Driver's Side View Mirror HOUSING Loose (1 Viewer)

[damagnan]

Hey all--

So I've done the requisite searching (last 20min) and have not come up with an answer yet (though one thread gave me new questions!).

WHAT I DID:
Pulled off the lower dash/trim and installed a new HU. I unplugged all plugs EXCEPT the power mirror control (because I was too dumb to figure it out, apparently). (So basically I ended up leaving that plugged in and just carefully left the dash/trim out of the way while I worked).
Then I reassembled.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER:
Stereo worked (SCORE!), mirrors do not--I'm guessing I messed up the switch. I noticed this at the same time I noticed that the driver's side view mirror HOUSING (NOT THE GLASS) is loose and flaps in the wind all willy-nilly like.

MY QUESTION(S):
--Are the two related somehow (the mirror switch and the floppy housing)??
--Even if they aren't (it was just some wild coincidence), how do I fix that housing (which currently is held in place with a wad of paper)??

Thanks

 

[KimoSabe]

which part of the housing, the mounts on the door or the swivel? post some pics? or did you fix it?

 

[damagnan]

good question. the part that mounts to the vehicle is stable. The mirror "frame" (for lack of a better word) --the part you fold in when you don't want some idiot to break off your mirror as they drive by too close on a narrow street.

i'll try to post pics later...

 

[TexasJack]

I have this same problem. Mine got progressively worse over time and eventually I determined that the pin that locks it into position was broken. I have not determined a method for replacing it so I plan to replace the entire housing. You can get them in black online pretty cheap. If you want them pre-painted the color of your vehicle, they are terrifically expensive.

Be sure to post your repair if you figure out how to fix it. Thx.

 

[damagnan]

Oh, and just for clarity's sake, in this pic, my hand is touching the portion of the mirror housing that is swivel-happy. (and you can see the paper wedging it in place)

-DM

 

[KimoSabe]

i have mine apart for sometime to fix a mirror shake. I attached pics to show you possible problem area for your LC.

First Pic will show how to remove the mirror. Screw access on bottom. once screw is off, mirror hangs on two hangers as circled on second pic. Work mirror off the hanger.

Second picture (arrows pointing) 4 screw that holds the housing in place on to the structure. Tighten them and hopefully this should solve your problem... this can be accomplished with mirror still attached to the door...Happy Independence Day ... good luck... ~

 

[TexasJack]

You are definitely having the same problem I am having. You are not having a problem with the mirror itself jiggling, you are having a problem with the entire housing becoming loose. My mechanic told me that your ability to fold the mirror in (for washing your car) is made possible by a pin in the housing and that when this pin breaks, you have to replace the entire housing. I have NOT taken it off my door in order to take it apart because I think that will only allow you to tighten up the mirror itself, not the housing.

I tried using a compound used for boat repair to glue the mirror in place and I also put a screw in it to hold it in place. It has worked to some degree but the glue is a white compound and I have a dark green LC. I painted it but the paint has come off and it now looks pretty bad. If my mechanic is correct, I'll have to replace the housing to fix it. Let's see if any other members have figured out a way to fix this problem...I am hopeful.

 

[TexasJack]

Just did some quick searching....check out this thread. shakey sideview mirror fix.

 

[damagnan]

Just did some quick searching....check out this thread. shakey sideview mirror fix.

...no thread...?

 

[KimoSabe]

CruiserJack ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/378291-broken-mirror-glass-replacement-idiots-lots-pics.html ) has a great write-up on replacing a mirror assembly. As with my DS mirror, it has got the shakes ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/83177-shakey-sideview-mirror-fix.html ) and I'm in the process of fixing the broken tab. I did note that when I unscrewed the 4 screws, the housing detached from the structure which caused the housing to rattle. May be worth a look before U go and remove the mirror assembly from the door.

Also note that CruiserJack replaced his mirror assembly cause his mirror "began swinging around the post like a drunk square dancer. It turns out the clip that holds the mirror to the post finally wore out and gave way"....This may not be your case.

 

[informationjunky]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/295383-loose-mirror-problem-not-shaky-mirror.html

The slot that holds the ratining clip breaks and makes the housing "swivel happy" the obove thead has several good methods of fixing. While you have it apart you might as well do the RTV trick to the mirror mounting points.

 

[RockChalk]

Anybody have any experience with the Kool Vue replacement mirrors? I lost the guts of my mirror housing (mirror and plastic back plate) while driving down the interstate. Seems like a cheaper option to finding salvage. My truck is no beauty queen so I'm not too concerned about them not matching the paint. My only concern is if they are decently built and will hold up.

 

[damagnan]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/295383-loose-mirror-problem-not-shaky-mirror.html

The slot that holds the ratining clip breaks and makes the housing "swivel happy" the obove thead has several good methods of fixing. While you have it apart you might as well do the RTV trick to the mirror mounting points.

