Blinking mirror - How to... 99 E320
03-08-2006, 02:45 AM
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Blinking mirror - How to... 99 E320
This was my experience installing blinking mirrors on my 1999 E320. Mileage
may vary, batteries not included, irritation, nausea or other side effects may
occur...blah blah...depending on your model year.
There are two spare, unused wires leading from inside the mirror, and into the
kick panel. Use these to power your blinking mirror LEDs, thus saving you the
headache and labor of pulling off the door panel.
#1 - HOW TO FIND THESE SPARE MIRROR LEADS
=======================================
- pop off mirror cover. fold back mirror and, using flat blade, slide the ends
of the wire retainer free from the plastic nubs. (video available from MBUSA
info CD )
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO PRESS USING THE MIRROR. now....fold the mirror
w/o touching the adjustable portion of the mirror itself. it is fragile.
- remove bottom philips screw first...the bottom one furthest from the headlight.
you'll be pressing against the strong mirror spring with one hand, and removing
the fastener with the other hand
- now remove the other bottom phillips fastener, followed by the top phillips fastener
- there are two connectors inside the power mirrors. 1) flat wafer, 5 pin
connector, 2) oval shaped, 6 pin connector
- unplug both flat and oval connectors. with mirror screws unfastened, and
electrical connectors removed, the mirror can now be detached from the door
- the oval connector is the one which contains the spare leads. Pin 5 and
Pin 6 (GREEN and YELLOW, respectively). if you examine both male and female
ends, you'll see that pins #1-4 are mated to connectors, whereas #5 and 6 are
left open. ie there are no mating contacts for #5 and 6.
- the wires from both flat and oval connectors enter the door wrapped in black
mesh fabric. carefully, take razor and clear away 2" of mesh, exposing the
wire bundle. use Goof Off to clean gummy adhesive.
- snake blinking mirror's LED leads into the bowels of the power mirror, being
mindful to route so that they don't pinch or bind. snake them along the other,
rubber spaghetti harness is a good idea
- i used fine nose hemostat to pull the LED blinker twin leads through the oval
connetor grommet...the same route take by the oval connector leads
- locate the spare leads exiting the oval connector (remember, YELLOW and
GREEN). clip with diagonal cutter and separate them from the oval connector.
#2 - MOVE TO INSIDE PAX COMPARTMENT
==================================
- now go inside and remove kick panel beneath dash. there is a flush
mounted, oval plug covering a phillips screw. remove plug....then the screw.
- remove kick panel to reveal misc wiring ...one harness will contain the other
end of the spare leads (remember, GREEN and YELLOW). you'll easily find
a big, electrical, locking block connector. once you unplug, you'll see that
the GREEN and YELLOW leads do not mate between the male block and
the female connecting block ....confirming that GRN and YEL are spares.
- but wait.....measure twice, cut once, right? take a DVM and test contin-
uity for each wire. connect one DVM lead to GREEN at block connector, and
the other to GREEN at the mirror. BEEP/deflect, right? good. now do same
for YELLOW. this confirms that you have the proper wires at each end.
- use diagonal cutter and clip YELLOW and GREEN from block connector.
remove 3/4" insulation from tips.
#3 - BACK UP TO MIRROR
=====================
-- I connected LED array's RED lead to the unused YELLOW wire from the
oval connector
-- I took LED array's BLACK lead, and connected to unused GREEN from
the oval connector
- bare the tips, slide in heat shrink tubing, spiral wind ends, and connect
your blinker wires to them. solder. heat the shrink tubing to finish the
connection.
- yes, you can use bullet connectors but i didn't have any and I also thought
it would take up too much space in that small recess behind the mirror hinge
plate. so I crossed my fingers and said whatheheck
#4 - BACK DOWN TO KICK PANEL
===========================
- cut off 30" length of 18 ga strand wire. bare 1 tip, twist, and spiral
connect to end of YELLOW lead in the kick panel. solder and cover with
heat shrink tubing. we'll call this our HOT lead, as it was RED at the LED
mirror end. we'll leave the other, unfinished end dangling for now
- cut off 20" of 18 ga strand wire. bare 1 tip, twist and spiral connect to
GREEN lead in the kick panel. solder and cover with heat shrink tubing.
this will be our GROUND lead as it was the BLACK wire from the LED array.
we'll leave the other, unfinished end dangling for now
#5 - WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
=======================================
- You've connected the blinker/LED leads to the spare leads from the oval
connector
- You've located the other ends of the spare leads as they enter the
passenger compartment
- You've prepped kick panel leads for connection to power and ground
#6 - LOCATE POWER AND GROUND POINTS
===================================
- pull door sill plate. slide finger beneath edge at one end. pull straight up
towards the sky. invoke Bruce Lee cat yell if needed....you might anyway
as you break a nail
- carefully pry up edge of carpet. be careful, the edges have holes which
mate to plastic nubs to help hold them in place
- beneath the rug edge are plastic covers which open to reveal wiring looms.
the plastic cover lid lock with tabs. there are several lids. a small flat blade
should expedite their opening
#7 - OKAY, WHAT WIRE AM I LOOKING FOR?
