just don't want to engage. Grrrr.....................


Not sure about adding dielectric grease though. Its non conductive. Wouldn't battery terminal grease or the like be better?

[Brit-Car-Nut]

dielectric grease keeps things lubed without causing high resistance "shorts". It also helps keep the connectors dry and clean.

Battery grease is used to keep the corrosion at the connection to a minimum.

Do you have your old switch? Swap it to make sure it is the switch causing the problems.

[Elanlover]

Oh its the switch alright. I've taken it apart a few times now, alights the little pyramids and put it back together again. It works when i plug it in but then only intermittently when pushed into its position. When removed from the console it won't work. Pull it apart, adjust all the pyramids, put it back together and it works - for a time. Both switches are doing similar things.

I'll try the dielectric grease and see what happens. The reason I suggested battery terminal grease is because it is conductive and the switch doesn't seem to have dielectric grease inside it as stock - but maybe that's the problem.........

[Brit-Car-Nut]

I tend to add the dielectric grease to switches I clean that are in high moisture areas. (Remember, I worked with Lucas switches for a few decades).

Didn't Geoff do a write-up on LED replacement for that? Maybe he mentioned a weak area that you can review? I will look later tonight, but pretty covered up right now.

I believe I have a couple of NEW ones I scrounged as spares for my projects. I could probably be coerced to part with one if that would help...

[Specky]

Don't forget the vauxhall Frontera makes a good donor switch, there are normally several available on EBay.

TTFN

[superbad]

GM used that switch in a lot of cars (Saab, later Saturns, etc.). Usually without heated mirrors though, so those would have no LED.

[Elanlover]

I have seen several Vauxhall replacements on eBay for pretty cheap so I may go that route. The other possibility is simply to replace that hated switch with another that is similarly wired with less issues and a "neutral" position as I am forever adjusting one mirror accidentally.

[GeoffSmith]

If the switch isn't reliable the chances are that no amount of spray/grease are going to fix it as it's more than likely mechanical or corrosion which needs to be cleaned. On (correctly functioning) switches or plugs/sockets, I use switch contact spray to help stop the contacts corroding and/or arcing. If it's in a harsh environment (plugs and sockets under the bonnet) then some dielectric grease is good to maintain the seals and keep moisture out.

I haven't taken a mirror switch apart (the LED is still yellow but I'd be interested in some pictures) but I did take the window switches apart.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Sorry, I thought I read that it was a new switch. Cleaning the contacts of corrosion is always necessary first. The grease keeps out water and oxygen which causes corrosion. Contact cleaner, Green scotch brite pads, small stainless wire brush all help there.