More Mirror Questions

[tdvs]

Got another self dimming rear view mirror from the j/y today with map lights, compass, and temp. The last one I got didn't have map lights. I like the extra lighting when the door is opened or interior lights are on. I just yanked it off the mount I know that's not the right way, so what is the right way to remove it and then install it? My '95 CS Vert has map lights so I know where the black and grey wires go, but what do I connect the green, brown, and orange wires to? Also, how do I know if the mirrior has On Star, which I don't need or want?

 

Thanks Tom

[BXX]

map,compass,temp,autodim.. It was from an Intrigue GLS, correct??

 

You would know if it was Onstar, it would say it on the front by the buttons...

[tdvs]

map,compass,temp,autodim.. It was from an Intrigue GLS, correct??

 

You would know if it was Onstar, it would say it on the front by the buttons...

 

May sound strange, but I never payed any attention to what car it came from Just saw the mirror and yanked it off the windshield If that's important, I'm going back tomorrow and can look.

 

Tom

[tdvs]

Come on people. Help me out here please. I know I'm a butcher removing the j/y mirror the way I did, but I honestly don't know how to remove and install the mirror the right way, and what to wire it to.

 

Tom

[RareGMFan]

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights. However, if it's like the one Shaun put in his Regal, than yes, it came from an Intrigue GLS, as that's the only car that Gentex made a self-dimming compass mirror for that actually had map lights (at least, until real recently).

 

Since you already have wires running for the map lights, the hard part is out of the way. Now all you have to do is run the red/orange to a power source that comes on with ignition or accessories, and ground the brown wire. The green is for a useless feature that disallows the mirror to dim when the car is put in reverse. No one I know has ever wired that feature, as it's really not important/necessary, and is not worth the trouble.

 

As for mounting it, your current one should be held on by a tiny torx screw (I forget which size it is). Just unscrew it, and remove the old mirror The new one mounts with a tightly spring loaded action (I hate this kind, but it's what all the newer ones are using). It just clips into place. Slide it over the same windshield button as your old mirror, and gently but firmly keep pushing down on it till you hear it click and lock into place.

[ManicMechanic]

No one I know has ever wired that feature, as it's really not important/necessary, and is not worth the trouble.

 

I think Ken (Crazy K) did...lol

[tdvs]

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights. However, if it's like the one Shaun put in his Regal, than yes, it came from an Intrigue GLS, as that's the only car that Gentex made a self-dimming compass mirror for that actually had map lights (at least, until real recently).

 

Since you already have wires running for the map lights, the hard part is out of the way. Now all you have to do is run the red/orange to a power source that comes on with ignition or accessories, and ground the brown wire. The green is for a useless feature that disallows the mirror to dim when the car is put in reverse. No one I know has ever wired that feature, as it's really not important/necessary, and is not worth the trouble.

 

As for mounting it, your current one should be held on by a tiny torx screw (I forget which size it is). Just unscrew it, and remove the old mirror The new one mounts with a tightly spring loaded action (I hate this kind, but it's what all the newer ones are using). It just clips into place. Slide it over the same windshield button as your old mirror, and gently but firmly keep pushing down on it till you hear it click and lock into place.

 

 

Don't see a torx screw. Do you get at it from the bottom between the mount and windshield?

 

Tom

[RareGMFan]

Yeah, there should be a tiny screw at the bottom of the mount that slides on over the windshield button. Maybe yours doesn't use a screw, but I don't recall ever coming across an ordinary map light mirror that doesn't.

[Crazy K]

RareGM

Since you already have wires running for the map lights, the hard part is out of the way. Now all you have to do is run the red/orange to a power source that comes on with ignition or accessories, and ground the brown wire. The green is for a useless feature that disallows the mirror to dim when the car is put in reverse. No one I know has ever wired that feature, as it's really not important/necessary, and is not worth the trouble.

 

So you don't know me then, Punk?

 

You don't have to wire it in, but you can if you want.

 

 

IMPORTANT!!!!!:

 

supposedly the mirror you have picked up has LED lights, and the way it is constructed, the intended vehcile had a bcm to cut power, without a bcm intended for it, it will use battery power resulting in a loss of battery charge if you car isn't driven daily. how to fix? not sure. maybe hook the lights power source to a switched ignition source???

