What did you do to your NNBS GMT900 Tahoe/Yukon Today?

[iamdub]

Accidentally hit the power fold button the other day. RH mirror folded, LH mirror motor just ran and now the mirror is a little floppy. It has always been clunky in operation so I just avoided using it. Almost pulled the trigger on the Grüven motor and brass gear kit but remembered an ex-neighbor replaced his entire LH mirror assembly cuz the electrochromatic mirror turned brown. He gave me the original mirror in case I wanted it for parts. I'm now even more glad he did! I dug it out and it felt solid at the joint. So I'm gonna either swap it on and use my glass and painted cap or harvest the motor assembly from it to put in mine. Gonna pull the door panel to plug it in and test it first.

I saw the puddle light and it reminded me of the direct-swap LED replacements. They're only $25, but I like COB LEDs, kustom projektz and seeing how cheaply I can replicate stupid stuff if not improve it. I took the puddle light from the mirror and used a small screwdriver to pry the clear lens from the housing. I measured the available space in the housing and ordered some COB panels for around $5/pair. Ordered two pair in case one was broken or to make Tahoe Twin a set. But, found out after ordering that he doesn't have 'em. Oh well.

 

[Doubeleive]

Accidentally hit the power fold button the other day. RH mirror folded, LH mirror motor just ran and now the mirror is a little floppy. It has always been clunky in operation so I just avoided using it. Almost pulled the trigger on the Grüven motor and brass gear kit but remembered an ex-neighbor replaced his entire LH mirror assembly cuz the electrochromatic mirror turned brown. He gave me the original mirror in case I wanted it for parts. I'm now even more glad he did! I dug it out and it felt solid at the joint. So I'm gonna either swap it on and use my glass and painted cap or harvest the motor assembly from it to put in mine. Gonna pull the door panel to plug it in and test it first.

I saw the puddle light and it reminded me of the direct-swap LED replacements. They're only $25, but I like COB LEDs, kustom projektz and seeing how cheaply I can replicate stupid stuff if not improve it. I took the puddle light from the mirror and used a small screwdriver to pry the clear lens from the housing. I measured the available space in the housing and ordered some COB panels for around $5/pair. Ordered two pair in case one was broken or to make Tahoe Twin a set. But, found out after ordering that he doesn't have 'em. Oh well.

replacing the gear takes about 30 minutes, the motor is just as easy if you swap the motor be sure to mark the orientation because I believe it can go in either way, not sure if that even makes a difference but when I had mine out I went to put it back in and realized it could go in flipped one way or the other and when I put it back together I just stuck it in there and ended up taking it apart and flipping it because it was either going the wrong way or was jammed. but I would error on marking it just to be sure.
in other words the motor has contacts on both sides and I do not know if placing it one way makes it spin a different direction or not.
the motor is not the part that fails usually it is the gear the white part cracks and looses grip on the spindle
this photo of a aftermarket motor has the orientation marked with a painted strip.
the Gruven replacement gears are all metal but I tried a metal one and it would just get jammed up so I went with a oem type replacment gear and it has been fine.

if anyone else decides to fix there's just replace the gear that I pictured below with the arrow, you can get it off ebay for $10-15, messing with the rest of it can be a headache, that stupid big round metal gear is 2 pieces and if not oriented correctly it doesn't work right either.

 

[gooffeyguy]

Last year my passenger mirror motor died and I just bought an entire motor housing and replaced that. I didn't feel like breaking the housing open and dealing with gears and stuff to replace just the motor.

 

[Tonyrodz]

replacing the gear takes about 30 minutes, the motor is just as easy if you swap the motor be sure to mark the orientation because I believe it can go in either way, not sure if that even makes a difference but when I had mine out I went to put it back in and realized it could go in flipped one way or the other and when I put it back together I just stuck it in there and ended up taking it apart and flipping it because it was either going the wrong way or was jammed. but I would error on marking it just to be sure.
in other words the motor has contacts on both sides and I do not know if placing it one way makes it spin a different direction or not.
the motor is not the part that fails usually it is the gear the white part cracks and looses grip on the spindle
this photo of a aftermarket motor has the orientation marked with a painted strip.
the Gruven replacement gears are all metal but I tried a metal one and it would just get jammed up so I went with a oem type replacment gear and it has been fine.

if anyone else decides to fix there's just replace the gear that I pictured below with the arrow, you can get it off ebay for $10-15, messing with the rest of it can be a headache, that stupid big round metal gear is 2 pieces and if not oriented correctly it doesn't work right either.
View attachment 412269

Those motors look like the little RC car motors from when I was a kid.