===================================
- open trunk, open tail light flap, unplug taillight connector. it is male plug
with 5 connectors
- activate 4 way flasher (or turn signal for that side). you will be using DVM to
determine which of the 5 contacts is the 'blinker' wire
- I clipped DVM black lead to GROUND. I connected the DVM red lead to
each of the taillight contacts until the meter deflects in cadance to the flashing
--- on my 99 E320 it was #3/middle/BLACK-GREEN lead for the RIGHT taillight.
--- it was #3/middle/BLACK-WHITE lead for the LEFT taillight.
- okay, I go back to the door sill and look for the BLACK-GREEN wire, as my first
mod was for the RIGHT blinking mirror. to confirm, I connected DVM black lead
to ground. I clipped sewing needle to the end of the DVM red lead and pushed it
through the insulation of the BLACK-GREEN wire which I suspect is the blinker
wire from the taillight.
- remember, the flasher is still going. if this is the proper wire, the DVM will
deflect in cadance with the flashing. great.
#8 - CONNECTING THE POWER LEAD AND GROUND
========================================
- take unfinshed end of the kick panel YELLOW lead. remember? this was
our HOT lead which is the RED lead at the LED array
- using appropriately sized solderless, inline crimp connector, connect the kick
panel YELLOW HOT lead to the tail light blinker lead. again, in my case, it was
the BLACK-GREEN lead from the tail light. crimp connect.
- the other kick panel lead is GREEN and is our GROUND. locate suitable ground
and temporarily connect. hit 4-way flasher button. blinking mirror LEDs should
flash in cadance. cool. trim off any excess cable and complete the connection to
ground. you're done with that side.
- replace kick panel, stuff wiring into sill, close flaps, replace carpeting, and reattach
door sill
#9 - BUT WAIT......THAT'S JUST ONE SIDE
=================================
- you'll now go to the other side of the vehicle. repeat #1 - 8
- nearly all is the same BUT (!) the wire to the opposite side tail light is of different
color. in my 99 E320, whereas the right side tailight hot lead was BLACK-GREEN.....
the left side tailight hot lead was BLACK-WHITE.
- guess what?....beneath the sill, with the other wires, there were several BLACK-WHITE
leads. first one was constantly hot and was not blinker controlled. second one was
constantly hot and not blinker controlled. but the third one was. this is where
it helped greatly to use the DVM-push pin trick. this saves your having to find out that
it was the wrong one after you've performed the crimp/squeezed on the connector
TAKE YOUR TIME
==============
- you're not racing against the clock
- use your DVM to test continuity, voltage, blinking function before soldering your
connection
- it took me almost more time to type this up, proofread, and post than it will
actually take to complete the job
MISC
=====
Q: why are there spare/unused leads in the mirror harness?
A: from Jimmythegreek, he said that these are used for power folding mirrors or other
unused mirror features. power folders will use up these spare leads.
Q: is it possible that I do not have unused, spare mirror leads?
A: yes, and if that is the case, you'll need snake through new twin leads from the mirror,
through the door jamb duct, and out the kick panel. so pray for unused leads which
could save you an hr or so, each door
Q: why the hell didn't you take photos?
A: i dunno, i go into these things somewhat blind and never really think that the're
correct to where I would take the corresponding photo. it detracts from my AADD
concentration, I suppose.
A: if it helps, Jimmythegreek did give me some of his photos, but I didn't use them.
his application was for some model year which apparently didn't have
unused/spare leads from his mirror harness. photos he provided reflect
snaking new wires through the door...which I didn't need. mine was a piece
of cake, by comparison.
photos located here, in PDF file
- i found that spatula helped to remove and pry open panels, where a screwdriver or
such might be overkill and scratch. you're looking for wide tool similar to what you
see in the MBUSA info CD...in effect a thin, sturdy, nylon or plastic pry bar
- the first mirror took me couple of hours. then, it wouldn't light up when I activated
the 4-ways. after scratching my head, quietly cursing and wire tracing, I discovered
that the hot lead from the LED array had somehow been pinched and severed when
I reattached the new mirror shell. I think I had routed the wires such that they were
vulnerable when manipulating the mirror as I folded it. once repaired (and much to
my relief it was such an easy fix) it flashed as expected.
may vary, batteries not included, irritation, nausea or other side effects may
occur...blah blah...depending on your model year.
