Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:37:42 -0500
Reply-To: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Joel Walker <jwalker@URONRAMP.NET>
Subject: Re: Power mirror conversion
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuart@COBALTGROUP.COM>
> Anyone ever installed these on a pre-power mirror Vanagon? Any of you
> out there parting out Vanagons have two for sale? I am getting tired of
> adjusting my mirrors everyday because of idiots bumping into them all
> the time.
yup. fairly straightforward and simple. but there's some Gotcha!'s :(
1. there are THREE wiring harnesses required: one for each door-to-the-dash,
and one more to go from side-to-side on the dash (and hook up the mirrors to
the defroster switch, so if you defrost the rear hatch window, the mirrors
also defrost).
2. you'll need to drill a new hole in the door. no big deal ... just put the
power mirror on with the two already-there bolts (that are already holding
the non-powered mirror on), and mark your place for the third hole via the
"foot" of the power mirror. the trouble comes when you put the new 3rd bolt
in and try to fit the "nut" on it ... the nut is really strange looking ...
more like a threaded thimble. and it's hard to get fitted on up in there,
and get tightened.
once you've done this, you can't go back to non-powered mirrors. well, you
CAN ... but there's this extra little hole a couple of inches below the
non-powered mirror. i guess you could get some plastic or rubber plug and
put in it ...
i THINK (can't recall right now) there has to be a 4th hole ... for the
wires. i know the wires have to go through the door, but i can't remember
how i got them through there. but this hole is covered by the non-plastic
mirror, i think.
now for the bad news: the plastic connector must come off the wires, cause
you can't get the connector through the tiny hole where the wires have to
go. no big deal, just tiny little barbs on the tops of the metal connectors
(inside the plastic connector). you have to push a tiny flat needle-thingie
in from the connecting end of the plastic connector, and push the little
barb-thingie down ... then you can pull the wire and metal connector out the
back end of the plastic connector. once you get all the wires out, you can
push the wires through the door and put the plastic connector back on. MARK
YOUR POSITIONS of the wires!!! write it down how the wires go back into the
connector ...or you'll forget and it won't work! also, you may need to pry
up a little on the barb-thingie, so it'll click into the plastic connector
when you push the wire back in.
this is the hardest part of the whole mess.
3. you'll need to feed the door wiring harness through the rubber boot
between the door and dash. takes a while to get it all through there.
4. the power mirror switch ... there is already a cut-out on the backside of
the door panel, so all you need do is carefully cut an X in the vinyl
covering of that cut-out, and fold the vinyl out of the way as you insert
the switch. then hook up the wiring harness.
other than that, it's just following the bentley book and getting the right
colored wires connected to the right numbered little terminals.
took me about one saturday afternoon, cause i was looking and thinking and
looking and reading the book and looking and thinking ... then i drilled the
hole and had no choice but to go on with it. :)
hope it helps.
joel
