So I have the new mirror mounted. I have not wired in the electrochromatic function.
Is there a procedure for opening the plug in connection to the power grid? I can't seem to find the way to open the plug to switch wires to the newer mirror.
Thanks,
Dennis

 

Dennis, did the "new" mirror come with a pigtail connector? As I recall the color of the connector differentiates auto headlight dimming, rain sensor option and maybe 1 or 2 others.

Might there have been a mirror that only allowed manual dimming? I doubt it, but I wanted to float that idea.

Come on back with more info about what you had and what you've now got Dennis?
John

 

D, I should note that my memory says Jaguar went to 100% cars delivered with electro-chromatic mirrors at some point (north America only?). Must have been after 1997, or it wouldn't have been mentioned.

I we can help with wiring, but please answer my questions left in previous post. Thx


John

 

John,
The connector is from the original mirror. It has 3 wires black, white and brown. The connector is yellow. The replacement mirror wiring is the same, minus the connector.
My original thinking was to open the connector and pull the pins out and replace them with the new wires fitted to the pins and then into the connector. I have changed this thinking as I am fearful that I may break the yellow connector. So the task is to splice the wires and join the old wiring and connector to the new without risking the connector in the process.
Thanks,
Dennis

 

John, sorry if I did not respond to your questions fully.
I think that this is an auto dimming mirror, it has the on/off button at the bottom. Also I believe that it is an auto headlight on control as well. Can't swear to it though as I have not yet driven the car at night. It must be that the 2 functions( auto dimming/headlights on at dark) are tied together. This makes intuitive sense, but I'm not an automotive engineer, and have noticed many things over the years that make intuitive sense to me are not even remotely obvious to an automotive engineer. But I also know that many decisions by engineers can be overridden by the bean-counters.
So will splice the wires and see what presents itself with the controls.
By the way, took the car to Safe Light dealer to get the mirrors switched out as I have never done this and was fearful of windshield breakage. A young man (twenty something) bounced out of the shop and got into my car. He grabbed hold of the mirror and yanked it out in a single smooth move. Took hold of the replacement mirror and popped right in! I was impressed. Then he was not satisfied with the fit of the replacement and yanked it out, bounced back into the shop for an adjustment and replaced it onto the mounting bracket. This took about 5 minutes total time and 16 bucks. I would have agonized over this action for hours!
Many times it pays to get those with specialized knowledge (or no fear of the consequences of ignorance) to do a task! This was one of those times.
Dennis

 

Ok thanks Dennis. Forgive me if I seem redundant just making sure I understand

New mirror has the 3 wires, you'd like to splice them into the yellow connector from the old mirror. Right? BTW- sounds like a MUCH better choice than cutting off the car's connector and soldering the wires!

Shouldn't be too hard, except the mirror is mounted? You are planning to pull the mirror off to attach the connector right?

I imagine it'd be a huge PITA to do this mounted on the windshield.

I'll take a look at the schematics while you answer.

John

 

Dennis, maybe I'm making way too much of this. Are wire colors same on both mirrors?
Yes = then of course just move the connector over. Easy enough to see which wire goes where.

What wires go into mirror?
Battery (12volts easy enough to ID) White Red
Ground Black Pink
Reverse (same as reverse lights in tail. Mirror turns dimming off in reverse) Yellow White
Headlights Auto on (comes from photo diode back of mirror. Sends signal to turn signal switch. Dims mirror if button pushed in) Yellow Blue

Yes, there's a 5th wire in the diagram. It is called dimming. Purple black
It connects to side mirror dimming. Wish I had that :-) Since you described 4 wires, I bet the 5th is only present with side view dim option. Looks like the rear view mirror signals the side view mirrors to dim when the rear view mirror dims.

Dennis ID'ing the 4 wires should be easy enough.

Battery = 12volts
Ground = you know this one ha ha
Reverse = 12volts car on shifter in reverse, white reverse lights lit in rear.
Auto headlights = ground sent to turn signal headlight switch. If auto on selected, headlights go on. Don't forget this signal is managed by the photo diode in the rear of New mirror. So, how to test the lead? Set auto headlights to on. Cover the photo diode with black tape, it will send signal through the wire.

Dennis, you'd be surprised how easy it usually is to remove pins from connectors. But which is easier solder cut the wires protruding from the yellow connector, or pulling the pins, soldering them to the new wires, reinserting in connector?

Yeah, just solder the wires :-) don't forget to buy shrink wrap and slide it on BEFORE soldering. (I've messed that part up once or twice. )

I'm doing this on a phone, if something doesn't make sense just say so.

John

 

John,

Thanks for all of your insight. I could not get back to the computer until early Sunday.
Here is the current status. I'm convinced I have a very early XK8. This car does not have the auto on Headlights. It is not even mentioned in the drivers handbook as an option. It must have been a running change for the later 1997 cars or did not come in until later model years.

Now to what the mirror has in wiring. There are three wires, 1-black, 1-white, and 1-gray. That's all. I looked the schematic( wiring diagram), in my Jaguar manual and was confused about all of the different wiring colors and functions. So I decided to just deal with what I had. Luckily the replacement mirror was wired exactly as my original. I then left the replacement mirror in place and popped some quick connectors on the wires from the plug connector, and the wires from the replacement mirror and tightly taped it all in a nice bundle. I think that the wires are 1-white=power, 1-black=ground, 1-gray=mirror dimming function.
So now the power works. Well the little light on the mirror at the bottom comes on. I'm not sure about the rest I'll test it all tomorrow. As I've said i really don't drive at night much. I'm very happy just to have a mirror that has a good clear view, and does not flop around like a mullet. Anything more is gravy!

I will test it all tomorrow and let you know how it works out.

Thanks again,

Dennis

 

Dennis,

I also have an early '97. I replaced the mirror earlier this year with an Acura mirror.
Only 3 wires as you described. I did the soldering method and all is okay.

 

M,
Do you know what month your car was built? I am only guessing. Based on a date written inside the cam cover mine is 12/31/96. I don't know when the build started for these. Now that I think about it, that is probably the engine build date, so now I don't know what to think. The car could have been assembled at a much later date. Oh well, that is a topic for another thread.
Glad to hear that your mirror replacement went well.
Cheers,
Dennis

 

Mine was built 13 October ,1996.

 

Johnken and MRomanik
Mirror is in, wired, and I closed the upper console cover. Mirror works great.
Thanks for your input. It is always welcomed and always informative.
Cheers,
Dennis

 

Good news- I love it!!! Glad you sent a follow-up Dennis thanks.

John