mirror removal

[harry yarnell]

How do you get the glass out of the housing?

We're talking a right hand outside mirror.

[Digger914]

Nice thing about power mirrors is the glass comes out of the housing with the plastic mounting plate that it is glued to. The mounting plate snaps on to the 3 adjusting screws and after 25 years it might not to let go without a fight. Use a couple of plastic glass sticks or trim removal tools to pry with if you have them and wear gloves, just in case the glass breaks.

[KDirk]

I suggest the following:

 

1. Remove mirror with motor from housing (three screws hold motor). You will need to angle the mirror by hand into different positions (pushing on face of mirror) to get enough clearance to get a screwdriver on the three screws between the edge of the mirror and the housing.

 

2. Use a light lube oil (like zoom spout or sewing machine oil) on the motor gimbal where the plastic mirror backer snaps on. Very gently and slowly pry the plastic backer panel off the gimbal (it is easy to break it off the motor, have done so myself). Do not attempt without lubing the gimbal thoroughly first, it will break. There are two drive rods, horizontal and vertical control, that insert into openings in the front of the mirror motor. These just slide out once the backer is snapped off the gimbal. Now the mirror panel itself is free, and if the glass needs to be removed for replacement it is much easier to do so without damage to the motor or the housing.

 

If any of the motor mounting tabs are broken (frequently the case) then effect proper repairs with epoxy and wire loops so the mirror can be solidly mounted back in the housing. The standoffs in the housing are also frequently split and don't hold the screws tightly. Repair these as well with a suitable epoxy (JB Weld works well if you degloss the plastic first with some sandpaper). Allow to cure fully before attempting to reassemble.

 

Often the three motor mounting screws are badly rusted. If you have a good hardware store that sells bulk hardware by the piece get some proper replacements as needed. I usually reinstall the mirror panel on the motor (snap it over the gimbal after lining up the two drive rods) then reassemble into the housing by angling the mirror enough to get the three screws in. It is exceedingly difficult to snap the mirror backer into the gimbal and keep the drive rods aligned when the motor is already secured into the housing.

 

One additional caveat for the driver's side mirror as it is heated; the heat element is two layers of copper foil with a resistive carbon film sandwiched between them. It is very easy to ruin by tearing the outer layer if you are removing the glass from the backer. I've found a heat gun (or large hair dryer at least) does well at softening the adhesive used by the factory (if glass has been reattached with RTV or VHB tape, all bets are off) so the glass can be pulled away (SLOWLY) from the heat element without destroying it. Careful prying it as well, any tool with a sharp edge can easily ruin the heat element as well. A plastic tapered pry tool is about the best that can be done, if needed.

 

I am not aware of any replacement heat elements that will fit this application, and I have looked extensively. Most current mirror heat elements are mylart film with a resistive grid printed on it, and cannot be cut to size as it will ruin the continuity of the heat element. Since all replacements I've found are too large, or the wrong shape, they cannot be used.

 

 

 

[Ronnie]

Good write-up Kevin. I've saved it for future reference. Let me know if changes or additions are needed. Any photos to go with it are welcomed.

Side Mirror Glass Removal

[ChrisWhewell]

12 hours ago, KDirk said:

I suggest the following:

 

1. .......

 

If any of the motor mounting tabs are broken (frequently the case) then effect proper repairs with epoxy and wire loops so the mirror can be solidly mounted back in the housing. ......

 

 

 

 

Yep.  two out of the three mounting loops on mine were snapped off.   I used JB weld but first, obtained appropriately-sized small metal washers from local hdwe store.   And a torch and pliers.   I heated each washer to redness, then while they were hot, pressed them into a correct position into the ABS plastic.  It melted the plastic around where it contacted, which then re-solidified.   Then, I put the JB on the next day.   The biggest battle is pulling the gimbal, just grab the pieces correctly and give a good pull, keep the bulk of the force applied to the center of the mirror and it will pop out.   Going back in, I coated the ball with vaseline and it went in pretty easily.  good luck

[Digger914]

I'm with Ronnie and agree that Kevin did a great procedure write-up and I've used Chris's procedure to convert a manual cable mirror backing into a power adjust backing to replace an un-obtainable for a part that was stolen from a car on the auction lot.

 

Have one little tip to add on replacing heating elements and this is using liquid solder to replace the resistive grid that is trimmed off to make an available element fit. Carefully scrape down to the element so you have a good contact points and to ensure you get enough solder laid down the first time, squeeze the solder pen as you draw your new line.  

[KDirk]

I don't know for sure if those defrost repair kits can be used for anything more than small spot repairs. I tend to think they lack the proper resistive properties to operate as a heating element over a long length, and are only effective to bridge small gaps for repair purposes. Moreover, the electrical characteristics would probably change based on how thick or wide it was applied.

 

I have used a circuit work pen (conductive ink, much as the liquid solder referenced couple of posts up thread) to do minor repairs on some items but it is fully conflictive like a piece of wire when cured, so will not heat up with power applied. It is usable for bridging a gap or crack in a printed circuit board or even a mylar sheet with conductive film imprinted.

 

In looking around today, I did find on Ebay a Chinese supplier of 12V heat elements in various rectangular sizes and differing wattages (4W to about 12W, dependent on physical dimensions) that are small enough to install behind the mirror glass without cuttin for shape and size considerations. These have wire leads pre attached, not small quick connect flags, so some adaptation would be needed. As well, I cannot vouch for the quality or longevity of these heat elements. Interestingly they appear to be thin rubber sheet with some type of heat element sandwiched between, so more resemble the design the OE mirror heat pad on the Reatta than the currently common mylar heat grid found on cars in production now.

 

These are cheap enough I may order a few and try them out (have a couple of drivers mirrors with bad heat elements, so may as well otherwise they will never be usable as heated mirrors again) but am not really expecting great results as this seems like just more Chinese sourced stuff of likely dubious quality. Then again, I have been (pleasantly) surprised by some of the stuff I took a gamble on from similar eBay sellers. If they turn out decent, I could see retrofitting heat on the passenger side mirrors as an upgrade, though clearly that requires adding wiring from the console fuse center to the door. St. Louis winters are usually bad enough that such an upgrade with be worthwhile IMHO.

[KDirk]

89- yes, that search you linked provided a wide variety of potential replacements, several of which were ones I'd looked at.

 

 What I really need to do now is put an ammeter on the mirror heater wiring while energized and see how much current is being drawn so I can establish the correct wattage so. Not only to ensure I don't overdraw the circuit capacity but also to be certain I'm not using one that is too hot and may damage the mirror (I.e. crack in extreme cold) or cause the adhesive to release.

 

There were several circular shaped ones shown on your linked search, I'm kind of liking the look of those over the usual rectangular ones. The Reatta side mirrors are an odd shape, in that they are half round on the outboard end and have a fairly sharp angle at the inboard end. This makes finding a heat film that can be used without cutting (or loosing too much heated surface area at the periphery by undersizing) difficult. Most current model mirrors are both larger and have a more rectangular shape, typically.

 

As far as I know, the Reatta mirrors were unique and not used on any other GM model of the era. This will make finding parts like housings and motors more difficult going forward.

 

The motors are unlike any other GM power mirror of the period that I have seen, so I have stockpiled several spare mirrors for each side. And we know the housing were made just for the Reatta, so in that regard what we have in parts is what exists presently.