Removal of the side view mirrors DIY (56k ouch!)
#1
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Do your mirrors swing around the corners like a hooker? Heres why. But before i can get to it,lets make a DIY on how to take them off.
Before we start,i have to warn you,that you have to take off your door panels if you dont want to cut your wires.
Here we go:
Remove the mirror by pulling on the bottom ,it will snap off.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1317.jpg)
You can unscrew the bolts in this picture and actualy save your self a lot of trouble. You can then seperate the housing and have the skeleton to work on.But since we are removing the whole mirror we will do it the hard way.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1318.jpg)
Undo the plastic cover on the bottom of the mirror(i broke mine)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1319.jpg)
See the screws? Well good luck removing them ,unless you got those 90 degree screw drivers,so i cant.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1320.jpg)
Remove the tweeter cover,you'll see a screw.....umm year remove it.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1321.jpg)
Remove the cover and there will be the first 2 screws for the mirror assembly
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1322.jpg)
The third screw is in there somewhere under the tweeter.You can reach it with a regular screw driver,just gota find it first
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1324.jpg)
Remove the assembly and there are 2 screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1325.jpg)
remove the rubber cover and there are 2 more.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1326.jpg)
Another screw that holds the wiring in place.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1327.jpg)
Flip the mirror assy over and now you can finaly remove the screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1328.jpg)
Disconnect the harness
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1329.jpg)
I had to cut the wires because the harness wont go through the hole.
Now we have the mirror assy out on the table.Remove the screws you see.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1330.jpg)
Heres how you seperate the housing.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1331.jpg)
Here is the assembly behind the mirror.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1332.jpg)
Removed the backing ,so heres the assembly sceleton.Lets not stop there, incase you need to go farther and remove it too.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1333.jpg)
Spin the pin counter clock wise and it will pop out
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1335.jpg)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1336.jpg)
Pull the white face and it will pop out with screaming.Heres what you end up with.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1337.jpg)
Remove the 4 screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1339.jpg)
There you go fellas!
Now to explain why do our mirrors swing out of nowhere.You may think its because someone did it on purpose,but its not the case! The spring that holds the mirror shaft is too strong. So over time it wares out the shaft.
Here is a picture of the assy ,with the spring poped out.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1293.jpg)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1297.jpg)
Here is the picture of the rod that gave in.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1295.jpg)
I'm thinking about cutting the spring a little shorter,and bang the edges of the rod back.So the spring wont be too tight,yet its going to keep the mirror in place.
Now to fix the rest of the crap i screwd up during the removal, LOL
Before we start,i have to warn you,that you have to take off your door panels if you dont want to cut your wires.
Here we go:
Remove the mirror by pulling on the bottom ,it will snap off.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1317.jpg)
You can unscrew the bolts in this picture and actualy save your self a lot of trouble. You can then seperate the housing and have the skeleton to work on.But since we are removing the whole mirror we will do it the hard way.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1318.jpg)
Undo the plastic cover on the bottom of the mirror(i broke mine)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1319.jpg)
See the screws? Well good luck removing them ,unless you got those 90 degree screw drivers,so i cant.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1320.jpg)
Remove the tweeter cover,you'll see a screw.....umm year remove it.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1321.jpg)
Remove the cover and there will be the first 2 screws for the mirror assembly
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1322.jpg)
The third screw is in there somewhere under the tweeter.You can reach it with a regular screw driver,just gota find it first
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1324.jpg)
Remove the assembly and there are 2 screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1325.jpg)
remove the rubber cover and there are 2 more.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1326.jpg)
Another screw that holds the wiring in place.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1327.jpg)
Flip the mirror assy over and now you can finaly remove the screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1328.jpg)
Disconnect the harness
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1329.jpg)
I had to cut the wires because the harness wont go through the hole.
Now we have the mirror assy out on the table.Remove the screws you see.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1330.jpg)
Heres how you seperate the housing.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1331.jpg)
Here is the assembly behind the mirror.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1332.jpg)
Removed the backing ,so heres the assembly sceleton.Lets not stop there, incase you need to go farther and remove it too.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1333.jpg)
Spin the pin counter clock wise and it will pop out
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1335.jpg)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1336.jpg)
Pull the white face and it will pop out with screaming.Heres what you end up with.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1337.jpg)
Remove the 4 screws
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1339.jpg)
There you go fellas!
Now to explain why do our mirrors swing out of nowhere.You may think its because someone did it on purpose,but its not the case! The spring that holds the mirror shaft is too strong. So over time it wares out the shaft.
Here is a picture of the assy ,with the spring poped out.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1293.jpg)
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1297.jpg)
Here is the picture of the rod that gave in.
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1295.jpg)
I'm thinking about cutting the spring a little shorter,and bang the edges of the rod back.So the spring wont be too tight,yet its going to keep the mirror in place.
Now to fix the rest of the crap i screwd up during the removal, LOL
![](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh158/Guyka/Car/Side%20view%20mirror/IMG_1341.jpg)
#4
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Just wanted to add to this old thread. I just "fixed" mine.
In the process, I broke my lens. I was afraid to pull on the lens the wrong way. Well, it took a lot to even for it to come loose. So I pull on it more, and it "spider web" on me. But eventually I got it off...........
But my experience was that, I tried to compress the spring and apply zip ties to hold it in the compress state for me to insert the retainer clip back on. Well, the zip ties didn't clear the shaft. So, I ended up cutting 2 whole coils off the spring. I did one coil, then 2 half coils. So, that totals up to my 2 coils. Then, it still required me to compress the spring and had a second person to insert the clip onto the shaft.
