Folding Mirror Won't - Updated

[Clockwork]

Just an update...
I can't stress enough how important that "finger" on the white/pot metal is.

Tonight noticed my mirror foldes in perfectly but upon folding out, the gears would still turn and make the stripping/skipping sound even tho the mirror stopped moving.

I THEN also noticed the mirror body was a bit floppy (as in I could turn it about 1 inch in and out (not up and down, that's a different story and almost always the 4 T15 screws on bottom side of mirror base are loose).

So after removing the plastic cover, the 3 T10 bolts on top of motor/arm and pulling the arm off to expose the white ringed pot metal housing (with the finger/tab), I marked its position with a silver sharpie so I knew how it sat upon reinstall (this is extremely important).

While motor housing was tilted back, I could see a gap between the metal finger and the screw gear that hides behind this finger/tab. I knew this is wrong, from looking at this previously. I'm rather intimate with the mirror motor assembly now see pics.

I then removed the plastic cap on bottom of mirror base and then removed the 4 T15 screws, so I could then tilt the motor housing back (not much room tho with the red and green motor wires being rather short) and then I observed the finger/tab on the bottom outside of the motor housing.

Then I removed the 4 T10 screws, carefully as the housing is under some spring pressure, and made sure to press down on the black plastic from open top of motor housing, as I Didn't want to remove the black plastic cylinder with spring and keyed metal ring. I just took the pot/white metal housing off and put in vice to slowly and carefully bend the finger/tab in a bit. See pics.

This metal is VERY weak and cheap. And if the finger ever breaks, then the folding mechanism will NEVER work. Be careful. Bend it a bit and test fit back onto motor and black cylinder and see if the gap has closed. If not fully, then put back in vice AND carefully bend a bit more. Another option is to put some JB Weld on backside of the finger (where the screw gear touches) to build up the thickness...
Once it's damn near perfect, put it back together.
4 T10 screws holding motor housing together, 4 T15 screws holding.motor housing to mirror base and then put mirror arm back on-top of motor housing and then install the 3 T10 screws and test the mirror fold function (before you put plastic cap on mirror base or mirror cover back on).

If successful, you will have many more years of folding and stiff sitting (not floppy) mirror use.

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