There are two spare, unused wires leading from inside the mirror, and into the
kick panel. Use these to power your blinking mirror LEDs, thus saving you the
headache and labor of pulling off the door panel.
#1 - HOW TO FIND THESE SPARE MIRROR LEADS
=======================================
- pop off mirror cover. fold back mirror and, using flat blade, slide the ends
of the wire retainer free from the plastic nubs. (video available from MBUSA
info CD )
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO PRESS USING THE MIRROR. now....fold the mirror
w/o touching the adjustable portion of the mirror itself. it is fragile.
- remove bottom philips screw first...the bottom one furthest from the headlight.
you'll be pressing against the strong mirror spring with one hand, and removing
the fastener with the other hand
- now remove the other bottom phillips fastener, followed by the top phillips fastener
- there are two connectors inside the power mirrors. 1) flat wafer, 5 pin
connector, 2) oval shaped, 6 pin connector
- unplug both flat and oval connectors. with mirror screws unfastened, and
electrical connectors removed, the mirror can now be detached from the door
- the oval connector is the one which contains the spare leads. Pin 5 and
Pin 6 (GREEN and YELLOW, respectively). if you examine both male and female
ends, you'll see that pins #1-4 are mated to connectors, whereas #5 and 6 are
left open. ie there are no mating contacts for #5 and 6.
- the wires from both flat and oval connectors enter the door wrapped in black
mesh fabric. carefully, take razor and clear away 2" of mesh, exposing the
wire bundle. use Goof Off to clean gummy adhesive.
- snake blinking mirror's LED leads into the bowels of the power mirror, being
mindful to route so that they don't pinch or bind. snake them along the other,
rubber spaghetti harness is a good idea
- i used fine nose hemostat to pull the LED blinker twin leads through the oval
connetor grommet...the same route take by the oval connector leads
- locate the spare leads exiting the oval connector (remember, YELLOW and
GREEN). clip with diagonal cutter and separate them from the oval connector.
#2 - MOVE TO INSIDE PAX COMPARTMENT
==================================
- now go inside and remove kick panel beneath dash. there is a flush
mounted, oval plug covering a phillips screw. remove plug....then the screw.
- remove kick panel to reveal misc wiring ...one harness will contain the other
end of the spare leads (remember, GREEN and YELLOW). you'll easily find
a big, electrical, locking block connector. once you unplug, you'll see that
the GREEN and YELLOW leads do not mate between the male block and
the female connecting block ....confirming that GRN and YEL are spares.
- but wait.....measure twice, cut once, right? take a DVM and test contin-
uity for each wire. connect one DVM lead to GREEN at block connector, and
the other to GREEN at the mirror. BEEP/deflect, right? good. now do same
for YELLOW. this confirms that you have the proper wires at each end.
- use diagonal cutter and clip YELLOW and GREEN from block connector.
remove 3/4" insulation from tips.
#3 - BACK UP TO MIRROR
=====================
-- I connected LED array's RED lead to the unused YELLOW wire from the
oval connector
-- I took LED array's BLACK lead, and connected to unused GREEN from
the oval connector
- bare the tips, slide in heat shrink tubing, spiral wind ends, and connect
your blinker wires to them. solder. heat the shrink tubing to finish the
connection.
- yes, you can use bullet connectors but i didn't have any and I also thought
it would take up too much space in that small recess behind the mirror hinge
plate. so I crossed my fingers and said whatheheck
#4 - BACK DOWN TO KICK PANEL
===========================
- cut off 30" length of 18 ga strand wire. bare 1 tip, twist, and spiral
connect to end of YELLOW lead in the kick panel. solder and cover with
heat shrink tubing. we'll call this our HOT lead, as it was RED at the LED
mirror end. we'll leave the other, unfinished end dangling for now
- cut off 20" of 18 ga strand wire. bare 1 tip, twist and spiral connect to
GREEN lead in the kick panel. solder and cover with heat shrink tubing.
this will be our GROUND lead as it was the BLACK wire from the LED array.
we'll leave the other, unfinished end dangling for now
#5 - WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
=======================================
- You've connected the blinker/LED leads to the spare leads from the oval
connector
- You've located the other ends of the spare leads as they enter the
passenger compartment
- You've prepped kick panel leads for connection to power and ground
#6 - LOCATE POWER AND GROUND POINTS
===================================
- pull door sill plate. slide finger beneath edge at one end. pull straight up
towards the sky. invoke Bruce Lee cat yell if needed....you might anyway
as you break a nail
- carefully pry up edge of carpet. be careful, the edges have holes which
mate to plastic nubs to help hold them in place
- beneath the rug edge are plastic covers which open to reveal wiring looms.
the plastic cover lid lock with tabs. there are several lids. a small flat blade
should expedite their opening
#7 - OKAY, WHAT WIRE AM I LOOKING FOR?