 

[Doubeleive]

Those motors look like the little RC car motors from when I was a kid.

they are virtually identical

 

[iamdub]

replacing the gear takes about 30 minutes, the motor is just as easy if you swap the motor be sure to mark the orientation because I believe it can go in either way, not sure if that even makes a difference but when I had mine out I went to put it back in and realized it could go in flipped one way or the other and when I put it back together I just stuck it in there and ended up taking it apart and flipping it because it was either going the wrong way or was jammed. but I would error on marking it just to be sure.
in other words the motor has contacts on both sides and I do not know if placing it one way makes it spin a different direction or not.
the motor is not the part that fails usually it is the gear the white part cracks and looses grip on the spindle
this photo of a aftermarket motor has the orientation marked with a painted strip.
the Gruven replacement gears are all metal but I tried a metal one and it would just get jammed up so I went with a oem type replacment gear and it has been fine.

if anyone else decides to fix there's just replace the gear that I pictured below with the arrow, you can get it off ebay for $10-15, messing with the rest of it can be a headache, that stupid big round metal gear is 2 pieces and if not oriented correctly it doesn't work right either.
View attachment 412269

That large gear can be re-oriented. Only about half of it is used, so, if it has a chipped or worn tooth/teeth, you can rotate it 240° (due to the triangulated notches) to use fresh teeth. But that part rarely ever wears or breaks.

I didn't know that plastic gear was available. I rarely ever fold my mirrors so I don't need the metal one from Grüven. I just thought that was the only option. If the one in my spare housing is broken, I'll get a new gear. Thanks for the lead on that!

Grüven's video says to grind the three raised notches off of that large gear. I couldn't figure out why. Did you not do this? Maybe that's why it jammed?


*EDIT* Well, shit...

There's this.

And there's this.

But, according to Grüven, you'd have to have a motor that's "grounded internally" or it'll short out the BCM. Maybe that's why the factory used a plastic gear- as an insulator? I think that's just techie talk for the original motor using the case as the ground and their motor has the traditional positive and negative leads. I can test the motor in my broken assembly. I have a bunch of those little motors. If the worm gear can be swapped, then it's a non-issue.

 

[Doubeleive]

That large gear can be re-oriented. Only about half of it is used, so, if it has a chipped or worn tooth/teeth, you can rotate it 240° (due to the triangulated notches) to use fresh teeth. But that part rarely ever wears or breaks.

I didn't know that plastic gear was available. I rarely ever fold my mirrors so I don't need the metal one from Grüven. I just thought that was the only option. If the one in my spare housing is broken, I'll get a new gear. Thanks for the lead on that!

Grüven's video says to grind the three raised notches off of that large gear. I couldn't figure out why. Did you not do this? Maybe that's why it jammed?


*EDIT* Well, shit...

There's this.

And there's this.

But, according to Grüven, you'd have to have a motor that's "grounded internally" or it'll short out the BCM. Maybe that's why the factory used a plastic gear- as an insulator? I think that's just techie talk for the original motor using the case and the ground and their motor has the traditional positive and negative leads. I can test the motor in my broken assembly. I have a bunch of those little motors. If the worm gear can be swapped, then it's a non-issue.

I tried one of the brass looking gruven rip-off's it worked but it would jam a lot (could have been a clearence issue), the oem replica has been in there 2-3 years now and works fine. I don't fold them a lot only if I go thru a car wash or park on a busy smaller street

 

[swathdiver]

Those motors look like the little RC car motors from when I was a kid.

They are, they are 130s. We used that size in our RC tanks to move the turret and fire the gun and 380s for propulsion.

If swapping to metal gears, have to use internally grounded motors.

@gooffeyguy Hey Tom, have a part number for that?

 

[gooffeyguy]

They are, they are 130s. We used that size in our RC tanks to move the turret and fire the gun and 380s for propulsion.

If swapping to metal gears, have to use internally grounded motors.

@gooffeyguy Hey Tom, have a part number for that?

Maybe, is it one of these stamped on it?

This was for the right side. I still have the one I removed with the dead motor sitting on the workbench in the garage. I can look for numbers on that one later this afternoon

 

[Project Workshop]

Picked up my new armor from Izzy Fab today . Aluminum is nice and thick. Will post more pictures in my build thread tomorrow.