Electric folding mirrors blowing fuse 8

[Ron Miel]

Our Bongo's leccy folding mirrors are sometimes, but not always, blowing fuse 8 when operated - so I suspect the mechanisms may need greasing, and are overloading the motors meanwhile. Anybody dismantled them to get at the works already? Might save me pulling off irrelevant trim and possibly causing unnecessary damage. Thanks.

[bigdaddycain]

Don't know if this link helps dave... Take note of the Broken insulation references...

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... rrors+fuse

[Ron Miel]

Don't know if this link helps dave... Take note of the Broken insulation references...

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... rrors+fuse

Thanks. I will check for that in the morning, although it probably doesn't match the symptoms that well.

What's actually happening is that, after parking overnight on the drive, with mirrors folded (allows me to park tight into a dense privet hedge, protecting passenger and sliding doors against intrusion attempts, on the "dark side" away from the house), as I then drive out, unfolding the mirrors as I do, the fuse sometimes blows - but only after the mirrors have fully extended. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that there's a motor operated worm drive in the long external housing below each mirror, and that one or both of those worm drives is perhaps dry and/or corroded at the mirror fully open end of its travel. That could overload the motor and cause it to draw excess current, blowing the fuse just as the operation finishes.

What I'm hoping is that somebody already knows exactly where the two motors are located (presumably in the doors but it would help to know whether or not the whole works are in fact in the external housings themselves, before I pull the doors apart), and how to get into the external housings - also from inside the doors? Can't quickly see any other way to access their innards but, again, if somebody already knows the answers, it would help.

If not, and assuming I manage to sort it anyway, I'll then post some pix and a report on here.

[bigdaddycain]

I'm with you dave... I know that mikeonb4c has stripped his mirrors a few times, he's probably best to discuss this issue with really... I can confirm that the mirror motors are housed in the mirrors themselves, the inner door cards will need removal to access the bolts on the inside, then there is another bolt beneath the lower plastic pop off shroud on the outside. Best of luck, and i hope a smear of lithium grease sorts it all out for ya!

[jaylee]

You haven't done any thing to yer radio recently have you??

[Ron Miel]

Thanks bigdaddy cain, that's the info I wanted. Assume you mean the glass operating motors are in the mirror housings themselves? I suspect that, for folding mirrors, the fold/unfold motors are either in the external shrouds/housings beneath the mirrors or, more likely, in the doors - with just a geared drive in the externals. Anyway, will be tackling it in the next hour or two, and will report the result.

No Jaylee, no changes to the radio, which was not switched on each time a fuse blew, and no devices plugged into the ciggie socket on the last occasion. From the timing of the fuse blowings (detected on first couple of occasions, by power loss on the ciggie socket), I'm 99% sure the problem is in the mirror unfold operation.

[jaylee]

Another thought has occurred to me.. Check the actual switch itself.. It might momentarily be shorting on the contacts on the PCB while the rocker switch is in transition...
Have you tried flicking the closed mirror switch to open (& visa versa) before turning the ignition on to see if any fuses blow? ( If you get my drift.)

[Ron Miel]

Much simpler to fix than I had dared hope for. Took one photo, but can't find the USB adapter to get it into my PC right now - although it's not really needed.

I began by gingerly unclipping one of the external plastic covers/shrouds beneath a mirror. I was wrong, and bigdaddycain was right - there's just a bracket in there, supporting a post on which the mirror is mounted, with a cable going up through the centre of the post. Therefore, all working parts are inside the main mirror housing, and there's no need to remove either door panels or the post covers below the mirrors. Then I found, as follows:

- push the inside edge of each mirror glass, forward and as far into its housing as it will go. This exposes the swivel joint between the top of the post and the bottom of the mirror motor(s)/gears assembly - bone dry, with no lubrication either side, in my case.

- for motorised folding mirrors, then push the whole mirror housing as far forward as it will go, beyond the normal fully open position. This lifts the motors/gears assembly up, leaving a 2-3mm gap between it and the top of the post, in the swivel joint.

Applied plenty of white grease by spray tube, into the swivel joint faces, and have since operated the mirrors 20-25 times, without a further fuse blow. Hopefully, that's done the trick.

Thanks again for inputs.

[bigdaddycain]

Great stuff Dave..Got me fingers crossed for ya!

Whilst on the subject, an electric folding mirror can be easily distinguished "from the outside" by peering in to the inner edge of the mirror glass itself (nearer to the body) If a silver domed object can be seen within (with mirror glass in situ) Then it's an auto folder, if no silver dome can be seen, then it's a manual folder.

Dave? Did you manage to remove the lower plastic shrouds without breaking any of the delicate clips? Top marks if you did!

[Ron Miel]

......Dave? Did you manage to remove the lower plastic shrouds without breaking any of the delicate clips? Top marks if you did!

Top marks then ....as I said, "gingerly" Didn't even lose any of the washers.

[bigdaddycain]

I'm impressed! I've a gentle touch with such delicate things... Even i managed to break a couple of the clips upon my virgin removal of the shroud! I can foresee a trip to Chester the next time i need my removing for any reason

[Ron Miel]

I'm impressed! I've a gentle touch with such delicate things... Even i managed to break a couple of the clips upon my virgin removal of the shroud! I can foresee a trip to Chester the next time i need my removing for any reason

Welcome any time - just give me a bit of notice, so I can hire a shine comparator for the day

[bigdaddycain]

Cheers Dave..I'll do that!

[Ron Miel]

Great stuff Dave..Got me fingers crossed for ya!.......

They's still working (even after much under dash rummaging doing half a cruise control install yesterday - then it rained ), so that must have been the cause.

[Border T]

Hello Ron, just to let know that ive just had problems with mirrors not working along with all other items on fuse 8.It had me stumped for some time until I moved the stearing column position and the mirrows then kicked back into life again ?? It appears that when fitting my cruise control I had either loosened a plug connection within the stearing cowling or trapped a wire when adjusting the column position..If your fault re appears remove the stearing cowling cover and check plugs and cables for damage etc...