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Maintenance Guides / Fix electric mirror switch on Pre-Facelift
« on: 24 December 2010, 22:15:54 »
This guide aims to show you how to repair your electric mirror adjuster switch. The symptoms to which this guide relates is inability to adjust either of the external mirrors to the left, right or downwards. Upwards adjustment is possible until the mirror reaches it's upward limit.
There are three pieces of trim to be removed before we can access the screws we wish to undo.
The trim pieces are arrowed below:
I found the easiest way to remove the first piece is to use the point of a utility knife blade and flick gently. This causes no damage to the trim.
Note the orientation of this piece of trim, there is a slot in the top and it only fits one way.
Piece no.2 simply prises off using a thin flat blade screwdriver, nothing complicated here.
Piece no.3 is even easier, just pull the trim away from the handle near the top.
We can now undo the three phillips screws that have been revealed, and remove the handle section of the door panel. The top left corner may need a little tug but should come away quite easily. Don't pull too hard as there are wires behind this which have to be disconnected.
Once the door handle section is off you will see this connector, disconnect this.
Now we have to remove the adjuster switch. There is a sprung clip on either side of the switch which can be depressed with a screwdriver. Once one side is free the other side comes out with no effort.
Withdraw the adjuster switch and place it on a flat surface to work on. Not on top of the engine like I did.
I dropped a connector cap down between the radiator and the grill and spent more time trying to find that, than it took to do the whole job.
Now remove the spring clips from both sides of the switch.
There is a small bridging piece of plastic separating the wires, this will just push out with a small screwdriver.
Now the fiddly part. Work around the four retaining lugs using two small flat blade screwdrivers to separate the two sections of the switch. This is the most difficult part of the operation.
Push one screwdriver down the inside of the switch while pushing on the lug, from the outside, with the other.
Once the switch is open, inspect for damage.
Verdigris on the contacts, one of the contact caps still in place.
Remove the contact caps and clean all the verdigris off using switch cleaner. I used an ammonia based window cleaner spray a cloth and small screwdriver to get in all the corners.
Spring loaded pin siezed.
Pull control button off to release the pin holder.
A spot of 3 in 1 oil on the siezed pin and a bit of working in and out with a pair of pliers soon freed this off.
Two of the three contact caps which sit on top of the pins, or under them, depending on your view.
Give the caps a good clean with your switch cleaner especially the outside surfaces.
Beware they are very easy to drop because of thier shape.
Contacts cleaned up and smeared with vaseline.
Trying to reassemble the switch with the caps on top of the pins resulted in the caps falling off everytime, so flip the switch over and put the caps into thier cradles in the other half of the switch.
Vaselined and ready to go back together the proper way with caps back in thier place.
Ensure that the telltale lamp locates in it's place properly and that all four retaining lugs snap back in to place.
Put everything back in reverse order and enjoy playing with your mirrors and if this didn't work for you. just replace the switch.
There are three pieces of trim to be removed before we can access the screws we wish to undo.
The trim pieces are arrowed below:
I found the easiest way to remove the first piece is to use the point of a utility knife blade and flick gently. This causes no damage to the trim.
Note the orientation of this piece of trim, there is a slot in the top and it only fits one way.
Piece no.2 simply prises off using a thin flat blade screwdriver, nothing complicated here.
Piece no.3 is even easier, just pull the trim away from the handle near the top.
We can now undo the three phillips screws that have been revealed, and remove the handle section of the door panel. The top left corner may need a little tug but should come away quite easily. Don't pull too hard as there are wires behind this which have to be disconnected.
Once the door handle section is off you will see this connector, disconnect this.
Now we have to remove the adjuster switch. There is a sprung clip on either side of the switch which can be depressed with a screwdriver. Once one side is free the other side comes out with no effort.
Withdraw the adjuster switch and place it on a flat surface to work on. Not on top of the engine like I did.
I dropped a connector cap down between the radiator and the grill and spent more time trying to find that, than it took to do the whole job.
Now remove the spring clips from both sides of the switch.
There is a small bridging piece of plastic separating the wires, this will just push out with a small screwdriver.
Now the fiddly part. Work around the four retaining lugs using two small flat blade screwdrivers to separate the two sections of the switch. This is the most difficult part of the operation.
Push one screwdriver down the inside of the switch while pushing on the lug, from the outside, with the other.
Once the switch is open, inspect for damage.
Verdigris on the contacts, one of the contact caps still in place.
Remove the contact caps and clean all the verdigris off using switch cleaner. I used an ammonia based window cleaner spray a cloth and small screwdriver to get in all the corners.
Spring loaded pin siezed.
Pull control button off to release the pin holder.
A spot of 3 in 1 oil on the siezed pin and a bit of working in and out with a pair of pliers soon freed this off.
Two of the three contact caps which sit on top of the pins, or under them, depending on your view.
Give the caps a good clean with your switch cleaner especially the outside surfaces.
Beware they are very easy to drop because of thier shape.
Contacts cleaned up and smeared with vaseline.
Trying to reassemble the switch with the caps on top of the pins resulted in the caps falling off everytime, so flip the switch over and put the caps into thier cradles in the other half of the switch.
Vaselined and ready to go back together the proper way with caps back in thier place.
Ensure that the telltale lamp locates in it's place properly and that all four retaining lugs snap back in to place.
Put everything back in reverse order and enjoy playing with your mirrors and if this didn't work for you. just replace the switch.
Are there guidelines on when and if these should be checked, changed, retensioned or whatever.