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Subject JDM Power Folding Mirror Conversion. (Long!)
     
Posted by DVDBURN (MD) on August 24, 2008 at 1:47 AM
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JDM Power Folding Mirror Conversion

Aspec and JDM triangle mirror mounts have different angles. Because a different angle is needed when sitting in a RHD driver seat, the angle of the triangle mirror mounts are different between USA and JDM cars. Although there is limited viewing adjustment once using JDM triangle mirror mounts, there is still enough adjustment to allow using the JDM mirrors. There also seems to be a bit more room for adjustment of the driver side mirror than the passenger side mirror. I would consider the passenger side mirror to be on the very edge of usable viewing angle and not able to be adjusted for a maximum comfortable viewing angle.

In this writeup I will explain my attempts to combine parts from both Aspec and JDM mirrors in an attempt to use the Aspec triangle mirror mounts and why it can not be done. I will explain how to use the heated mirrors since there will be no heated mirror switch after the complete conversion. I will show the internal differences in JDM, Turbo and Non-Turbo mirror switches as well as a complete breakdown of the switch themselfs. I will explain how to de-pin the connectors which go to the switch and how to easily move the pins from the USA to the JDM switch connector. I will show how you can use your original Aspec mirror housings so no need to worry about painting (you must use your Aspec mirror glass). I will also show how you can not use a JDM mirror glass with an Aspec mirror housing.

The JDM mirrors I purchased only had a heated RH driver side mirror. The JDM left side mirror was not a heated mirror. I do not know if this is an option in Japan or if all JDM heated mirror sets are like this. If the JDM mirrors you have do not have a heated left side mirror, this writeup will help you in converting your left side JDM non-heated mirror to a heated mirror.

JDM Mirror Disassembly



Rightside JDM mirror.


Rightside JDM triangle interior view. Remove these two pieces.


Rightside JDM mirror bottom.


Rightside JDM mirror seperated from the triangle mount by removing three screws.


Removing this screw frees the glass mirror from the housing.


Once you free the glass, disconnect the white connector to the mirror angle motor by pressing the tab while pulling.


The connector unplugged.


Disconnect the heated mirror connector using a small flat-tip screwdriver. Pry up on the flat piece which is holding the connector in place while pulling on the connector wire.


The heated mirror disconnected.


Once the mirror glass has been removed, seperate the two halves of the mirror housing by removing these six screws.


Remove these two screws to remove the internal piece.


The JDM internal piece removed.


Here is a picture of the difference between the Aspec and JDM internal pieces. The JDM internal piece is a part of the lower half of the folding motor housing in one complete molded assembly. You can also see that the piece with the three holes which is used to bolt the mirror to the triangle mount (circled in yellow) are slightly different. This piece is a part of a metal tube shaft which extends up through the center of the folding motor in the JDM mirror. It is used as a tunnel for the mirror harness and heated mirror wires. The holes of this piece do not line up with the Aspec triangle mount. Even if the holes were to line up it would raise the mirror up and produce a gap.


I thought it might be possible to swap this mounting collar and shaft (circled in green) with the one in the JDM mirror to allow mounting the JDM mirror with folding motor to the Aspec triangle mounts. If it was possible, it would allow normal viewing angle for our US cars. The piece is held in with a locking ring circled in yellow.


Holding the mounting collar in front of the partially disassembled JDM folding mirror motor you can see that the shaft of the Aspec piece is much shorter than the one in the JDM mirror. This will not allow it to be used due to the length needed for the locking ring that holds it in place.

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Installing Heated Mirror Wire and Connector



I have heard that all JDM heated mirrors do not have a heated passenger side mirror (our driver side mirror). This part of the writeup will explain how to turn our driver side mirror into a heated mirror. First, remove the heated mirror wire and connector from either the driver side or passenger side of the Aspec mirror as located below (they are both the same).


