Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?!
As the topic says, I'm installing the EC mirror in my '99 coupe. I have the 4 wires from the old mirror going into the 7-wire Donnelly plug, and I have followed the instructions to a "T". 12V always hot in the right place, switched power is right, lamp power from the doors is right and the ground is in the right place. I have checked each wire and it is hot when it should be - always on, hot when the doors are open, hot when the dash lights are turned on (and lights are on). The auto-dim feature works fine, but the map lights won't go on for anything. Can anyone who has done this swap tell me what I might have missed here? To describe the new socket layout when sitting in the driver's seat loking forward, the always-hot wire on the far left, the wiring I have into the 7 pin connector goes like this: Orange (hot), orange (switched hot), space, space, space, black (ground), brown (door trigger). All the power to these wires goes on when they are supposed to - checked it with a volt meter. I'm leaning towards a bad mirror... any thoughts? Any way to check this mirror off the car to see if the lamps light?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Re: Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?! (BSiegPaint)
OK, maybe this is an easier question - though I find I NEVER have easy questions here... Is the trigger wire for the interior lights in the C5 a positive or a negative trigger? If it's positive, then I've found the problem and just need a relay to fix the thing up right. I understand from several others that a good number of GM cars have positive triggers for the interior lighting. Can't seem to confirm it for the Corvette, though.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 3
From: Orland Park Illinois
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Re: Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?! (BSiegPaint)
I have a Donnelly electrochromatic compass mirror I installed on my '98 last year. I had to install a new wiring harness, it came w/ the mirror. Pretty sure it has 4 (I might be wrong here) wires AND a relay because C5 Corvette map lights are hooked up to a POSITIVE trigger (opposite to most other cars). My understanding is the relay takes care of getting the map lights to go on when they are suppost to. Don't understand why your harness didn't come w/ a relay. Was the mirror a generic mirror not made specifically for the C5 Corvette? :confused: Hope I helped. :D
[Modified by BiggieBoy, 7:35 AM 5/18/2003]
[Modified by BiggieBoy, 7:35 AM 5/18/2003]
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,449
Likes: 371
From: Maryville TN
St. Jude Donor '06-13,'16-'17, '19
Re: Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?! (BSiegPaint)
I did this mod and your wiring sounds right. I did use the OEM GM mirrior though and I wired it exactly like you have yours.
I suspect that you have a faulty mirror OR there are no bulbs in your mirror!
Tom
I suspect that you have a faulty mirror OR there are no bulbs in your mirror!
Tom
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Re: Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?! (TCW)
I do think that I have a faulty mirror - definitely have bulbs in it :lol:
Thanks for the reply :cheers:
Thanks for the reply :cheers:
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,653
Likes: 6
From: North Royalton, OH
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Re: Installing Electrochromic mirror - lamps don't work! Help!?! (BiggieBoy)
BiggieBoy - just as I replied to TCW, the seller got back to me on this. The Corvette is indeed a POSITIVE trigger, as you said, and this mirror (from a Buick) needs a relay installed between the switched hot connection and the power supply. Shouldn't be a big deal, and glad to have this figured out. This will indeed make the map lights work when they are supposed to, like when the doors are opened.
Thanks to you also :cheers: This is figured out -
Thanks to you also :cheers: This is figured out -
