Removing mirrors

[David Ciotti]

How do I remove the front mirror passenger side on my 2002 Marquis?  I broke what looks like a white metal piece and the mirrors are hanging from the wires.

This is the second time that telephone pole in front of my house jumped in front of me.

[Carl Boger]

There should be a allen head set screw that holds the ball in the socket. There may also be a bolt that is accessed from under the arm.  The mirror will pull out from there with the wiring harness.  The arms have to be unbolted from inside.

[David Ciotti]

I have removed the set screws and the main bolt at the base of the mirror stand but i cannot see any connectors.  I have liquid wrenched the ball socket but it is still frozen in place.  What can i try next?

[Carl Boger]

You may need to start taping it back and forth with a small chisel and hammer to get it to break free.  It looks like it is really corroded inside.  Not sure why but they made them from cheaper pot metal and many people have had issues with it breaking.

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

David
The wire connection should have Spade terminal connectors back in behind the front cap.
Be sure to pull a string back through when you pull those wires back up into the arm so that you can pull the new wires in.

Eric

[David Ciotti]

I've been tapping and Liquid Wrenching but so far no luck.  Will I be able to buy the pot metal part that broke or do I have to replace the entire mirror assembly?

How do I get behind the Cap?  Is it accessible from behind the dash, or from under the Marquis, or do I have to pull the cap? 

[Eric Maclean Co-Admin]

I have a Patriot which has access from underneath  up into the cap area but I believe the Marquis is very tight up in there .
I don't think you can get there from inside the coach at all.
Maybe someone with a Marquis of the right vintage can chime in here .
As for the mirror parts you'll have to speak to Ramco about parts availability ( you may have to get the whole assembly)

Eric

[Carl Boger]

David,

I also had a Patriot and the bolts to the mounts were a full arms length away, and I have long arms.  A smaller person maybe able to get to them from the underneath side and get them off.  I also can not remember if they will sell just the arms or mirrors.  I will try to check to see what I had to buy when I needed to replace one of mine.

[David Ciotti]

I got the mirror off the beaver.  My spry neighbor was able the shimmy up into the space behind the cap and he held onto the aircraft bolts while I spun the allen wrench to remove the bolts.  Now I have to try to remove the broken parts before I buy the $1300 replacement mirror.

Can you see his shoes under the front of the RV?

[David Ciotti]

I have removed the ball and socket from the mirror arm and have ordered replacement parts from Velvac.  When the parts arrive and I finish the repair I will post more pictures.

[David Ciotti]

I have repaired my mirror and am about to reattach it to my Marquis.  Its been a long trip but very satisfying.  I ordered $150 of parts from Velvac but they were wrong and had to be returned, any day now.  When I took the mirrors out of the housing I found embossed on the mounting plate the RAMCO part number for the broken mounting plate.

The part number was not listed on the RAMCO website so I called them. They said they would replace the mirrors if I sent them the empty chrome head for the mirrors.  So I did and about a week later the chrome head was returned with three brand new mirrors and control mechanisms for the low price of $250 plus shipping.  On the phone they asked me for the wiring harness information and I told them the connection was a 9 pin molex and a 3 pin molex.  They included both connectors and the mounting bracket in a separate bag and crimped pins on the 11 wires.  The 9 pin molex uses 8 wires, 3 for each mirror and 2 for the mirror heaters.  The 3 pin molex connects to the top mirror.  I had questions about the wiring and they sent me a detailed wiring harness diagram.  Amazingly the color code of the new mirrors matched the existing wiring exactly.

[David Ciotti]

The mirror is installed and working almost perfectly.  The original wiring had the 3 pin molex controlling the top mirror but the replacement has the 3 pin molex controlling the bottom mirror.  So when I manipulate the switch closest to the front of the Marquis the bottom mirror moves and when I play with the switch closest to the kitchen the top mirror moves on the passenger side.

Correcting this error would require more wiring changes that I am willing to make and I usually only adjust the flat middle mirror when I am backing into a parking spot.  So I am very happy with the existing wiring.

[Carl Boger]

Glad you got it all working again.  Something that is so easy to see how it goes together can be a real pain to actually get done with limited access and fasteners that refuse to let go.