I was standing in my garage talking to a friend and we heard what we thought was a circuit breaker popping, we couldn't pinpoint the source of the noise but a short time later I noticed my driver side mirror flopping around. I guess the spring or whatever mechanism that keeps the mirror firm on the post snapped. Has this happened to anyone else and is it difficult to fix?

 

not sure what happened, but here's some instructions on how to change out the mirror.

instructions

if you've gotta replace the mirror, you should check out the signal kit, i have it and it kicks azz.

 

Thanks for the reply but that's not what I'm looking for.

 

well you're going to have to use the instructions to get to the problem regardless.

 

Hi,
I bought my 98 convertible with the same problem. I was told by a body shop that the spring cannot be replaced seperately and ended up buying a new one.....you can look for a used one, but you then take the chances that it can happen again if you get the same year...but from what I understand all C5's have the same door mirror assemblys.

 

ding - repair instructions - did I hear someone mention repair instructions? http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1042654

 

This happened on my 98 also, passenger side. Gene Culley at GM Partshouse set me up with a new mirror. There are repair instructions somewhere on the forum. BTW If you don't care about the mirror not pivoting on the post, you could always mix up some JB Weld and put the mirror back together. tape it to the base and let it set overnight.

 

I saved the 300 bucks to fix and bought a Vararam

 

Ok here is what I did ;
1 pull the door panel , there are 2 t30 torx screws behind the plug behind the door handle remove these and pull on the door panel near the speaker (easiest spot) this pulls the panel loose from the 7-9 pins that retain the panel to the door .
2 remove the mirror glass from the assembly (gently pry behind glass near the bottom center and the outside center) , you should now see the clip that retains the spring around the wires .
3 remove the 3 10mm nuts holding the mirror assembly to the door and cut (yes I said cut) the wires for the mirror (they are color coded , even a monkey can't screw up this football) and take the whole thing to the bench .
4 separate the lower mount from the head (pull apart) put the lower mount in a vise so you can get to the shaft (I clamped mine with rags to keep from scratching it)drill a hole in the old groove for the clip so that you can run a finishing nail through the mount . Some people suggest using all kids of crap to compess the spring and retain it , the thing that worked for me was wire feed welding wire to retain and my vise to compress . Even still the spring will release somewhat .
5 place the spring assembly over the shaft and I found that a set of brake spring pliers would grip the bottom of the lower mount but push straight down on the clip/spring assembly . I compreesed this assembly until I could slide the finishing nail through the hole and over the top of the clip . I then cut the welding wire and fed the wires back through the shaft .
6 soldier the wires back together and reassemble !

NOTE : IF I EVER MEET THE F@#KER WHO OWNED THIS CAR BEFORE ME AND DID THE "EPOXY TRICK" I'M GOING TO BREAK THEIR FINGERS !!!

 

Thanks everyone, as usual this place is the BEST!!!!!

 

Man, how ironic was that, that you actually were present when
the spring broke.

Most C5ers don't notice it until the next morning, and then they
blame their wife, or swear that someone was in their garage.

 

Yeah I thought the same thing, it's been on there since 1998, what are the odds! When it broke it sounded EXACTLY like a circuit breaker which the car was parked right next to the electric box. We looked for a long time and never did see the mirror sitting cocky on the post until I went into the garage about an hour later then I realized what it was.

 

I found my passenger mirror hanging limp this past Saturday! Yesterday I found the write up on the forum for the repair http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1042654 and did the whole process of undercutting the groove, reinstalling the spring and clip, and then epoxying the clip for good measure. I was debating on drilling and installing a roll pin like skylark says, but the clip really seemed to seat nicely in the improved groove and the epoxy should prevent it from wiggling and wearing out the groove like it did last time. Even with taking my time and chatting to a friend who stopped by, it only took me about 2.5 hrs. Now that I've done it once, I could probably do the repair in half that time. Hopefully my repair lasts and that is one less thing for me to worry about. Now back to the damn from blinker problem!

 

Oh cool, now what's your address so I know where to send this thing....

 

I looked at the 20+ step process to fix the mirror and then used GOOP on the 2 mating surfaces. Took about 10 minutes including wiping off any excess at the seam. My mirror won't swivel but hell my mirrors on my 57' Dodge didn't either and they lasted the life of the car. BIGHANK

 

E.H.Swaneck tel. 330-757-9466 I believe is a machinist repairs these mirrors for a reasonable price. I'd give him a call if it were me.

 

Ed comes highly recommended and his $75 repair (including return shipping and insurance) is guaranteed not to fail again. If mine fails again, I'm shipping it to Ed. I'm guessing he does the nail/roll pin option that others talk about...but for $75 including shipping, its a great deal.