STLCA 80 Series Club Thread (1 Viewer)

[sk8salomon]

Has anybody completely disassembled an 80 side mirror? I did this yesterday for two reasons. 1) the mirror itself is loose/shaky. I read tons of threads on the main forum on how to fix this, so no questions there. 2) the PO must have been a dumb ass. There is a large compression spring that rides on a post in there. That spring is what gives the mirror the "break-away" feature allowing it to pull back to center, or the original driving/viewing position. Both of my mirrors have identical issues. The spring compression clip has been removed so they are floppy elephant ears going down the road. It reminds me of a valve spring so it looks like I'll need a spring compressor to get the clip seated again. Any suggestions are sppreciated

 

[Tennessee80]

@tone33 has fixed his shaky mirror, man. let's see if he has any tricks, but it sounds like you need that spring before you do anything...

good luck!

 

[tone33]

nah I just did the shaky mirror fix with zip ties so all original parts were there... my PO didn't try to disassemble or anything.

 

[jynx]

I know what your talking about. I have a set that i started taking apart as well, but couldn't find a way to disconnect the electrical without cutting the harness. I didn't pull the door panel and I suspect there may be something in there to disconnect them. Anyway, I will see if I can pull the one I stripped down out of my stash and see if I can figure out how it looks like it goes together tomorrow after work.

 

[sk8salomon]

I'll post up some more pics but you can disconnect the wires from the mirror body itself once everything is taken apart. No need to even remove it from the door.

 

[jynx]

So they just pull out? I never thought to try that, guess I figured that was a hard wired connection that would break. I'll have to check that out. Also, I haven't pulled out that mirror, but I don't think a spring compressor is what you need. That big spring is wrapped around the pivot and applies a torsional/ twisting force to the outer portion of the mirror, so I think you're going to figure out where the end is and figure a way to twist it back around and attach it. I will double check tonight when I get home and verify.

 

[Tennessee80]

Good mirror tech guys! I haven't had mine apart, so it's good to know what's inside that sucker....

Good luck, Sean!

 

[sk8salomon]

Here's some pics of the mirror disassembly. First you will see the post, then inner housing with spring assembly. There is a u-clip in one of the pics that slides into the post once the spring is compressed. This is why I need a small valve spring compressor. The outer housing is two-piece.

 

[Monty231]

Sean, I'd go to the parts stores around you and see what they have available in their loan a tool program. You may find something that does the trick. A c clamp may do the trick as well. Good luck.

 

[sk8salomon]

Fender & valence from a donor truck.

 

[jynx]

Man Milo's rig is coming together nicely.

All seriousness, once done you are going to have a nice 80 there. You ever get the trans plug figured out?

 

[sk8salomon]

Thanks Matthew. I'm really having fun w this rig. Right now I'm stuck w the trans issue. I was able to figure out the wiring and get output signals in the dash according to what gear I'm in. The prob is that D still doesn't indicate. This is a problem because the TCU doesn't know what gear to tell the trans solenoid to start out in. Otherwise it shifts fine manually.

 

[oldredfj60]

Sean - almost every truck has a burned out D light. Have you checked the bulb in the dash? Common 80 problem.

 

[jynx]

Like @oldredfj60 said, almost every 80 that is currently still running in any fashion does not have a lighted D when in gear. There are some threads on how to replace the bulbs and board, but most everyone just lives with it since it is a serious PITA for a very minor gain. Plus, to be honest, my 92 has a working light and at night, that little bugger is bright, almost to the point of being annoying if you are driving far. So don't sweat that, pretty common. I'd say the circuit is closed, it just doesn't show up on the dash.

Wish I could help with the rest.

 

[oldredfj60]

Sean @sk8salomon - looking at your mirror. If all you need to do is compress that spring to slip the clip over, with the spring exposed like that, then I have a few pullers that will do the trick. Looks like two c clamps would work as well.

 

[sk8salomon]

Thanks guys. I wish I could say it's as easy as a burned out bulb. Since the A442 trans shifts electronically, it receives the signal from the NSS. The switch tells the TCU what gear it's in. If D is not being reported, the trans starts out in 3rd, otherwise shifting manually works fine. What I need to do next is to test the signal coming off the NSS in D. If I get a good test, that means something else is going on. I don't think a burned out bulb would be causing this but I could be wrong. Still trying to understand the circuit.

 

[FJCRAWLER]

@sk8salomon , not sure if you have the room or if it will even work, but this is a valve spring compressor tool.

 

[jynx]

Sean, PM inbound with a EWD. Pretty sure the bulb being out isn't causing the issue. It is just a power to ground feed from the shifter thru the bulb.

 

[sk8salomon]

Ok thanks. Ive seen that doc before but I'll look again. I need to check VDC on the NSS D wire, should be 9-12 I think when in D

 

[sk8salomon]

Made some progress on the mirror spring today. After a few attempts w 2 different ring compressors I spent $6 on a socket & made my own SST. The ring compressors kept hitting the housing & wouldn't line up right. Good news is that I got the passenger mirror to seat. Bad news is I broke the pot metal post on the drivers side so it's junk now. Need to find a used one.