Auto Dim Mirror Help

Scour_king

Registered User
I have a 95 s/c auto. I bought the mirror but cant find the harness to plug to it. I read this post:

I have an '89 sunroof XR-7, which means that I had the courtesy light rearview mirror you're talking about. I also notice that you have the auto-dim headlight sensor. I swapped in the auto dim rear view view mirror (there by loosing my courtesy lights). The plug for the courtesy lights, & the auto dim mirror are the SAME. So, if you don't mind loosing your auto dim rear view mirror, swapping mirrors is plug-N-play. Sunroof cars were an automatic delete for the auto dim rear view mirror, because the courtesy lights & the auto mirror used that same wireing harness plug.

68COUGAR

I dont have courtesy lights on my stock mirror they are on either side of the dome light with the roof control. I removed the assembley and the inner bracket for the lights and roof and pulled down a fingure space on the front headliner by the windshield and cant feel the harness. I tried reaching as far back down the lamp and roof harness as I could but thats only a few inches as I am scared of hurting the headliner. My factory manual said it was an option and I cant see there being 2 harnesses (one with and one without). Maybe I am misinterpting 68cougars post and missing something...any help or clarification would be great.

Thx, James
 
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Update:

Still no auto dimmer. I noticed the courtesy switch lights does have a 3 wire plug but it wouldnt reach or fit the mirror. I tested it with un/sw power, ground, and door open power. I looked in the fatcory manual and I should have a switched power, ground, and a reverse trans sensor power wire.....
but still no harness to test that I have found.
 
I have a 90 SC that had the bare bones mirror and map (courtesy) light on the center dome light. Last year I switched it out the auto dim mirror. If you got the mirror at a junkyard, go back and get the wiring harness. You need it.

There are two connections on the mirror. One one the mirror itself and one for the sensor eye that faces out of the windsheild. The wire (If I remember correctly) goes across the front of the headliner on the drivers side, back above the driver's side door into the interior rear quarter panel trim to a multi-pin connector (that's your power). Also the wire T's off above the drives side door and connects to the dome light as well.

Doing this at a junkyard was great practice as well. Remember to take the drivers side interior rear quarter panel trim and the A-pillar trim, unbolt the dome light, pull the headliner down. The connections at the dome light are a bit of a PITA.

It works great on my car. I do want to warn you about one wierd glitch that is easily resolve if it becomes a problem. For some reason the eye that screws to the rearview mirror (small square box with eye facing out of the windshield) was automatically turning my brights on at night if it sensed it was too dark outside. So if I was driving with my lights on at night and the road had no street lights, my bright automatically came on until it sensed a certain amount of exterior light. That seemed cool and all until I had cars in front of me and it was uncontrolably flashing them :( So, if that ends up happening, just unplug the conection to that sensor.

That is all. Good luck. Let me know if you need any more help.

Metalman
 
Thx for the help Metalman. I bought it off ebay. I just kinda assumed that the harness would already be there and tucked up in the headliner. When I get back home I will have to go junking and find me a harness. My mirror only has one plug and its 3 pin. According to the Shop manual it has 1 hot, 1 ground, and 1 transmission reverse gear sensor wire on the 95 year model. I thought about just getting a plug and going off the sunroof switched power and ground and not worry about the tranny wire, it's only purpose is to unphoto grey the mirror if you put the car in reverse and as I use the never look back rule I figure what the heck..... Thx, again for your help.

James
 
Just for your information the auto day/night mirror with the high beam dimmer box was only available in '89 and '90. They dropped the high beam dimmer option in '91. I don't think the auto day/night mirror was available in '95. It doesn't mention it in the '95 brochure. You may have to run new wires.

Mike Donley
 
I've got a '94 SC and I have an auto-dim mirror. But, it's different than what was avalable in early SCs. The early mirrors would detect headlights behind the car and actually flip the mirror down, as if you had done it yourself manually. On mine, and I assume on the '95s too, the mirror has some sort of polarization effect within it. When the sensor detects bright headlights the mirror will get darker, sort of a blue tint. It's very cool the way it does it.

Anyway, the later ones have the auto-dim too.
 
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