Using a small screwdriver, push in the locking tabs on both sides of the connector and pull the connector through the hole toward the wire side.


Below is a picture of the connector and wire removed.


Remove the folding motor cover by removing four screws from the top of the motor cover.


Below is a picture of the folding motor before the heated wire connector is installed.


Insert the connector's wires through the collar shaft hole in the same way that the mirror control harness is routed.


Route the heated mirror wires and install the heated mirror connector into the available hole.


Route the mirror control harness as it was before. The white substance is goop similar to the black goop that seals door panel plastic and rear tail lights.


Reinstall the folding motor cover.


After completion, reassemble the mirror housing in the reverse order as the disassembly. Once you have done that, reattach the assembled mirror housing to the triangle mount and feed the harness through the triangle mount as it was before.

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Color Code and Harness Install

Using the picture below, here is the color code for the JDM mirror wiring. Both JDM and Aspec left and right mirrors uses the same color code.

Mirror angle motor = Yellow, Violet, Blue

Heated mirror = Black, Black

Folding Motor = Orange, Pink


The only thing needed is to add a wiring harness to the wires which control the folding motor. My JDM mirrors only had a few inches of harness and no connector. Because of this I used the harness from my Aspec mirrors and spliced them to the JDM harnesses. I also added a seperate harness for the two wires that controlled the folding motor. As you can see in this picture I soldered pairs of wires to each folding motor wire. I did this to allow a branch to my alarm system which will automatically fold the mirrors when I remote lock my car. I'm sure this could be done a different way though. You will need to route this additional harness through the door, into the car's cabin and to the mirror switch. You can not use the heated mirror wires. They are not routed directly to the mirror switch.


Heatshink covering the splices.


Heatshink covering all the harness splices.


Heatshrink covering both harnesses and the completed mirror ready to install.

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Comparisons

This is a bottom view of the Aspec mirror housing containing the JDM motor assembly attached to the JDM triangle. As you can see, due to the shape of the bottom of the Aspec housings to match the angle of the Aspec triangle mounts, using them with the JDM triangle mounts allows plenty of gap between the housing and mount to allow the mirror to fold.


You must use your Aspec mirror glass when using the Aspec mirror housings. This is because of the position of the hole for securing the mirror glass. As you can see in the picture below, the metal part of the JDM mirror glass is slightly shifted to one side as compared to the Aspec mirror of the same side. If you buy a JDM mirror for the mirror glass you will not be able to use it with your Aspec mirror housing.


This is a picture of JDM housings containing the Aspec internal piece being held up to an Aspec triangle. As you can see, aligning the first screw hole (left) shows how there is not enough clearance for the mirror to pivot or even attach to the triangle mount due to the obstruction from the shape of the JDM housings. So if you buy a set of JDM mirrors because you want the housings for your Aspec mirrors, forget it, they will not work. You can use Aspec housings with the complete JDM mirror assembly but you can not use JDM mirror housings with the complete Aspec assembly. This is good though! You do not have to repaint mirror housings when you do the conversion. Just use your original ones.


In the top of this picture is the JDM driver side assembly with aspec mirror housings. At bottom is the driver side triangle mirror mount. As you can see, there is a difference in the shape of the area of the mount on the left side near the first screw hole (left). You can also see how there is a larger distance between the center and right screw holes. So basically, even with the mirror housings completely removed you can not mount an Aspec mirror assembly to a JDM triangle mount and you can not mount a JDM mirrow assembly to an Aspec triangle mount because all three holes will not line up.


Another picture showing the difference between the Aspec and JDM mirror mounting holes on mirrors of the same side.

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Converting the Mirror Switch

Here I will show the differences between three mirror control switches. I will show each switch from assembled to disassembled in step by step breakdown. But first, here is how to disassemble the two main parts of the switch.

Using a small screwdriver, place it between the plastic in each locking tab location to pry the housing apart.

