Dimming Mirrors??

[FantasticChadwick]

So, among other things, I replaced the heater core in my 2000 Bravada this past weekend. All went pretty well and I thought it was a flawless victory, but today I really drove it for the first tiem since the repairs and it turns out my mirrors are stayign dimmed all the time, even in daylight. I figured this would be triggered by headlights being on, but my headlights seem to be operating correctly. Do the mirrors tie into something somewhere in the dash? Do any of you know of a connection I may have unplugged that would cause that?

Thanks,
Chadwick

[Chris Stewart]

Congrats on your successful heater core changeout.
I believe there's a button on the mirror you can push to turn off the auto dim.

[FantasticChadwick]

There is a button on the mirror that turns off that feature. The trouble is that I don't want to disable the feature, I would rather it work properly. In the past the mirrors never dimmed during the day, only at night when there were bright lights behind me. I always assumed the feature was only available when the headlights were on, but since I pulled my dash halfway out and reinstalled it, the mirrors are dimming all the time. The best I can tell the headlights are working propperly.

[FantasticChadwick]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Congrats on your successful heater core changeout.

Thank you. Even though the process only took 4 hours, I really feel like I conquered something huge. I find it extremely difficult to believe that auto manufacturers can't design their vehicles a little more user friendly. I think whoever thought of the idea of putting the heater core in the absolute most difficult to access part of the vehicle should be tied to a tree, naked, and flogged. Then fire ants should be introduced to the punishment in copious quantities. Then all their friends should stand around pointing at them and laughing.

But heck, that's just my humble opinion. I won't go into how I really feel about it.

[FantasticChadwick]

OK, issue resolved.


After spending some time in my nifty little 9000 or so page GM shop manual looking over the schematic of the auto dim mirrors and deciding I might as well have been trying to read japanese or something I finally took a little trip this morning to my local chevy dealer. I went to the service department and put on my most humble personallity that I could must and begged to talk to one of their techs. The tech was full of all sorts of completely useless information until he got to the part about how there are TWO photo sensors on the center rearview mirror. The one you can see from the mirror side detects bright light shining into your mirror, but what I didn't know is that on the windshield side of the center rearview mirror there is a photo sensor that detects if it is light or dark outside. So if it's light outside the auto dim feature is disabled and when it's dark outside, then the auto dim feature is operable.

I know I lose for this any credibility I may I have earned from changing my own heater core, BUT....

I went back to my car and sure enough, apparently in the struggle with the dash my paper parking permit that was hanging from the mirror got twisted around, and you guessed it, it was obstructing the photo sensor on the back of the mirror.

So, problem solved.








Boy do I feel sheepish.

[ericn1300]

Thanks for posting your fix, it may help others out so don't feel sheepish about it. I couldn't help out because:

1-my 92 bravada ain't got one of those newfangeled dimwittey mirrors, and

2-I don't need no dang permit to park on the front lawn

[FantasticChadwick]

Originally Posted by ericn1300

Thanks for posting your fix, it may help others out so don't feel sheepish about it.

Exactly why I posted the fix.

I did figure it out by myself so I don't feel tooooo bad about it. It would have really sucked if someone else had walked over to it and been like "well here's your problem, dumb ass!" and pulled the parking permit out of the way.





Now if I can just pin-point the "woo woo woo woo woo..." noise while I drive then I'll be in great shape.

[Chris Stewart]

Does yer woo woo woo get louder as you veer to the right or left at normal driving speeds?

[FantasticChadwick]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Does yer woo woo woo get louder as you veer to the right or left at normal driving speeds?

No. It seems only affected by speed. It starts around 35mph and by 70 it is starting to fade into the road noise. Turning one way or another doesn't seem to affect it much if any.

Also, breaking doesn't seem to affect the pitch or severity of the noise.



About 11 months ago I replaced one of my front hubs. Here recently the noise started and I replaced the other front hub in attempt to fix the noise, but it did nothing for the problem. So Now I'm a little in limbo as to knowing whether the problem is in the front hub that I replaced almost a year ago, or if the problem is rear bearings. Or could it be something else all together like maybe a paper parking permit covering a light sensor somewhere?!?

[Chris Stewart]

Uhhh, make sure you have 32psi in the front tires and 30 in the rear unless it's loaded with stuff then go 32 also.

[FantasticChadwick]

Replaced right rear wheel bearings today. Pulled the caliper and the end of the axle had probably a quarter inch of play. Pulled the axle out and out came a LOT of metal flakes. Axle surface is thrashed so I went back with some axle saver bearings. Put Royal Purple Max Gear in and no more woo woo woo noise.

Does anyone know the life expectancy of the axle saver bearings? It seems a little weird to me that the bearings are outside the seal and have their own grease. Is there any way to add grease to them?

[Chris Stewart]

Are the bearings sealed on both sides of the bearing?

[ericn1300]

woo hoo! A good fix. I don't think you need any additional grease. I put the axel saver bearings on my Astro van, they worked good, never touched them again. They had over 70,000 miles on them when I sold it. I'll have to remember this and check the bearings on the Bravada as I'm going to pull the rear end and have the leaf springs resprung this winter.

[FantasticChadwick]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

Are the bearings sealed on both sides of the bearing?

Yes. They are actually quite interesting.


My only hesitation with them is I had a friend who installed them on a truck and said they lasted less than a year. Fluke maybe? I'll let you know in a few months.


That'll be after I figure out why my AC quit working

I think 200,000 miles is the magic number. EVERYTHING on my Olds has failed in the last month.

[spddmn1]

I've never messed with the dimmed mirrors My mirrors on the doors are angled out enough so i don't have headlights in my eyes plus not worried about the rearview mirror because the back glass is tinted.