Wobbly loose mirror arm

[pcallanan]

hello

I have a mirror arm on a Ford 450 that is very loose where the mirror arm meets the housing on the door. the mirror is made by Velvac.

There's a cap on the bottom which says not to remove it and that there are no serviceable parts.

Any ideas on how it can be tightened?

Thanks

[klutchdust]

I just repaired the power mirror on my GMC truck. If you go on u tube there are videos on how to remove mirrors and it's not that difficult. It did require removing inside door panel which is pretty easy. Once you remove the mirror part access to the inside of the mirror housing is good and you may find a loose nut in there or something. My mirror would not adjust up/down. The wires got pinched when I slid /extended it out to tow my trailer.

[IAMICHABOD]

CloudDriver made a post back a while that I archived.

This Link shows how he did it,with pictures.Hope this helps. Much easier if you don't have power to the mirror.

[SJ-Chris]

How easy/hard is it to replace the entire arm and mirror? I have one that bends in when the RV is going 65mph and there is some headwind.

Thanks!
Chris

[IAMICHABOD]

While children hanging from them may cause some of them,the most common reason is water intrusion.The water comes in and sits in the washer that holds the spring on the pot metal shaft corroding it until it breaks under the pressure of the spring.


I got this from the tech at Ryder Truck Rental,at the time mine broke that is where you bought them.It seems that the fleet was washed a lot and there was evidence of water in the arms and shaft on the ones that failed,as was mine.

[ron_dittmer]

A common cause for long Velvac arms coming loose or broken, is a child hanging on them. They can't resist the temptation. I once caught a child grab an arm and about to hang his weight but I stopped him in time. Since then, I always fold the arms in when parked.

[IAMICHABOD]

If you have to replace them just look under each mirror to get the correct replacement.
When mine exploded I was only 7 days from a long trip,luckily Velvac shipped express for more money.I also replaced the other mirror,just in case.


Left Mirror:



Right Mirror:



Velvac mirrors are side specific.

[Kennyg]

I also own a e450 with the driver side mirror wobbly as you described. In fact, the arm fell off as I exited a toll booth. I called ford who is NOT the mfg or installer It was Velvac. Called them and they replaced it for only $247. Two years later the same thing was occurring and again I called Velvac. I also sent pictures of the mirror. This time they sent replacement at no cost!! However, the packing slip did indicate that this time the price was over $400. Give them a call and also send pictures! AND it goes without saying, be businesslike. Good luck.

[pcallanan]

Thanks - that's very useful information.

[IAMICHABOD]

Under that cap you will see a pressed on washer that holds the spring on the cast iron post,these will fail as mine did and explode as referenced in this article,there is no way to tighten it,only replacement.

[pcallanan]

Thanks for the post. Mine is an electric for a class C.

I removed the assembly from the door frame but there doesn't look like there's anything to tighten. The most logical place would be under the post where the "no serviceable parts" cap is...

[bobndot]

Not sure which mirror you have. Electric or non elec e Velvac.

This breakdown might be helpful.

https://www.velvac.com/sites/default/files/resource-files/sb103_-_removal_and_replacement_of_2030_co...