Auto Dim Mirror Wiring??

[GOT2B GM]

Hey everyone

I just picked up an auto dimming rearview mirror with maplights from the local yard. Its out of a 98 Regal GS and is manufactured by Donnelly. It has 4 wires coming out of it. Orange, green, Brown & Black. Does anyone know what they all have to be hooked into?

 

Thanks

[slick]

Hit up the library and find the repair manual. There should be a wiring diagram somewhere in the book. Just find the correct wires, and you should be set.

[Justin]

Lt Green=12V when in reverse

Brown=12V in run

Orange=BCM, splices off to interior lamps, might be a dimmer wire, like 12V with park lights on, but don't try it without knowing for sure.

Black=ground

[RareGMFan]

is it just Auto Dim???

 

no Compass, Temp or Maplights??

 

Not vary many American cars got loaded Donnelly mirrors. The dimming, compass, temp, and maplights all together are usually found in Subarus, Nissans, etc. I prefer the style of Gentex myself, but the problem with them is, save for the BRAND new ones coming out, this is the only self dimming Gentex mirror that has a compass AND maplights. It is found only in the Oldsmobile Intrigue, and only on the GLS trim level (top one). All the rest are self dimming, self dimming & compass, or self dimming & compass with temp. No maplights.

 

I think Justin's wiring is about right. From what he has there, the green would actually disable self dimming when in reverse (a feature 99% of people don't wire when custom doing one of these), the brown would give you constant power to the self dimming and allow you to manually flip the maplights on and off with the ignition on, and the orange would cause the maplights to come on with the rest of your interior lights. So, if his color sequence is accurate with your mirror....

 

Green - to reverse wiring (if you even want to bother, useless feature to me).

Brown - to a power source that only comes on with ignition.

Orange - to dome/interior lighting.

Black - ground.

[GnatGoSplat]

I have this same mirror in my TGP, out of an 00 or 01 Impala. Orange should be hot at all times for the maplight feed. Mine also has a white wire for the negative domelight feed. Donnelly has a similar one with compass, but the display is green. I have this in the 94 Cutlass and paid quite a good deal of money for it, but 20% or so if the autochromic liquid leaked out and Donnelly wouldn't warranty it.

 

Gentex full feature mirrors with maplights are nicer, but BCM controls their power. They guzzle power at all times, which is why the one I put in my 89 Cutlass is disconnected.

[GOT2B GM]

I don't think I'll bother with the auto mirror disabling in reverse. So to overview:

 

Green: Won't be hooked up

Black: ground

Orange: dome light circuit

Brown: 12V Constant or 12V Ignition??????

 

My car already has a mirror with maplights in it. But you can turn on the maplights at any time so it has 12V constant going to it. Lets say I used the existing wiring. If I hooked the brown wire up to 12V constant, would it drain my battery?? Or should I run a 12V Ignition wire, which means that the mirror wouldn't always have power, but the maplights wouldn't work with the car off.

 

Thanks for replying everyone

[RareGMFan]

Since you have maplights already, then you should already have a ground, a constant for the maplights to come on manually, and a wire running to the interior lights. You just gotta' figure out which is which, and you'll just need to run one fresh new wire for the self dimming, because that one should only come on with ignition. If Jeremy's listing is correct, sounds like it's the brown wire you'll need to run new.

[GnatGoSplat]

Orange should be constant +12V from your existing mirror harness.

As GMFan said, the Brown (switch +12V) should be the only wire you have to run new.

 

What I did on mine, was I ran removed the GRN wire from position #3, and moved it to position #6 (next to the ORN wire). I then connected it to the domelight feed. That way, the maplights will work like domelights just like OEM.

[GOT2B GM]

Thanks a lot guys!

 

Shawn, how did you figure out that pin 6 makes the domelights come on with the others?

