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Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:30 pm

Anyone have issues getting their mirror to come apart? My passenger one came apart easily (and the fix worked great!), but the drivers side isn't budging. The concave washer that sits on the inside of the mount (after the spring) is completely stuck. It was kinda corroded/rusty when i took it off the van. Any suggestions for loosening this up?

also, i was bored at work and decided to make another diagram that includes the concave washer that i'm talking about.

Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:33 pm

My driver's side was quite stubborn compared to pass. side but I just kept working on it...little by little...

Good luck!

Fri Sep 17, 2010 3:41 pm

RHMoore wrote: I thought my mirror is original, but my centrail stud pulled out. The JB Weld fix did not work...

One of my original mirrors also had the stud pull out. With some advice from A. Libby I drilled it and stuck a pin thru the housing and stud, now it tightens down fine. The bolt idea is no doubt effective but the pin is an invisible fix.

For stuck parts (like that concave washer) I reach first for the PBlaster.

Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:21 pm

tried it today, the shaft ended up coming out of the mirror :cry:

and on top of that, I lost the nut. :evil:

Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:10 pm

just read the great info.went to the store.got the stuff.fixed both the mirrors and wind wings.now i can be cool and see where ive been.thanks

Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:35 pm

i asked this over on another thread this weekend...wanted to get the opinions of someone here who has done this fix.

i need to fold the mirrors back to get the van in my garage, so i need a solution that keeps them in place while driving but easily folded back for garage entry/exit.

can someone who has done this washer fix confirm for me whether i'll be able to easily fold back and readjust the position of the mirrors once they're correctly tightened, or does the rubber washer make them tight but unadjustable?

thanks....

Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:00 pm

iiigoiii wrote: ...can someone who has done this washer fix confirm for me whether i'll be able to easily fold back and readjust the position of the mirrors once they're correctly tightened...

Wellsir, I think so. I have mine (with the rubber washer) tightened enough that they did not budge on a recent 1400 mile trip, yet I could fold them back if I wanted to.

That said, repeated movement of the mirrors (every time you pull into the garage) may reduce the effectiveness of that washer over time.

Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:05 pm

^^^ x2.

Mine are very snug but I <can> move them. However, I can't recommend moving them around every day or week, or you risk developing wishy-washer syndrome...

:wink:

Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:06 pm

Passenger mirror: have one need only, to get it in the correct position and for it to stay there. Getting my washer tomorrow :!:

Do you need both mirrors to fold in? If you can get away with only folding one make it the drivers side as it is the easiest to adjust!!! :wink:

Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:30 pm

cool. i have no problem replacing a 50 cent washer every so often!

Ahwahnee wrote: Wellsir, I think so. I have mine (with the rubber washer) tightened enough that they did not budge on a recent 1400 mile trip, yet I could fold them back if I wanted to.

That said, repeated movement of the mirrors (every time you pull into the garage) may reduce the effectiveness of that washer over time.

Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:20 am

OK I tried to do this on SB today X4 to no avail. Is what is labelled as the "mount" the ball part? If so that's what I'm not getting. So I have to get the pin out to get the ball off? I was thinking that the "mount" was the bracket that fixes on the door but that can't be. I'll try again. How does one get the pin out. The end with the nut is threaded and then lower down the pin looks squared off. Does that unscrew from the ball?

Weirdly I did this on my Westy and it worked great. Now I'm not getting it at all.

Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:41 am

DAIZEE wrote: OK I tried to do this on SB today X4 to no avail. Is what is labelled as the "mount" the ball part?

Yes

Quote: So I have to get the pin out to get the ball off?

If by 'pin' you're referring to the hex-sided stud that is threaded on the end for the nut, no you do not want to remove that. You want to pull off what you call the ball part, that stud remains attached to the main body of the mirror. Once the ball part is off then you place the washer over the stud/pin and reassemble.

Possibly your difficulty is that the ball part is stuck on that pin/stud. It can be pretty tight and even slightly corroded. Some penetrating fluid (I like PBlaster) may help. May also help to wiggle and tap on it. If you do decide to hit (not too hard) that end of that stud while holding the ball part be sure to have a nut threaded part way on to prevent damage to the threads (also be sure you don't drop the mirror when all comes loose).

Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:03 pm

I'll take it off tomorrow and bring it inside. I don't seem to be getting anywhere near the ball. I get the nut off (in good shape), the metal washer, spring (crudy). I'll do more investigation. It'll not beat me, well it won't as long as I don't break it! :roll:

Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:42 pm

I did the roll pin fix and feel like my mirrors are fixed for the first time in 16 years. Over the years I tightend them till where the stud breaks loose, i've tried friction materials too, nothing works like the roll pin to hold the stud in place so you can snug down the nut. I doneseveral 75 mph runs with no movement.

Wed Dec 29, 2010 10:52 am

Here I am asking for advice once again. Finally found the washers. It's the passenger side and its an OEM according to what Libby said.

I've got the rubber washer then the mount, I could not get the bevelled metal washer back in to line up with the 6 sided post, so I stuck a thick black rubber washer in then the spring then the flat metal washer and then the nut.

It seems quite tight and solid. What are your thoughts re leaving the bevelled metal washer (I wouldn't really call it so much a washer as a bevilled/flat seat for the spring) out? I don't see how I can possibly get it in but then I'm discouraged.

I had to soak my mirror for weeks to get the bevelled metal washer out and even then I needed to get some taps to do it.

Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:19 am

DAIZEE wrote: ...I could not get the bevelled metal washer back in to line up with the 6 sided post...

Working from distant memory (which wasn't that sharp to begin with) -- I think that washer has a hexagonal hole that fits the 6 sided post snugly. If you can't get it back on you might look closely to see why. You may need to dress either the post or the hole in the washer with a small file if there is a burr or such fouling & preventing it from going on.

I don't see where you can't hurt anything with the alternate set-up you've done (additional rubber washer instead of the original concave washer) but it may not give you the firm yet adjustable mirror you seek.

In any case -- save the unused washer in a secure place as you may need it later.

As Aldo Leopold famously said: 'The first rule of tinkering is: Save all the parts'.

Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:24 am

I tried the washer solution on the passenger mirror last year and after reinstalling it and tightening it several times ended up pulling the threaded hex out of the mirror. I tried JB Weld'ing it back in and thought it worked OK...until the mirror flew off (at speed, of course) and exploded on the roadside. I replaced it with a new replacement mirror and it too was somewhat floppy, so I added the washer and it's still somewhat floppy. At this point I'm afraid to tighten the nut any further lest I end up with a repeat performance of the Amazing Fabulous Flying Mirror.

Further thoughts are welcome.

Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:30 am

Thanks. It seems pretty solid. Will keep the parts. Have dug out some locking washers and nuts, may use that. It is discouraging to no longer be able to do the smallest of jobs.

Ok I came back, did some filing and got the concave/flat washer which seats the spring back on. Thanks. There once was a time when I would have been on top of all these little and big jobs. :oops: Strength and grey matter depletion!

Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:26 am

Well, mine worked for a while (see my post from Feb 2009 in this thread), but then loosened again, and when I tried to retighten, I was deshafted!

So I will try the Libby mod, although it pains me a little to drill into even a peripheral part of the van.

Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:07 pm

The drill & pin were the only thing that was able to get mine to hold that hex shaft in. It is fine now. Really, it is a very small hole which you then fill with your choice of filler, either black or paint what you use black.