Every time I adjust the rearview mirror, the wipers activate.

Any tips on fixing the rearview mirror assembly? What's going on in there?

 

Wipers are on auto and you are covering or disturbing the rain sensor?

 

I don't want to assume anything. Rear view = center of car above windshield.
side view = on outside of doors.
i ask because the side views are electronically controlled.

Exactly what are you doing to the rear view mirror when this happens? ( tilting , angle change, push day night button?)

If sideview, just wondering if it happens both sides?

Adjust means mirror angle right? (Not folding)

Look forward to your clarification. If side mirrors first thing I'd do is a hard reset & then hook up a battery charger to be sure fully charged.

Very very rarely I've seen / heard of BPM mixing up input control actions, that's how I suspect the side mirrors, but as I recall the side mirrors might be controlled by the door module.

This is a good one.

John

 

Mhminich, good idea, I forgot about rain sensor!

John

 

Yes, they are on Auto. Any time I touch the center rearview mirror the wipers activate. I am thinking there must be a loose wire in the housing. But, I can't find any instructions on how to disassemble the mirror assembly. I've got a coupe BTW.

The rearview mirror is center-mounted on the windshield. The wipers do not activate when I adjust the side-mounted motorized mirrors.
Not only grabbing it and adjusting it but also just touching it will activate the wipers.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. Thinking out loud since the mirror mounts to the windshield, wires must protrude to make their way into the header area. If right, can you see if there's a bad connection and isolate it to either the mirror or the harness? E.g. immobilize mirror, move wire. Vice versa...

I'll dig up the diagram, stand by.

John

 

From memory, you have to remove the black plastic shroud around the base. There are small pin tabs, and you have to be careful (start by pinching the lower part, if I remember). The mirror can come off by sliding it downward and parallel to the windshield. It looks on there pretty tight, but expect it to come off fairly easily, no need to uber-man the thing. Under no circumstances should you attempt to mess with the black (metal?) base bonded to the glass. That part apparently comes with the windshield itself and folks that have messed with it have had a hard time bonding it back on the glass, if they succeeded at all. You may have to remove the top console as well for better access to the wiring. Maybe go on eBay to find pictures to get a better feel for how it is attached.

FWIW, the auto wiper function is built around a rain sensor and a control module that simulates pulling the stalk. The stalk is known for poor soldering of the wires, and is sometimes the cause of a number of malfunctions. It can normally be repaired with basic soldering skills. And yes, sometimes "breathing" on the stalk is all it takes to activate the wipers. Bumps on the road do that too.

From memory, folks have sometimes reported major issues after messing with the upper console and somehow shorting power wires. Fuses blew and somehow took down power to other components you would not expect to be on the same circuit. So, keep an eye on the fuses as you button things up.

Best of luck. Keep us posted.

 

Rain sense module to mirror

Other side of page

Connectors and colors left side of page

 

Looks like this didn't post. Above

 

Cyber3d, hope the graphics help. Sometimes it's a bit of a battle to properly post images like this. If I missed something or youd like a different view, just ask.

Interesting thing, 1998 electrical diagram has no reference to Rain Sensor. Maybe it didn't exist yet? This came from the 2003 manual.

I wonder if you have a loose wire in the mirror area.

John