 

also... use a pencil on the mirror and mirror mount, the graphite will make it slip on easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rockfangd]

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights. However, if it's like the one Shaun put in his Regal, than yes, it came from an Intrigue GLS, as that's the only car that Gentex made a self-dimming compass mirror for that actually had map lights (at least, until real recently).

 

Since you already have wires running for the map lights, the hard part is out of the way. Now all you have to do is run the red/orange to a power source that comes on with ignition or accessories, and ground the brown wire. The green is for a useless feature that disallows the mirror to dim when the car is put in reverse. No one I know has ever wired that feature, as it's really not important/necessary, and is not worth the trouble.

 

As for mounting it, your current one should be held on by a tiny torx screw (I forget which size it is). Just unscrew it, and remove the old mirror The new one mounts with a tightly spring loaded action (I hate this kind, but it's what all the newer ones are using). It just clips into place. Slide it over the same windshield button as your old mirror, and gently but firmly keep pushing down on it till you hear it click and lock into place.

I cant stand that design. I always worry abut breaking the windshield, not only that it is a PITA to take it back off and i have noticed more loose mirrors with that design because there is really no way to tighten the mount. Thats what my cadillac had in it

[Venom]

That is the worst design I have ever seen for a rear view mirror. I actually chipped part of the windshield on my S10 when I tried to take the mirror off of there.

[ManicMechanic]

That is the worst design I have ever seen for a rear view mirror. I actually chipped part of the windshield on my S10 when I tried to take the mirror off of there.

 

Da troof....

[BXX]

That is the worst design I have ever seen for a rear view mirror. I actually chipped part of the windshield on my S10 when I tried to take the mirror off of there.

 

Yeah, between Ken using a allen wrench and me slightly tugging up on mine, I now have a cracked windsheild, so yes, you have to be very careful when removing it

[tdvs]

 

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a bcm, and what do the LEDs have to do with anything? My original mirror had regular map lights and they didn't drain the battery.

 

Also, just a wiring double check. Currently have 3 wires run from the old mirror, black, white, and orange. "New" mirror has 5. Black, grey, orange, brown, and the controversial green that I probably won't use. I'm guessing black to black, orange to orange, but what about the rest?

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RareGMFan]

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a bcm, and what do the LEDs have to do with anything? My original mirror had regular map lights and they didn't drain the battery.

 

BCM = Body Control Module. It controls several electrical/power features on cars equipped with it, including the Intrigue GLS that mirror came from. I forgot all about that. Me and Shawn (Gnatgosplat) discussed this a while back when I had mentioned the battery on my 6000 would die after 3 or 4 days of not starting it since I installed that same mirror. I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, or if it had something to do with the mirror till Shawn mentioned the BCM issue. I don't think we ever came across a way to resolve it. But so long as the car doesn't sit around for a week or 2, I don't think it should be an issue. The battery on my 6000 was pretty close to dead to begin with, thus why I wasn't sure if it was the mirror, or the battery in my case, so I would take my experience with a grain of salt.

 

 

 

 

Also, just a wiring double check. Currently have 3 wires run from the old mirror, black, white, and orange. "New" mirror has 5. Black, grey, orange, brown, and the controversial green that I probably won't use. I'm guessing black to black, orange to orange, but what about the rest?

 

The black goes to black. The brown needs to go to the +12V source that comes on with ignition, so it won't match up to anything on your current wiring harness. Ignore the green as mentioned. The other 2 are for your lights, and don't necessarily match up color-wise. For both mirrors/wiring harnesses, you need to figure out which wire is for turning on the map lights with the courtesy lights (when your door is open, or interior lights are turned on), and which one is for supplying power to individual/manually turn on the map lights. I don't remember off of the top of my head which is which on your new mirror. On the Donnellys (which use the same wiring harness), the orange wire provides the power to turn the map lights on and off manually. Not positive if it's the same for the Gentex.

[Regal_GS_1989]

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights.

 

That's not entirely true. I have come across an Intrigue GLS, that did come equipped with onstar, and it had the maplights and compass in the mirror.

[tdvs]

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a bcm, and what do the LEDs have to do with anything? My original mirror had regular map lights and they didn't drain the battery.

 

BCM = Body Control Module. It controls several electrical/power features on cars equipped with it, including the Intrigue GLS that mirror came from. I forgot all about that. Me and Shawn (Gnatgosplat) discussed this a while back when I had mentioned the battery on my 6000 would die after 3 or 4 days of not starting it since I installed that same mirror. I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, or if it had something to do with the mirror till Shawn mentioned the BCM issue. I don't think we ever came across a way to resolve it. But so long as the car doesn't sit around for a week or 2, I don't think it should be an issue. The battery on my 6000 was pretty close to dead to begin with, thus why I wasn't sure if it was the mirror, or the battery in my case, so I would take my experience with a grain of salt.

