1986 power mirrors stopped working

[MarshallDillon]

I tore the whole interior out of my car to get at the selector switch and the joystick adjuster. Seems the adjuster sends power to the LR selector switch, which sends power back to the adjuster to move the mirrors. I have power in the pink, and the small black ground is good. Is there a way to tear the LR selector apart to clean it? We tried to jumper it to power up the adjuster, but we couldn't figure out the sequence. The adjuster only has power in a couple of directions, so 2 thirds of the direction checks in the shop manual do not respond.

And, my power door locks don't work either. :confused

 

[djsroknrol]

Are the mirrors moving at all? I just went through this not too long ago with mine; same symptoms, and I took the LR selector apart....bad move. The 2 springs holding the contact shoes are the first to go...lol

So, a $30.00 LR switch and a spare joystick (mine was testing out intermittent) for $15.00 off E-bay and I was good to go again.

 

[Schrade]

Comprehension ALERT! Where's the comprehension cops!!!

Let's see if roknrol gets pinched!!! :L

 

[djsroknrol]

Comprehension ALERT! View attachment 2099 Where's the comprehension cops!!!

Let's see if roknrol gets pinched!!! :L

OUCH....damn that smarts....lol

But he says that he tried to get power over and as far as my FSM shows, power doesn't return to the joystick...it leaves the LR switch for the mirror motors...did I miss something here?

 

[Schrade]

OUCH....damn that smarts....lol

But he says that he tried to get power over and as far as my FSM shows, power doesn't return to the joystick...it leaves the LR switch for the mirror motors...did I miss something here?

Not sure there, roknrol - I think he's sayin' it works in only a couple of directions. Beer in that little center console recess is always trouble YUP. Looks like vetteoz isn't amused either YIKES.

Welcome onto the boards there OP...

 

[boomdriver]

Not sure there, roknrol - I think he's sayin' it works in only a couple of directions. Beer in that little center console recess is always trouble YUP. Looks like vetteoz isn't amused either YIKES.

Welcome onto the boards there OP...

its the coffee with creamer in mine.
When I pulled mine apart I was'nt sure whether to install a new part or plant corn, it was so dirty in there...

 

[MarshallDillon]

Are the mirrors moving at all? I just went through this not too long ago with mine; same symptoms, and I took the LR selector apart....bad move. The 2 springs holding the contact shoes are the first to go...lol

So, a $30.00 LR switch and a spare joystick (mine was testing out intermittent) for $15.00 off E-bay and I was good to go again.

My shop foreman took the switch apart, cleaned up the contactors, put it back together, and we stuck it into the car. Using the joystick and the shop manual, we went thru the entire procedure to make sure the joystick and switch were functional. All was good. Mirrors still don't work. So now, we start from the other friggin' end and work towards the dash from the mirror motors back. This is real fun!
Er, how do I get at the mirror motors without buggering things up? I bet there is a method......

 

[Schrade]

its the coffee with creamer in mine.

Creamer de Menthe maybe???

When I pulled mine apart I was'nt sure whether to install a new part or plant corn, it was so dirty in there...

lol.

 

[Jeb]

My shop foreman took the switch apart, cleaned up the contactors, put it back together, and we stuck it into the car. Using the joystick and the shop manual, we went thru the entire procedure to make sure the joystick and switch were functional. All was good. Mirrors still don't work. So now, we start from the other friggin' end and work towards the dash from the mirror motors back. This is real fun!
Er, how do I get at the mirror motors without buggering things up? I bet there is a method......

It seems to me that if BOTH mirrors are acting up, the problem is not in the motors of either mirror or in the wiring to each individual mirror. The problem is in a circuit which affects both mirrors and that circuit is where either or both the selector switch and the adjuster switch. You mentioned that your power door locks are also inop. Find a circuit which includes the mirrors and the locks and you'll be getting closer to the bad circuit. I don't have a circuit diagram for the 86 but I'll bet you're looking at some common ground or something similar.