===================================
- open trunk, open tail light flap, unplug taillight connector. it is male plug
with 5 connectors
- activate 4 way flasher (or turn signal for that side). you will be using DVM to
determine which of the 5 contacts is the 'blinker' wire
- I clipped DVM black lead to GROUND. I connected the DVM red lead to
each of the taillight contacts until the meter deflects in cadance to the flashing
--- on my 99 E320 it was #3/middle/BLACK-GREEN lead for the RIGHT taillight.
--- it was #3/middle/BLACK-WHITE lead for the LEFT taillight.
- okay, I go back to the door sill and look for the BLACK-GREEN wire, as my first
mod was for the RIGHT blinking mirror. to confirm, I connected DVM black lead
to ground. I clipped sewing needle to the end of the DVM red lead and pushed it
through the insulation of the BLACK-GREEN wire which I suspect is the blinker
wire from the taillight.
- remember, the flasher is still going. if this is the proper wire, the DVM will
deflect in cadance with the flashing. great.
#8 - CONNECTING THE POWER LEAD AND GROUND
========================================
- take unfinshed end of the kick panel YELLOW lead. remember? this was
our HOT lead which is the RED lead at the LED array
- using appropriately sized solderless, inline crimp connector, connect the kick
panel YELLOW HOT lead to the tail light blinker lead. again, in my case, it was
the BLACK-GREEN lead from the tail light. crimp connect.
- the other kick panel lead is GREEN and is our GROUND. locate suitable ground
and temporarily connect. hit 4-way flasher button. blinking mirror LEDs should
flash in cadance. cool. trim off any excess cable and complete the connection to
ground. you're done with that side.
- replace kick panel, stuff wiring into sill, close flaps, replace carpeting, and reattach
door sill
#9 - BUT WAIT......THAT'S JUST ONE SIDE
=================================
- you'll now go to the other side of the vehicle. repeat #1 - 8
- nearly all is the same BUT (!) the wire to the opposite side tail light is of different
color. in my 99 E320, whereas the right side tailight hot lead was BLACK-GREEN.....
the left side tailight hot lead was BLACK-WHITE.
- guess what?....beneath the sill, with the other wires, there were several BLACK-WHITE
leads. first one was constantly hot and was not blinker controlled. second one was
constantly hot and not blinker controlled. but the third one was. this is where
it helped greatly to use the DVM-push pin trick. this saves your having to find out that
it was the wrong one after you've performed the crimp/squeezed on the connector
TAKE YOUR TIME
==============
- you're not racing against the clock
- use your DVM to test continuity, voltage, blinking function before soldering your
connection
- it took me almost more time to type this up, proofread, and post than it will
actually take to complete the job
MISC
=====
Q: why are there spare/unused leads in the mirror harness?
A: from Jimmythegreek, he said that these are used for power folding mirrors or other
unused mirror features. power folders will use up these spare leads.
Q: is it possible that I do not have unused, spare mirror leads?
A: yes, and if that is the case, you'll need snake through new twin leads from the mirror,
through the door jamb duct, and out the kick panel. so pray for unused leads which
could save you an hr or so, each door
Q: why the hell didn't you take photos?
A: i dunno, i go into these things somewhat blind and never really think that the're
correct to where I would take the corresponding photo. it detracts from my AADD
concentration, I suppose.
A: if it helps, Jimmythegreek did give me some of his photos, but I didn't use them.
his application was for some model year which apparently didn't have
unused/spare leads from his mirror harness. photos he provided reflect
snaking new wires through the door...which I didn't need. mine was a piece
of cake, by comparison.
photos located here, in PDF file
- i found that spatula helped to remove and pry open panels, where a screwdriver or
such might be overkill and scratch. you're looking for wide tool similar to what you
see in the MBUSA info CD...in effect a thin, sturdy, nylon or plastic pry bar
- the first mirror took me couple of hours. then, it wouldn't light up when I activated
the 4-ways. after scratching my head, quietly cursing and wire tracing, I discovered
that the hot lead from the LED array had somehow been pinched and severed when
I reattached the new mirror shell. I think I had routed the wires such that they were
vulnerable when manipulating the mirror as I folded it. once repaired (and much to
my relief it was such an easy fix) it flashed as expected.
Last edited by raymond g-; 03-08-2006 at 03:20 AM.
