Hello I recently purchased a 348 TB. The car is generally in good condition but some items need some care. Currently both side mirrors are inoperable. The switch to control them was missing completely. I recently found a prohibitively expensive Alpha switch (same switch apparently) and plugged it in. Unfortunately no go. Neither mirrors work. My manual indicated the relay that would control the side mirrors also controls rear window defrost. same fuse model# as fuel cap. Since I cant really test rear window defrost in Florida currenlty I pulled the fuel cap one and replaced the relays (i know the tuel cap works) and tried the switch. Still no life in either mirror. I'm faced with either a wiring problem, both motors being dead, or a faulty switch I bought. I have a few questions that would love some guidance on. 1) Can I reposition the side mirrors manually or in any other way currently? In other cars I can just gently push and the mirrors will click onto place. In this car, I dare not push too hard. The mirrors wont budge under gentlr pushes. Is this possible to do at all or a no no? 2) How can I test if the switch itself that I bought is faulty or working? I have a multimeter but really dont know what setting to use on the switches terminals. Thank you so much for any pointers
I'm not sure what relay you mean, Erik. The only relay involved in mirror control is relay "e" , the ignition relay which provides power to lots of systems. Did you check fuse #5? This provides power to the power mirrors, brake lights, windshield wipers and glovebox light. If these are working, look for 12 volts on the blue wire (with black stripe) going to the mirror control switch. The power wire follows a strange route, daisy chaining to the wiper motor, brake pedal switch, wiper switch (steering column) and mirror switch. Post a picture of your meter in this thread and we can tell you which setting to use. You'll need DC voltage for this, often shown as a dashed line above a straight line (NOT the one with a tilde ~ above a straight line). Unfortunately, most issues like this are caused by damaged wires on the main door connector (near the hinges). Wiring diagram here: https://www.dropbox.com/t/tG29MZbFRAKoaZnh Fuse 5 here: Image Unavailable, Please Login Mirror heat and rear window heat is on fuse 22.
Ian, You're always thorough with the assistance you offer, explaining everything in detail with appropriate diagrams. You've also spent a lot of time updating and correcting wiring diagrams. My own technicians have commented on the improvements you made and how much easier you've made their electrical repairs. So of course I liked your post. Perhaps this first-time user of this site hasn't been alerted of your response. He isn't subscribed which might account for that. Barry
Hello, I do apologize for not getting back to the thread earlier. I ran into some mechanical complications with the car shortly after this post. The mirrors became the least of my worries. It's been at the shop getting a few items fixed and therefore I was unable to try anything suggested. Reading your post I realized I misread the manual for which fuse controlled the mirrors. Since the break lights and wipers work without issue, it rules out the fuse being the culprit. As you said it is likely the wiring, or I bought a bad switch. Since mirror switches are like unicorns nowadays, I hope the one I bought can actually be fixed somehow if that's the case. Again, sorry for the late reply. Especially to such a detailed and helpful reply. Thank you for taking the time post this.
Assuming your new mirror switch is compatible, there must still be a common power problem. I would check for power on the blue/black wire first. If ok, then I suppose you could try shorting out specific sockets on the switch plug to see if the mirrors move.
After unplugging the mirror control switch put a separate 12V source on the red vs yellow/black and white /black wires The mirror motor on the driver side should work If it works check the Blue/Black wire for +12V (nr 11 in the door connector) If not check the wires going to the mirror Try a switch from another 348 to be sure yours is OK I am too far from Miami beach ;-(