I believe I'm going to go with one of the solutions in the Loose-Mirror-Not-Shaky-Mirror thread. If I do, I'll post pics, etc. for the sake of completeness (though that thread has quite a bit of documentation in text and in photo form).

Thanks all

-DM-

 

[TexasJack]

This looks like the right solution for me as well. I'll take pictures of my current fix so you guys can get a good laugh. After I finish the repair as outlined I'll take new pictures to show the finished product.

My mirror has been really loose for a long time....this forum is great. Thanks for making the effort to show us your repairs!

 

[damagnan]

Fixed it (FINALLY) -- Probably a or job (depending on your abilities).

Okay, so using the idea from this thread, I finally fixed my mirror issue.

I've included some relevant photos.

As for my process:

**Things I SHOULD'VE done**
a) Probably should've put a second nut or a lock washer on top of my washer pyramid
b) Probably should've routed the wiring a different way, because the bolt holding the spring in is contacting the wiring sleeve (at the bottom, where you begin to push the bolt in).
--I didn't do these, partly because it was raining (I was in a hurry) and partly because I didn't think about it until after I was mostly done and didn't have/want to take the time to do it (I know, I know, if you're going to do it, take the time to do it right, etc.).

1) Took whole mirror housing off (starting from the inside) - I think you can do this without removing the mirror from the door, but that's just how I did it.

2) Loosen the bottom screw (not shown) on the underside of the housing and remove your mirror glass
(Note: if yours has been fixed before because the little hooks your mirror hangs by were broken (see the above-referenced link in KimoSabe's post) , you may have to break the mirror glass free from whatever was used to bind it to the mirror mounts - sorry to whoever gets my rig next; the only thing I had was JB Weld)

3) Unscrew the 4 screws mounting the mirror motor/etc. to the housing (or you won't be able to take the two halves of the housing apart); Unscrew the screw on the door side of the mirror housing (see the pic) to remove the housing

4) Everything at this point should either be removed (or have fallen off!), including the black mirror frame that fits over the post you'll be mutilating in a moment

5) Drill a hole in the post large enough to thread the wiring through (because the bolt and the wiring probably won't fit); thread wiring through (see pic) and slide black mirror frame back onto the post (may have to fight the wiring a bit)

6) Get a bolt that'll fit through from the bottom, and an appropriate amount of washers (see the pic); I believe the one I decided to use was a 3" hex bolt (it was pretty slim...1/4"?) - Thinner is better because that post you're putting it through has a semi-closed-off opening at the top. Also, longer meant I didn't have to pre-compress that big-*** spring (as they did with zip-ties in the thread I linked above)...it was long enough that I was able to use the nut itself to compress the spring.

7) Place the bolt in the post (from the bottom!!) and affix your wild assembly of washers and bolts.

8) Put it back together (I put the mirror housing back on THEN put the mirror glass back with the JB Weld - had to tape the mirror glass to the housing to keep it up while the JB Weld set up)



Sorry this was long.

 

[damagnan]

Some, Also's:
*that pic of the spring/washers/nut/bolt is at the hardware store BEFORE I drilled a hole in the post and threaded the wiring through (so the finished product had the wiring coming OUT through the hole in the post, OUT of the sleeve that slides over the post to mount the black mirror frame on the post, and THROUGH a space in the spring)
*Yes, the bolt and the wiring fit inside that little post together (nice and snug though...another reason for a skinny bolt)

 

[tbo_cruiser]

Some, Also's:
*that pic of the spring/washers/nut/bolt is at the hardware store BEFORE I drilled a hole in the post and threaded the wiring through (so the finished product had the wiring coming OUT through the hole in the post, OUT of the sleeve that slides over the post to mount the black mirror frame on the post, and THROUGH a space in the spring)
*Yes, the bolt and the wiring fit inside that little post together (nice and snug though...another reason for a skinny bolt)

Had the same problem with my LX450. Driving down the road and all of a sudden the mirror flops toward the door window on the driver's side.
I tried essentially this same solution. I did not remove the mirror from the door. It was pretty easy to do everything with the mirror still mounted.

The first picture shows the post that the mirror pivots on. On mine, a little tab at the top of the post had broken off. Its hard to see in the picture but it is on the side of the post toward the door. The way this works is that there is a spring (shown in later pic) that presses the mirror frame down against the mounting bracket. On the bottom of the frame there are 3 ball bearings. These fit into 3 little pockets that are spaced equidistantly around the base of the spring.. When you turn the mirror these roll in the track and settle in to the next hole when you have gone 1/3 of a rotation. The pressure from the spring then tends to hold the mirror in that spot.

Once I got the mirror apart, I recognized that the little tab at the top of the post that the mirror swings on had broken off. This little tab apparently holds the spring retainer in place. I think I lost part of the retainer because I could not see how the part that was left could be held in place.