 

So now I'll have:

 

Pin 1: Brown: 12V Ignition

Pin 2: Black: Ground (already wired)

Pin 3: Empty (used to be reverse disable)

Pins 4&5: Empty

Pin 6: Green: Domelight Circuit (already wired)

Pin 7: Orange: 12V Constant (already wired)

[GnatGoSplat]

I cheated, I checked the 98 Regal connector diagram.

 

Looks like you're all set, just have to run switched ignition and it'll be 100% working. Pins 4&5 have an output that can turn on autodimming to an autodimming outside mirror if you had one!

[GOT2B GM]

That cool, I've never heard of outside dimming mirrors. I'll just have to pull of the A pillar cover and run my wire. Thanks again for everyones help. 8)

[Baddflash]

Was wondering if I could get some help wiring up this (autodim only) Gentex mirror I got from a '93 olds. It has 2 harness'. I can guess but I'd like to know for sure.

 

GREEN

PINK/BLACK

BLACK

 

PINK

BLACK

 

Thanks

[RareGMFan]

Dude, I'm sorry! I completely forgot about your PM asking this! :oops:

 

GREEN - REVERSE

BLACK - GROUND

PINK - 12 VOLT +

 

It's just as you had guessed in the PM. As for the second harness, I believe that was for the sensors which detect daylight, and turn the headlights/parking lights on accordingly, so you won't need that harness because you don't have the rest of the accompanying components to make that work. Again...sorry!!!

[Baddflash]

No worries.

 

My bad, the second harness has a PNK and GRY not BLK, doubt it matters.

 

I thought that the writing on the mirror(by the switch) lights up, if so is it on all the time or what controls that?

 

here's a couple pics if that'll help.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/Baddflash/000_0285.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/Baddflash/000_0286.jpg

 

I've already got automatic headlights so I don't need to worry about that part then.

 

Thanks.

[RareGMFan]

The same (+) connection should light up the switch. It will, like the self dimming part, only come on with the ignition, and only if you have the switch in the MIN or MAX positions.

[Baddflash]

Yeah thanks. dumb question; I know :oops:

Looks pretty good I just need to install the OHC now to replace the map lights I lost.

 

[RareGMFan]

There's no such thing as a dumb question, sir. No matter how much you have/know/own/etc, there's always someone that has/knows/owns more. Life is a never ending process of evolution, and that process has to start somewhere.

 

Looks good! What OHC are you going to use?

[GOT2B GM]

Are you going to use one out of an early 90"s STE??

[Baddflash]

I was thinking of one like this, cause it would look stock. I think the STE's used the same thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/Baddflash/000_0308.jpg

 

Does the mirror react to glare or does the switch control it? Cause sitting in the garage I can't see any change (like the pictures you have on Ebay). Maybe it doesn't even work??

[GOT2B GM]

Yeah thats the one. I have one in a charcoal colour the same as the top of the console in your sig. I plan to put it in my Z34 sometime. BTW I like how you're adding all the options to your Lumina, gives me ideas for mine. I got the idea of putting the DIC and console in my car from your sig a few months ago. Good stuff!!

[RareGMFan]

Does the mirror react to glare or does the switch control it? Cause sitting in the garage I can't see any change (like the pictures you have on Ebay). Maybe it doesn't even work??

 

I have yet to see a Gentex fail with the dozens I've sold. I had to shine my bright ass desk light directly onto it in order to make that sequence happen in those photos. It's going to require something brighter than the lights in your garage, and something more direct. So don't worry.

 

And yes, that's the console a ton of GPs used. I just tried selling one on eBay in graphite grey that didn't go the first time. Will be part of the new batch of stuff for sale.

[Baddflash]

That one is from my cousins car, I plan to get a light/dark grey one hopefully this weekend.

 

It's nice to hear that people get what I'm doing to this car and are actually inspired to do the same to their own. I like the lumina' but chevy was so cheap on the options.

 

Thankfully though with a bit of work you can swap in just about anything from any w-body.

 

I guess I'll have to go for a burn tonight and see that the mirror works for sure. I miss driving that car.