Mirror replacement on a 2002 Explorer

We hope this article will help with your next auto repair


First thing to remove is the switches from the door. They come off together with a clip at both ends. Most times you can just pull the panel up but if you need to pry use a piece of stiff plastic or a taped screwdriver or put a rag over the end of the screwdriver to protect the panel from getting scratched. After you pull the panel up you will need to remove the two wire plus that attach to the panel. Just push in on the connector clips and pull out to remove them

After the switch panel has been removed the next panel is the one around the handle it will just pull out as the panel itself holds it in place and no clips so gently pull on it and it will come out. After removing the panel you will need to remove the two bolts just above it.
 

Now at the very bottom of the panel are the other two screws which will need to be removed.

The only thing left holding the panel to the door now are clips that go all around the outside (see picture below for location) and will need to pull the panel very hard to get the clips out. Many times the clips will remain in the door after taking the panel off and will need to remove them from the door and put them in the panel to install the panel later. Again if the panel wont pull off use a stiff piece of plastic or a taped screwdriver as not to damage the panel. Once the panel is loose from the door pull up on the panel to clear the lock rod and then remove the panel.


 

 
After the panel is removed you will need to remove the piece of the water shield inside to expose the bottom two mirror nuts.
 
 

You will need to remove the door speaker next to gain access to the power mirror wiring connector to disconnect it. There are three screws holding the speaker on. Just remove these screws and pull the speaker out. You can leave the speaker hooked up just set it off to the side out of the way.

With the speaker removed you will gain access to the connector for the mirror. Just push in on the tab and pull the connector apart like you did for the door switch panel.

With the removal of the water shield from earlier you now have access to all the nuts to the mirror. Remove all three of these taking care on the last nut to make sure and hold the mirror so it doesn't fall off and scratch the door.

Now your ready to install the new mirror. Start all the nuts first then tighten them all this way the mirror will be centered where it attaches. Simply reverse the removal steps for installation.

Diagnosis of an engine noise

Here are a few tips to help you diagnosis where a noise is coming from in the engine. First try and verify it is actually an engine noise as many times the noise will come from other components and lead you to believe it is from the engine. Take and remove the serpentine drive belt and start the engine and see if the noise is still there as many times the noise is coming from an accessory that the belt drives and not the engine itself. Do not drive the vehicle with the belt off and only run for a brief time as many vehicles will over heat as the water pump is driven by the belt but is ok for a test to remove the belt. If the noise is still there after removing the belt then put the belt back on as not to cause any damage and then try and determine if the noise is coming from the top of the engine or the bottom. If you have a stethoscope this works well and if not a long screwdriver to the ear will work for a substitute. Once you determine the general area of the noise then you want to try to further narrow it down and if the check engine light is on see if there are any codes as this too would help in the diagnosis. If from the top of the engine most likely a lifter noise or a rocker arm making the noise and if from the bottom most likely a rod bearing. To try and determine which cylinder is the cause of the noise try to cancel the cylinder out and see if the noise changes and if it does or goes away you know what cylinder has the problem. For example say you have a lower end noise in the engine and when canceling out cylinder number 2 the noise changes and almost goes away then you know you have a rod bearing on the number 2 cylinder causing the noise. It is always better to try and pinpoint the noise before taking the engine apart so you know where to go and don’t waste time taking things apart that you don’t need to. Normally the best way to cancel out a cylinder is to remove the injector connector for that cylinder this way with no fuel the cylinder wont fire. Hope these tips help you in diagnosing your engine noise and for help with this or any other auto repair task just visit us at http://www.expertcaradvice.com/

Starter wont turn the engine over

A good place to start checking for a starting problem is first check to make sure the battery is good and if in doubt on the battery try a jump start to make sure. Then after you know you have a good battery you will want to located the starter relay (normally in the fuse box under the hood) and switch the relay with another relay in the fuse box to see if the relay itself has failed. If the vehicle still wont start then you will need to remove the starter relay from the fuse box and do some voltage tests. First take the positive lead of the meter to where terminal 30 plugs into the fuse box and the negative lead of the meter go to a good ground and make sure getting voltage. If no voltage here you will need to check the fuse as terminal 30 should always have voltage to it. Then if you have voltage to terminal 30 the next test will be to see if you have voltage to terminal 86 with the key in the crank position (use the meter as described earlier). If no voltage to terminal 86 in the crank position then you will need to check the ignition switch as voltage comes from the switch to terminal 86. If you have voltage to terminal 86 then you will have to check and make sure the relay is getting a good ground to terminal 85 which is grounded by the computer and if not getting a ground will then need to check the safety neutral switch and the computer. If getting a good ground then will need to install the relay back into the fuse box and with the key in the crank position see if getting power to the small wire of the starter when the key is in the crank position. If power there and the starter doesn't turn then you need to replace the starter. Below is a couple pictures of a relay and you will see it has a picture on the side of the relay to show you which terminal is which. Some relays will have numbers on the bottom instead of the side or even in the fuse box itself so just look around.

These are the most common things you will find when the engine doesn't crank over but there are more. Let the experts at Expert Car Advice help you with those and any other auto repair problem you may have that you can't figure out.

Diagnosis of a Check Engine Light

Ever have this ugly light show up on your dash?

If your lucky enough to own a newer model Chrysler vehicle you can get the codes from your vehicle with out a scan tool! Simple turn the key on and off three times and do not crank the engine. The last time the key is turned on leave it in the on position and watch the odometer. This procedure will need to be done in a matter of seconds for it to work. The key cycles will look like this: ON-OFF-ON-OFF-ON and the codes will look like this:

In this example using a 2008 Dodge truck we got the codes P0171 and P0174 after the last code is displayed you get the message done:

After you get the codes for the check engine light go to http://www.expertcaradvice.com/ and ask one of the experts there about the code. They will help you finish the diagnosis as the code is just the start of the diagnosis. In this example for one of the codes we had code number P0171 which means the fuel system is lean. The experts at Expert Car Advice can walk you through how to check the oxygen sensor, fuel pressure, MAP sensor, Engine coolant sensor, ect. to determine which one is causing the problem. Now your on your way to fixing your own vehicle with the help of Expert Car Advice!

Check Engine Light

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