Anyway, so I decided to put a bolt in to hold the spring down. Because I had to put washers on the bolt, I cut some of the top off the post with a hacksaw so that I could compress the spring far enough to hold the mirror in place. I was not sure how far it had to go, so I cut off about 1/4". There were 2 slots on the side of the post so I assumed some sort of retainer had to fit into to that.

Next, I cut a slot in the side of the post for the wire to feed through. Then, I fed the wire up through the post and through a gap in the spring (since it could not pass out through the top because of the washers). Based on the recommendation above, I used a very thin (#8) bolt. It was 3" long. I used one washer on the bottom and 2 large and 1 small washer on top. I tightened the nut down until I had about 3/8" of the bolt showing above it. Then I put everything back together to try it out.

All the adjusting mechanism worked fine. First time driving it, there was a little bit of shaking when I hit bumps, so I tightened a bit more (to the point described above). There was a little improvement in the shaking. It occured to me that I would probably not be able to get rid of the shaking because there is nothing holding the top of the spring from moving laterally (the retaining clip did this before). The shaking is really not bad, so I guess I'll just live with it. One good way to see how much problem you have is to just close the door and look at the image in the mirror when the door hits the latch. My passenger side is rock solid -- no shaking at all. The driver's side had a noticeable, but not terrible, amount.

Incidently, all the plastic parts inside the mirror that others had had problems with were intact.

Photos
1. Shows the post before I cut part of the top off. You can see the little holes at the bottom where the ball bearings fit. BTW, be careful when you disassemble. I almost lost one of the bearings.

2. Shows the bottom of the post. There is a slot cut in this so the wire can fit in there so that it fits under the washer for the bolt.

(remaining pics in next post).

3.

 

[tbo_cruiser]

Had the same problem with my LX450. Driving down the road and all of a sudden the mirror flops toward the door window on the driver's side.
I tried essentially this same solution. I did not remove the mirror from the door. It was pretty easy to do everything with the mirror still mounted.

The first picture shows the post that the mirror pivots on. On mine, a little tab at the top of the post had broken off. Its hard to see in the picture but it is on the side of the post toward the door. The way this works is that there is a spring (shown in later pic) that presses the mirror frame down against the mounting bracket. On the bottom of the frame there are 3 ball bearings. These fit into 3 little pockets that are spaced equidistantly around the base of the spring.. When you turn the mirror these roll in the track and settle in to the next hole when you have gone 1/3 of a rotation. The pressure from the spring then tends to hold the mirror in that spot.

Once I got the mirror apart, I recognized that the little tab at the top of the post that the mirror swings on had broken off. This little tab apparently holds the spring retainer in place. I think I lost part of the retainer because I could not see how the part that was left could be held in place.

Anyway, so I decided to put a bolt in to hold the spring down. Because I had to put washers on the bolt, I cut some of the top off the post with a hacksaw so that I could compress the spring far enough to hold the mirror in place. I was not sure how far it had to go, so I cut off about 1/4". There were 2 slots on the side of the post so I assumed some sort of retainer had to fit into to that.

Next, I cut a slot in the side of the post for the wire to feed through. Then, I fed the wire up through the post and through a gap in the spring (since it could not pass out through the top because of the washers). Based on the recommendation above, I used a very thin (#8) bolt. It was 3" long. I used one washer on the bottom and 2 large and 1 small washer on top. I tightened the nut down until I had about 3/8" of the bolt showing above it. Then I put everything back together to try it out.

All the adjusting mechanism worked fine. First time driving it, there was a little bit of shaking when I hit bumps, so I tightened a bit more (to the point described above). There was a little improvement in the shaking. It occured to me that I would probably not be able to get rid of the shaking because there is nothing holding the top of the spring from moving laterally (the retaining clip did this before). The shaking is really not bad, so I guess I'll just live with it. One good way to see how much problem you have is to just close the door and look at the image in the mirror when the door hits the latch. My passenger side is rock solid -- no shaking at all. The driver's side had a noticeable, but not terrible, amount.

Incidently, all the plastic parts inside the mirror that others had had problems with were intact.

Photos
1. Shows the post before I cut part of the top off. You can see the little holes at the bottom where the ball bearings fit. BTW, be careful when you disassemble. I almost lost one of the bearings.

2. Shows the bottom of the post. There is a slot cut in this so the wire can fit in there so that it fits under the washer for the bolt.

(remaining pics in next post).

3. View attachment 888354View attachment 888355

3. Shows the post after I cut the top off and cut a slot in the side.

4. Here you see the mirror frame in place with the wire routed through the post.

5. Shows the spring and bolt in place. I put part of the original retained, a large washer and a small washer on the top with one nut installed.

6. Put a second locking nut on top. Notice the wire routed out through the side of the spring (hope this doesn't cause problems later).




4.

 

[Joshau]

@tbo_cruiser how's this solution holding up? Same exact thing just happened to my '95 about 20minutes ago.

 

[Formulaonehd]

Buy aftermarket with slight bend in the mirror the vision out of the OEM are horrible especially for blind spot and parking