Door panel and mirror switch questions

I had to remove the upper and lower panels on my driver's side door to fix a stuck door. This was my first time removing both of these panels in my 5 years of ownership. First, the amount of foam caulk around the door vent was surprising. Is this a normal repair to seal this vent? Is there a different/better way?
Attachment 40791

Unfortunately, while taking the door apart, my working mirror switch came apart and the ball bearings and springs inside proceeded to fall out. After trying over an hour to get everything together without success, I gave up. I would get everything put into place, using a little grease to keep the bearings in place, but not matter what I tried, the bearings would get pushed out of place when trying to put the two halves together. Anyone have any tips on getting this put back together? This is what it looked like when I realized it had started to come apart, and the damage had been done at this point.
Attachment 40792

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Originally Posted by Stainless

I had to remove the upper and lower panels on my driver's side door to fix a stuck door. This was my first time removing both of these panels in my 5 years of ownership. First, the amount of foam caulk around the door vent was surprising. Is this a normal repair to seal this vent? Is there a different/better way?

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Not factory but often done to make the door vent work better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stainless

Unfortunately, while taking the door apart, my working mirror switch came apart and the ball bearings and springs inside proceeded to fall out. After trying over an hour to get everything together without success, I gave up. I would get everything put into place, using a little grease to keep the bearings in place, but not matter what I tried, the bearings would get pushed out of place when trying to put the two halves together. Anyone have any tips on getting this put back together? This is what it looked like when I realized it had started to come apart, and the damage had been done at this point.

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Replace it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stainless

I had to remove the upper and lower panels on my driver's side door to fix a stuck door. This was my first time removing both of these panels in my 5 years of ownership. First, the amount of foam caulk around the door vent was surprising. Is this a normal repair to seal this vent? Is there a different/better way?
Attachment 40791

Unfortunately, while taking the door apart, my working mirror switch came apart and the ball bearings and springs inside proceeded to fall out. After trying over an hour to get everything together without success, I gave up. I would get everything put into place, using a little grease to keep the bearings in place, but not matter what I tried, the bearings would get pushed out of place when trying to put the two halves together. Anyone have any tips on getting this put back together? This is what it looked like when I realized it had started to come apart, and the damage had been done at this point.
Attachment 40792

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Hi Stainless,

I repair mirror switches and would be interested in purchasing your components, should you choose to purchase a new one from one of the well-known vendors. Alternatively, I have a substantial supply of refurbished mirror switches complete with new ball bearings & springs.

Please see:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291578028172
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291666965486

Thanks for the info, guys.

Matt - I had a forum member contact me and let me know they have a switch they'll send me if I pay for shipping. If it doesn't work out, I'm glad I have your info.

Jared

Shoot a photo of the hole in the metal where the switch goes. You may need to make a modification to keep this from happening again. The later cars have an access slot to depress the tables on the mirror switch. It's missing in the early ones and makes it difficult to get the switch out without breaking it.

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Originally Posted by DMCMW Dave

Shoot a photo of the hole in the metal where the switch goes. You may need to make a modification to keep this from happening again. The later cars have an access slot to depress the tables on the mirror switch. It's missing in the early ones and makes it difficult to get the switch out without breaking it.

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Here's a pic I snapped while working on the door this weekend. Let me know if this is detailed enough. I didn't take a close up of just the hole.
Attachment 40811

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stainless

Here's a pic I snapped while working on the door this weekend. Let me know if this is detailed enough. I didn't take a close up of just the hole.
Attachment 40811

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The notches are OK. They are at either end of the hole for the switch. Look closely at the switch and you'll see the tabs you should have depressed with a couple of small screwdrivers.

Over the weekend, I installed a new SAAB version mirror switch that I got from 81dmc. It plug and play and took me less than 5 minutes to install. It works great and looks completely normal, even though it looks different than the original.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stainless

Over the weekend, I installed a new SAAB version mirror switch that I got from 81dmc. It plug and play and took me less than 5 minutes to install. It works great and looks completely normal, even though it looks different than the original.

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Glad to hear it works great for you!

Dumb question, but when working on your doors with the panels off, do you keep it closed most the way, or are you bungee cording it to something to keep it from swinging up?

I just take the strut off the door and just let the door hang. With the panels off it seems to stay at a good height to work on anything inside the door.