 

 

 

 

Also, just a wiring double check. Currently have 3 wires run from the old mirror, black, white, and orange. "New" mirror has 5. Black, grey, orange, brown, and the controversial green that I probably won't use. I'm guessing black to black, orange to orange, but what about the rest?

 

The black goes to black. The brown needs to go to the +12V source that comes on with ignition, so it won't match up to anything on your current wiring harness. Ignore the green as mentioned. The other 2 are for your lights, and don't necessarily match up color-wise. For both mirrors/wiring harnesses, you need to figure out which wire is for turning on the map lights with the courtesy lights (when your door is open, or interior lights are turned on), and which one is for supplying power to individual/manually turn on the map lights. I don't remember off of the top of my head which is which on your new mirror. On the Donnellys (which use the same wiring harness), the orange wire provides the power to turn the map lights on and off manually. Not positive if it's the same for the Gentex.

 

 

Greatly appreciate the help, but it sounds like I'm going to have to stick with the original mirror. I'm an over the road truck driver and the car normally sits for at least 2 weeks, sometimes more at a time. Plus I have another unit installed that uses power to. It shuts down when the battery gets down to a certian point, but between the 2, I'd have to carry a spare fully charge battery to swap out every time I came back in town....not worth the hassle. Especially with winter just around the corner.

 

Wonder if a cut off switch could be installed to cut the power the morror? Which wire or wires would it go in? Of course, if I forget to turn it off I'll be screwed when I get back. Begining to think it's more trouble than it's worth tho.

 

At any rate, thanks again.

 

Tom

[Crazy K]

I think you could figure out a way to make it work. I personally would set it up so that it is only powered with the ignition in the run position?...until i found a better way..... I think a relay hooked to up to the interior light feed could be used.

[RareGMFan]

Honestly, I'd try it out and see what happens. Worst case, it dies once, and you go back to the old mirror. And even if that happens, as Ken said, there is most definitely a way to get around this issue. Just have to think it through. But I'd start by hooking it up as is, and see what happens first.

 

 

 

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights.

 

That's not entirely true. I have come across an Intrigue GLS, that did come equipped with onstar, and it had the maplights and compass in the mirror.

 

Now THAT I'd be interested in seeing. If that's the case, apparently the Intrigue GLS had more than one custom mirror made for it by Gentex. While it's still fairly uncommon, I've seen OnStar with map lights (in fact, I have one), and obviously OnStar with compass/temp/combo, but never both features on the same mirror.

[tdvs]

Greatly appreciate all the help, but I'll have to think on it. I'd hate to take things apart, run the wiring, put it all back together and find it just won't work in my car. And then have to reverse the whole process. WHY CAN"T THINGS BE EASY Maybe I'll just buy an Intrigue GLS............problem solved Or maybe I'll put it up for sale on e-bay, and get a bunch of money for it to ease my pain.

 

Thanks again everyone, Tom

[Regal_GS_1989]

Honestly, I'd try it out and see what happens. Worst case, it dies once, and you go back to the old mirror. And even if that happens, as Ken said, there is most definitely a way to get around this issue. Just have to think it through. But I'd start by hooking it up as is, and see what happens first.

 

 

 

It's not OnStar. No OnStar mirror got compass AND map lights.

 

That's not entirely true. I have come across an Intrigue GLS, that did come equipped with onstar, and it had the maplights and compass in the mirror.

 

Now THAT I'd be interested in seeing. If that's the case, apparently the Intrigue GLS had more than one custom mirror made for it by Gentex. While it's still fairly uncommon, I've seen OnStar with map lights (in fact, I have one), and obviously OnStar with compass/temp/combo, but never both features on the same mirror.

 

I will definately check for that car the next time i'm at the JYand get a pic. It's been there for a while, so i'm guessing that it is still there. Now, you have me second guessing my self a bit. I'm pretty sure though that it had both compass and maplights, otherwise i wouldn't have contemplated pulling it out in the first place. I was looking for one for my cutlass, but instead i ended up installing a dome light with map lights from an STE instead and just put in a regular autodim mirror/compass.