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JDM Switch


Folding Mirrors and Mirror Control

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USA Twin Turbo Switch


Defogger, Mirror Control and Adjustable Shocks

=============================================================================


USA NA Switch


Defogger and Mirror Control

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Internal Comparisons


USA on top and JDM on bottom.


From left to right. JDM, USA Twin Turbo and USA Non-Turbo. USA Twin Turbo and USA Non-Turbo are physically the same.

=============================================================================


Selector Switch Pin and Selector Removal


You must use the JDM switch assembly for the switch conversion. You must also remove the adjustable shock selector from the twin turbo switch assembly and install it into the JDM switch assembly unless your JDM switch already came with an adjustable shock selector switch.

Remove the pin that holds the adjustable shock selector switch. In this picture the pin is partially out.


I found it easy to use a .082 size drill bit to remove the pin. It is slightly smaller than the pin's hole. Pull out the pin while bending the drill bit at a slight angle and rotating the drill bit. The cutting surface of the drill bit grabs the pin very well.


Shock selector switch removed.

If you have a JDM mirror switch with a blank selector switch in the adjustable shock switch position such as I did, remove the pin which holds it in the same way you removed the adjustable shock selector switch pin. Once the pin is removed, use a jewelers screwdriver of appropriate size and push it through one of the long slotted holes to push out the blank selector switch.

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Assembly of Converted Mirror Switch


Install the adsjustable shock selector switch into the JDM mirror switch where the blank switch was located. Normally there is a picture of a shock on the shock selector switch. Mine has worn off.


Once the shock selector switch is installed, turn the complete switch assembly over and install the internal components as pictured below. You will need one component from the USA Twin Turbo switch (circled in yellow). This piece will be under the shock selector switch to allow it to function.


Snap the JDM circuit board half of the switch assembly in to place by flipping this piece over onto the half as pictured above.

Completed and ready to install.

==============================================================================


How to De-Pin the Switch Connector


Here is a picture of a pin removed from the connector. This is the side which the plastic catch in the connector will grab keeping the pin from comming out.


Here is a picture of how the pin is inserted into the back of the connector.


This is a picture of the pin in the tunnel before it is pushed over the spring catch.


In this picture the pin on the left has been pushed into the tunnel over the spring catch which locks it into place. The pin on the right is shown just before it is to go over the spring catch. To remove the pins, use a jewelers screwdriver of appropriate size and insert it into the pin tunnel to press down on the spring catch to release the pin. You will need to pull on the pin's wire at the same time you are pressing on the catch.

Here is a picture of the stock USA pins in the JDM connector. The two wires at the top of the connector (green w/red stripe and green w/black stripe) are original JDM wires to be used for the power folding mirror motors (see diagram below).

Another picture showing the two original JDM wires to be used for the power folding mirror motors.

Here is the connector once the wire guide/pin cover is put back into place.

The diagram I have made below explains the use of the USA Door Mirror Switch connectors which attach to the Door Mirror Switch.

The next diagram I have made below explains how to move the wires from the USA connector to the JDM connector. The connector for the mirror defogging control is not used for this conversion but I will explain how to use those wires in case you would like to have heated mirror capability. The diagram also explains which wires are to be used for the power folding mirror motor control.

==========================================================================

Heated mirror operation.

For heated mirror operation, connect pin 8 of the Mirror Defogger Connector to switched 12vdc at either ignition ACC or ignition ON. Then, to turn the heated mirrors on, connect pins 8 and 9. Pin 10 of the Mirror Defogger Connector is normally connected to ground and is only used to operate the LED ON light in the original heated mirror switch.

==========================================================================

Finished

Thank you for reading this long writeup. I have completed my installation of the JDM power folding mirrors and they are working very well. I had been wanting to do this for a long time and now that it's done it feels great. With this information you should have no trouble installing your own JDM power folding mirrors. Have fun, good luck and enjoy!




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http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/technical/view/1066651/www.mytwinturbo.com

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