My $.02.

 

[boomdriver]

My shop foreman took the switch apart, cleaned up the contactors, put it back together, and we stuck it into the car. Using the joystick and the shop manual, we went thru the entire procedure to make sure the joystick and switch were functional. All was good. Mirrors still don't work. So now, we start from the other friggin' end and work towards the dash from the mirror motors back. This is real fun!
Er, how do I get at the mirror motors without buggering things up? I bet there is a method......

It is so very unlikely that both mirrors AND door locks failed, that the odds of winning the lottery are better...
The joy stick fails, so does the rocker switch and its slide on plug.
Trace the power thru the series of connections.

IF the mirrors motors were bad, they are sealed paks that simply have 2 axis female threaded holes that rotate. The pak has to be replaced. To access that, you have to CAREFULLY pop the glass off the trunnion (X looking u-joint) and the motor pak plugs in under the glass, but do that last because you will most likely do more damage trying to disassemble the mirror.

Get the circuit drawing from the FSM and trace that from fuse/ fusable link to the switches.

 

[MarshallDillon]

It seems to me that if BOTH mirrors are acting up, the problem is not in the motors of either mirror or in the wiring to each individual mirror. The problem is in a circuit which affects both mirrors and that circuit is where either or both the selector switch and the adjuster switch. You mentioned that your power door locks are also inop. Find a circuit which includes the mirrors and the locks and you'll be getting closer to the bad circuit. I don't have a circuit diagram for the 86 but I'll bet you're looking at some common ground or something similar.

My $.02.

Well, the door locks work now, and we checked the selector switch and joystick 7 ways from Sunday with a super fancey ground detector, and it all seems good according to the shop manual. So, we will put this fancy detector on the mirror wires running through the doors to see if we have power and grounds were we are supposed to. I mean, the selector switch didn't work, and then we pulled it apart, cleaned it, put it back together and in, and it worked as per manual. Both hot and ground are right on on the joystick as well. We also tested all the way to the multipin just before it deeks under the dash. Every hot and ground was good past the multipin. So, Ok, instead of tearing up the dash, we wil work from the door back. Know more tommorow. Thanks to all who keep commenting. Very appreciated.

 

[Schrade]

Sounds like you might have had some oxidation in the switch contact.

I had a bad master switch in a GMC door panel. Dealer wanted $188.xx, but tightwad Schrade wanted TO KEEP $188.xx.

I put the switch in a plastic jug with hot soapy water, LOTS of soap, put the top on, and gave it a shake. The bottom of the jug looked like ground pepper after that (dirt). I rinsed it, saturated it with WD-40 to displace the water, pulled the excess off with a Shop-Vac, and re-installed. That was several years ago.

I'll do it once a year if I have to, for $188

 

[Jeb]

I'm looking at an '84 schematic for the mirrors and it looks like if you were to go to the selector switch and remove it and then jumper the dk blue wire with the yellow wire and green wire, and jumper the dk green wire with the lt blue wire and the white wire, you will have effectively taken the selector switch out of the circuit and both mirrors should move in accordance with the joystick.

If the selector switch is the culprit, the joystick should make the mirrors on both sides work. if you only jump one set of the wires above, let's say the dk. blue wire/yellow/green, the mirrors would both work but would only move in the horizontal.

If you only jumped the other set, both mirrors should work but only in the vertical.

If either or both of those don't happen, the problem is in the joystick.

Both left and right mirrors are powered by the same circuit which powers your cruise control and which has a 3 amp fuze marked Cruise Control.

This information comes from a schematic for an 84...the 85 might be totaly different...but I doubt that is the case. If anyone has the schematic for an 85, please jump in and make corrections to the above.

 

[MarshallDillon]

Found it! Somone forgot to connect the power mirrors in the doors. There are two connections, a three and a two. Hooked up the drivers side and it works perfectly. Will do same to passenger tommorow.
Thanks to all!