Sideview mirror woes!

[ssbob]

So yesterday the wife notices that the side view mirror is flopping forward and backwards whenever she accelerates and brakes. I check it out yesterday and find that whatever was keeping it from moving about has broken loose or somehow come undone.

I open up the mirror and realize that the large spring that pushes down on some locking plate attached to the stud sticking up through the mirror housing has come undone. However I can't for the life of me figure out how to compress the spring down, slide the top and bottom shims (for lack of a better word) and slide that locking plate into place.

Anyone have any experience with this issue and have fixed it? I would hate having to purchase a replacement mirror and pay to get it sprayed the proper color.

Thanks

Sean

[mainemike]

search is your friend. Every 80 has this problem sooner or later. Several well documented epoxy-fab fixes in the archives.

[agomez]

if you buy a new oem they come in the correct color....

[ssbob]

Right no I know that fix, have used it on the passenger side mirror and it works like a champ!

However this is not that problem, this is where if you look into the mirror housing itself (with the mirror out obviously) there is a a coil spring looking thing (I assume keeping the mirror housing from flopping back and forth), that has come undone and the entire mirror housing itself flops forwards and back. Like how you can tuck it up to the door to protect it if you wanted to ... its just totally floppy loose. I figured out how to put it back together but cannot figure out how to compress the spring enough to lock it over the post. It is very cramped in there.

[teejnut]

Subscribing... I have the same issue, been using tape to resolve it for the time being.

[cruzer971]

When I bought my '93 it had this problem. The PO just used some silicone goop and stuck the mirror housing back on the pivot shaft. I tried to get the retainer ring back over the huge coil spring with no luck. I didn't want to pay toyota's price for the new housing, and I couldn't seem to win any used ones on eBay for a reasonable dollar amount, So I just bought an el cheapo nuevo from a vendor on ebay and called it done. It isn't toyota quality but for the offroad punishment it will see, I'd feel better about destroying this one than if I spent more $ on the OE one.

[teejnut]

Originally Posted by cruzer971

When I bought my '93 it had this problem. The PO just used some silicone goop and stuck the mirror housing back on the pivot shaft. I tried to get the retainer ring back over the huge coil spring with no luck. I didn't want to pay toyota's price for the new housing, and I couldn't seem to win any used ones on eBay for a reasonable dollar amount, So I just bought an el cheapo nuevo from a vendor on ebay and called it done. It isn't toyota quality but for the offroad punishment it will see, I'd feel better about destroying this one than if I spent more $ on the OE one.

i don't know why i didn't think about buying a non-oem one since since it gets beats when wheelin. do you remember which brand/vendor you bought from on ebay?

this? eBay Motors: MIRROR toyota LAND CRUISER 91-97 side view power 96 LH (item 250252834106 end time Jun-03-08 21:24:37 PDT)

[mainemike]

Originally Posted by mainemike

search is your friend. Every 80 has this problem sooner or later. Several well documented epoxy-fab fixes in the archives.

OOPS - Sorry I though your post was the usual wobbly mirror. Looks like you have a new and undocumented mirror problem, which is kind of rare here...

[hj60]

If you just need to compress a spring and have enough room to maneuver, there is a Chevy SST that'll work. Local parts house should have it. It's for compressing door hinge springs. It's 2 pieces of stamped steel in the shape of channels with a bite out of one end. They are hinged together at the other end and there's a nut and bolt in the middle to compress the spring.

[cruzer971]

Originally Posted by teejnut

i don't know why i didn't think about buying a non-oem one since since it gets beats when wheelin. do you remember which brand/vendor you bought from on ebay?

this? eBay Motors: MIRROR toyota LAND CRUISER 91-97 side view power 96 LH (item 250252834106 end time Jun-03-08 21:24:37 PDT)

Yep, Thats the one! It comes blackish in color. It plugs in and functioned right. No complaints. I have the forest green paint, but never got the new mirror painted. You can hardly tell the color difference on mine with all the custom brush pinstriping in the paint.