Both mirror glass out for 'jiggling glass' repair...

[IdahoDoug]

Thanks for all the great fixes for this annoying little thing. Passenger's mirror has had a piece of foam wedged into it for years and a couple days ago the driver's suddenly started wiggling. So today was a slow day and I removed both mirrors for repair. JB Weld is drying. The driver's mirror piece was still in there so just a matter of reattaching. The other side it was long gone so whole ear of JB Weld is also drying. Tried an experiment of making a mold of the missing ear with the broken off ear using aluminum foil. Filled it with JB Weld in hopes it would get me 90% of the shape and then a bit of - what else - JB Weld to attach it after a bit of dremel work. This was a flyer, as I also have JB Weld drying on the actual piece using the piece of straw method someone posted. This is all in the excellent FAQ others posted, so thanks for the tips.

When the 97 comes home I'm going to pop its mirrors and see if they are cracking. No jiggling yet but it's clearly gonna happen and if I can reinforce it easily before they break, I will.

DougM

 

[Enigma]

What exactly breaks on these? My passenger side mirror has been jiggling since day one.

 

[retrofive]

There is 2 plastic hooks/hangers at the top that the mirror back end hangs on and then a screw on the bottom (accessible from the bottom, even fully assembled) that pulls it down. The top 2 hooks/hangers typically break.

There is several really good threads on this. Mine are broken 2, just haven't had a chance to fix yet.

Here is one of the threads:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/83177-shakey-sideview-mirror-fix.html

 

[IdahoDoug]

Well, the mirrors are still sitting on the hallway heater vent and ultra cured by now. Didn't have time today. Was strange driving around w/o them - didn't realize how much I rely on the outside mirrors. The experiment with the molded foil worked out quite cool. I have an extra part now.

DougM

 

[IdahoDoug]

Installed the mirrors and added a little mod that I think may help others avoid broken tabs. The plastic keyhole shaped part that breaks hangs from an L shaped cast metal hook. The hook has some edges that I think overstress the plastic and the two parts can easily move and wobble (slide easily on each other), leading owners to tighten the lower screw and further stress, then break the plastic.

I put a piece of clear vinyl tape over the L hook so when the plastic part is hung from it there is some "stiction" or friction which prevents wobble. Then the screw on the bottom doesn't need to be so tight. I used (what else?) 3M clear bra material cut about 1/8 inch wide by a half inch long. Just drape it over the hook and assemble.

I mention this because I popped both mirrors off the 97 (takes about 1 minute if you've never done it), after putting the repaired ones back on the 93 and put this little trick on the hooks. They were wobbling slightly, now rock steady due to the stiction. Any electrical tape (double this for thickness) or similar will work - even a dab of silicone allowed to dry.

DougM

edit - thought this needed clarification. The L hook is designed so the motor/mirror can be hung on it easily for assembly blind (can't see the parts mating but easy to do by feel) - a necessary evil. The hard plastic and metal easily slide on each other after years of wear/vibration - leading to the screw being tightened on the bottom to take up slack. Trouble is, whomever started the rumor this is the way to 'take up slack' is wrong. This screw merely finalizes the assembly and may work loose over the years but was never intended to take up slack after you look at the design for a few minutes. It can't. What is happening over the years is as described above - two parts with low friction begin moving. So, simply put a thin layer between them and reassemble. In my case the thing I had on hand is a plastic that is kind of gummy and perfect to provide this stiction.

I think the misnomer the screw can take up slack causes the split/damaged screw hole on the bottom. So, if your mirror is wobbling slightly it's just slippage of the mounting points you can fix with this trick. Or you'll open it and find the broken parts that need an overnight fix with JB Weld or similar.

 

[NLXTACY]

My driver's side mirror JUST started doing this so I will be trying this fix along with the JB Weld and will do some preventative fixes for the passenger's side as well. Thanks DOUG.