I started to just continue on with this subject in the cold weather thread but decided that maybe it deserves its own thread.

My side view mirror started acting up a few months ago. It would get stuck and have problems moving in the up direction and later in the right direction. It never got better so I wound up replacing it with a used one I bought, also from a 2002 car. Now it is exhibiting the same symptoms. I shot a bunch of silicon spray behind the mirror like tex suggested and I thought that got it working fine yesterday. Today I tried it and it wouldn't move at all. I waited after driving a ways and then it started moving. So I tried it after church and it hesitated again but then started working. At times when it is having trouble moving, it kind of jerks when it moves as if it is getting stuck on something (I can hear it pop like it is skipping a gear tooth).

Thoughts? Is this a coincidence that I've run across two mirrors with almost the exact same symptoms or is my mirror controller (wherever it is located and called) going out?

 

 

I forgot to look. I think that it moves down just fine but has problems when it tries to move back up.

Thanks for Pearlpower's thread. It has been a long enough time since I saw that, that I had forgotten about it. There was a later thread by Marty that I listed earlier with similar instructions.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...r-removal.html
I tried pulling out the bottom of my original mirror but it never would pop, only move the gears around (making a sound that I didn't like). Maybe I needed to yank/jerk it harder like Pearlpower indicated.

Well, I've got it off my car now and can attempt to do it without a real time table now. (I'm taking notes from Pearlpower, bmanke and Shawn's posts.)

bmanke's post here
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...-mirror-2.html
indicated that the motors could be reached from the back by removing the back. I don't remember the screws he referred to but will have to look. It would be nice to not have to take the mirror off and risk breaking it.

 

....it could possibly be the mirror controller/button and sometimes I've wondered if that was my issue. I've used the lithium spray and moved the actual glass with my hand & this usually helps. I've also heard the popping noise that you describe & thought that the motor is sticking

 

Well, I've been futzing with the mirror every day, trying to move it a little bit and now it seems to start working right from the start. So I'm thinking that I'll put the tilt down motion during reverse back in action to help keep it mobile. I'm guessing that inaction allowed the crud to build up in the gears both with my old one and the "new" one. I'll find out more if I'm ever able to get inside my old one.