I didn't quite follow the exact instructions mentioned above. But if you know what you are doing, you can bypass (skip for matter of fact) a few steps and get to the springs earlier (quicker and earlier).
But props to him for doing it first with a write-up.
In the process, I broke my lens. I was afraid to pull on the lens the wrong way. Well, it took a lot to even for it to come loose. So I pull on it more, and it "spider web" on me. But eventually I got it off...........
But my experience was that, I tried to compress the spring and apply zip ties to hold it in the compress state for me to insert the retainer clip back on. Well, the zip ties didn't clear the shaft. So, I ended up cutting 2 whole coils off the spring. I did one coil, then 2 half coils. So, that totals up to my 2 coils. Then, it still required me to compress the spring and had a second person to insert the clip onto the shaft.
I didn't quite follow the exact instructions mentioned above. But if you know what you are doing, you can bypass (skip for matter of fact) a few steps and get to the springs earlier (quicker and earlier).
But props to him for doing it first with a write-up.
Last edited by 2JZSoarer; 04-25-10 at 04:43 PM. Reason: Grammar check
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#8
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Old thread but since I’ve just had to deal with this myself, here is a video DIY that someone made showing how to remove an SC side mirror, take it apart, repair the spring retainer mechanism inside and put it back together.
(However for the sake of the car please do not cut your mirror’s wiring harness as he did!!)
(However for the sake of the car please do not cut your mirror’s wiring harness as he did!!)
#9
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I finally had to address this issue for myself the other day. I was able to find a good mirror assembly in my exterior color (black) that did not have the floppy issue but the alternative is to perform the drilling and steel pin repair method this guy shows in his video.
However DO NOT do as the guy in the video demonstrates by cutting the electrical harness!! What I did the other day was to transfer over my old mirror wiring harness to the other good assembly. I did this by taking several clear pictures of the wire orientation on the harness connector and de-pinning that large main connector in order to pull the wiring harness out completely. There is a big gasket at the rear that must be gently pulled away before you will find a little metal plate-thing held in my a tiny screw which keeps the mirror wiring harness in place.
De-pinning the connector should be done with a *very fine size* small screwdriver set (such as for small electronics). Remember there is a plastic catch on the connector that has to be gently pried up slightly so that you will be able to *carefully* pry up the plastic wire terminal catches with a tiny flathead screwdriver end in order to de-pin each wire.
Don't forget to take several pictures first so that each wire can be put back into the exact receptacles when you are nearly finished with this project!
Also there is gooey sticky blue electrical insulating tape that needs to be removed and thrown away. Replace the tape in these areas upon re-assembly with Scotch Super 33+ electrical tape or Tessa wiring harness tape.
Once the wiring harness is temporarily removed from the mirror assembly you can then perform the drilling and stopper pin DIY repair as shown in the above video. It is also possible with some very precision cutting to put two new grooves 90-degrees opposite of the old worn out grooves so as to keep using the factory tension clip... but it's probably easier to use the drilling and steel pin method as the fix for this issue.
Inserting the harness again, re-pinning the connector and adding new electrical tape is very easy. Just note the orientation prior to disassembly of everything including how the wire harness is held in place behind the big gasket.
...
Also anyone reading this should know that there are no less than three different connectors for different SC300/400 mirror configurations over the entire 92-00 production run. There are commonalities in some of the wire functions but I found it much easier to stick with my rule of "keep the mirror wiring harness with the car the mirror came from even if the mirror shell or other parts are replaced". It made it less work that way other than de-pinning and re-pinning the harness connector in order to remove it temporarily for repair of a broken mirror assembly.
I hope this helps someone.
However DO NOT do as the guy in the video demonstrates by cutting the electrical harness!! What I did the other day was to transfer over my old mirror wiring harness to the other good assembly. I did this by taking several clear pictures of the wire orientation on the harness connector and de-pinning that large main connector in order to pull the wiring harness out completely. There is a big gasket at the rear that must be gently pulled away before you will find a little metal plate-thing held in my a tiny screw which keeps the mirror wiring harness in place.
De-pinning the connector should be done with a *very fine size* small screwdriver set (such as for small electronics). Remember there is a plastic catch on the connector that has to be gently pried up slightly so that you will be able to *carefully* pry up the plastic wire terminal catches with a tiny flathead screwdriver end in order to de-pin each wire.
Don't forget to take several pictures first so that each wire can be put back into the exact receptacles when you are nearly finished with this project!
Also there is gooey sticky blue electrical insulating tape that needs to be removed and thrown away. Replace the tape in these areas upon re-assembly with Scotch Super 33+ electrical tape or Tessa wiring harness tape.
Once the wiring harness is temporarily removed from the mirror assembly you can then perform the drilling and stopper pin DIY repair as shown in the above video. It is also possible with some very precision cutting to put two new grooves 90-degrees opposite of the old worn out grooves so as to keep using the factory tension clip... but it's probably easier to use the drilling and steel pin method as the fix for this issue.
Inserting the harness again, re-pinning the connector and adding new electrical tape is very easy. Just note the orientation prior to disassembly of everything including how the wire harness is held in place behind the big gasket.
...
Also anyone reading this should know that there are no less than three different connectors for different SC300/400 mirror configurations over the entire 92-00 production run. There are commonalities in some of the wire functions but I found it much easier to stick with my rule of "keep the mirror wiring harness with the car the mirror came from even if the mirror shell or other parts are replaced". It made it less work that way other than de-pinning and re-pinning the harness connector in order to remove it temporarily for repair of a broken mirror assembly.
I hope this helps someone.
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LuxuryGS3
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02-23-13 04:14 PM