power mirrors - can you get in there and replace the gears?

[roscoe67]

Those power mirrors!

My gears have clearly stripped. I found a replacement at a junkyard, but the mirror is the wrong color. I figure I can just swap out the gears, but I can't see how to open it up without breaking in on the mirror side. Is there a way to do that without destroying the mirror? Has anyone tried this?

 

[HiLife]

Push in on the bottom side of the mirror.
While pulling out on the top side of the mirror.

The bottom side mirror has a tab that goes into a slot on the mirror housing.
The top side mirror has plastic clips that clip onto plastic bars on the mirror housing.

 

[Spiker Engineering]

The '96-99 mirrors are different from '00-02. For the earlier models, there's a screw at the bottom of the housing that you can loosen (if it's not frozen in place) to remove the mirror.

For the later models, there are clips and tabs that hold the mirror to the gear mechanism. You have to pull on the lower portion of the mirror to unclip the clips, then rotate the bottom out to unhook the tabs. Hopefully the photo below makes it clear - clips on the bottom, tabs on top:

 

[HiLife]

Thanks for posting the pic. I couldn't find my pic and it's been awhile since I removed the mirror.

Tabs on top, clips on the bottom.

 

[Spiker Engineering]

Thanks for posting the pic. I couldn't find my pic and it's been awhile since I removed the mirror.

Tabs on top, clips on the bottom.

That's the beauty of junkyards - you can experiment and break things to figure out how they're put together, then do it right on your own vehicle.

 

[Devbot]

That's the beauty of junkyards - you can experiment and break things to figure out how they're put together, then do it right on your own vehicle.

If there's any even in the junkyard to begin with! A curse and a blessing, it is :thumb:

 

[HiLife]

That's the beauty of junkyards - you can experiment and break things to figure out how they're put together, then do it right on your own vehicle.

Yup. I did the same for the mirror while I was at the yard. Even took a pic like yours for my reference. Maybe I mistakenly erased mines.

Went back to the yard recently to learn how to remove a whole sunroof assembly on a Camry. I think I'm prepared now.

Anyway. Back on topic...