lee

hey guys,

i bought an autodimming mirror w/compass form ranma, but he doesnt appear to be around to help me install it, and id like to do it this weekend.

i have a couple questions:


which fuse in this fuse box do i plug the wire into? how do i do it? i need some good instructions as im bad at this stuff..


i assume black is ground, red/pink is the power (to the fusebox).

please help guys i really want it in before monday!

thanks...

ranma21

You've got mail!!!

lee

hey thanks for the mail! im sorry im so dumb, but i want to be sure i do it right -- how do i plug it into the power in the fuse box?

you said in your email "I just use some the electrical tape, a wire crimper and a spade to complete the installation." what did you specifically do, and what is a spade! hahha.

mods like these are my baby steps toward learning real working info so i can start doing these things without asking dumb questions. id just rather do it right then sort of wing it! thanks!

ranma21

Scroll down this page (http://www.rjays.com/Rjays_electrical/connectors-1.htm) and look for spade terminals. You can either fold them together by a plier or cut one side away. After that, just tap it into the fusebox..and voila!!!You are done!!

lee

what gauge do i need?

also, my fusebox appears to be a bit different... but i plug it into the one marked 'power' right?

thanks a lot man, this is just what i needed!

lee

im pretty sure i read its 12v power... right?

im embarrasingly ignorant and i just hope this thread helps someone as bad as me in the future!

lee

bump! i wanna do this today!!

lee

is it this part of the fuse (little box behind the wire) that i plug it into? i have the wire all crimped and put a spade connector on the ned and all.

thanks.

ranma21

I think you can tap into the upper left hand conner fuse ( where there is no fuse). Check with a meter and see if there is a power reading, make sure you have your ignition at ACC.

ranma21

Hey Eli, how is the installation goes? Have you hooked it up yet?

lee

not yet. it rained pretty bad on sunday when i wanted to do it.. im still a little shakey and dont want to screw it up. my mechanic guy i trust thought it wasnt such a good idea to begin with...

i may just put it off till i know more. i know its not a big deal, but i dont want to screw it up, and im still really unsure about the spade connector and all of that. i need to know exactly which one i need, exactly which fuse to put it into, exactly how to put it in.

running the wire will be no problem, that ive pretty much figured out.

taking the stock mirror out i have not yet figured out though!

i was thinking of calling jc whitney and asking for them to send me an instruction manual or whatever... you must realize how little it is i do know.

thanks for your help, ill let you know what happens if i proceed soon.....

Ishinc

hey lee,
this is how i did it. seems to be much more simplier than your way. i have a 2000 4runner sport edition. my mirror turns on with i turn on the car and off when i open my door...(you know how after you take out the keys, the windows and sunroof still work until a door opens....)

1st - take off the old mirror but prying off the lights lens, and there is one screw that holds the sunroof buttons, lights, garage remote holder. that pops off. then disconnect the wires to the lights and sunroof. There are 2 screws holding the mirror on.

2nd - i glued on the tab onto the glass, remember not to glue it on backwards..... i bought it from kragens, also used the 2 part glue made for it.

3rd - what i did was take the 2 power wires and spliced it into my sunroof wires, there is a wire that only has power when the key at "on" and one wire is ground. (i can't remember what color they are but are easy to find). i opt not to wire in the 3rd wire (this wire undims the mirror at night when car is in reverse).

4th - put the sunroof buttons and lights back on, slide the mirror onto the tab, screw it in.

DONE!

this way you don't have to hassle with the fuse box and such...hope it will help you out, too bad you don't live in southern cali or i'll do it for you!

lee

wow
that sounds a LOT easier... thanks! I will open that area up either tonight or tomorrow and will pm or reply here if i have any questions.

thanks again!

lee

by the way, when you say 'splice into the sunroof wires' you just mean sort of wrap them together so that they become like one (like ive done for speaker wire before), correct?? then i just plug it back into where it came from.

Ishinc

in your case, you find the bigger connector, pull/cut back the plastic wrap covering the wires. Find which two wires you need to splice into. Splicing is sorta like tapping the power off of the wire but not cutting the wire itself. the easiest way is to buy connecters that are made for splicing or cut the plastic off of the wire, only the plastic, exposing the bare wire. then wrap the mirrorss wire to the exposed sunroof wire, afterwards tape it up with electrical tape. i would recommend to use the connectors made for it because it is easier.

this is what it looks like: http://www.ripca.com/picture.php?img=c905.jpg

you should be able to do all this in your car with the doors closed if it's still raining! haha but i would open the windows when you glue the tab!

feel free to ask questions!

ranma21

Hey Eli, since you have already put the spade on the wire. You can just plug it in the empty slot in the upper left hanbd fusebox. If you wanna make sure that is the right one, use a meter and test if that is for ignition on slot. You can test by turning the ignition to ACC and use the meter to test if there is any power. After that turn your ignition to OFF position and test again if there is no power present, then you are at the right one,
Hope this help.

lee

thanks ranma.

what are those connectors made for splicing called, ishinc (the one in the pic) so i know what to ask for. also, do i have to splice into the ground or can i just ground it into one of the screws seperately (i think i can...).

thanks!! this sounds like the way for me to go.

Ishinc

i think they are called "splice connectors", not totally sure. You can get them at any car parts store, home depot, etc. they come in different colors, red, blue, etc (each color means its for different sized wires.) i'm sure a blue or red will work for you. they look pretty distinctive so i'm pretty sure you will be able to find them! if for some reason you can't find them, send me a PM and i'll send some to you...hehe

as for the ground wire, i'm pretty sure you can just ground it at any screw, but i didnt' really find a screw to ground it on....

lee

seems like the screw (one of the two) that holds that whole unit in would work, wouldnt it?

Ill look around in there and see i guess!

you dont have any pics from your install by any chance do you? thanks for your help guys.

Ishinc

hmm...the mirror your install is a gentex-177 right? there should be a model number somewhere on the back side. It is also tab mounted right? you may be able to ground it at one of the 2 screws that held up the old mirror, but i'm not sure how good of a ground it will be, because it screws into the cloth material (roof?), then into some metal. you can always give it a try, if not, look for the ground wire.

post again if you need me to take some pics!