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Mirror Drain Holes

Mirror Drain Holes

Part #:

The new side mirrors have a nice hole inside of the housing that leads down into the arm that holds the mirror.  Jeep did try to mold a drain hole into the bottom lip where it mounts against the body.  They then put a nice foam rubber pad in between this and the body effectively sealing their own drain hole.  While surfing one of the various JK forum’s out there I saw a post about drilling a hole in the bottom of the mirror arm to drain the water out. 

I took the first mirror apart to see how it looked inside, but drilled the second mirror while it was on the vehicle.

Additional Parts:

Tools Needed:
T-40 Torx
Ratchet
Drill
3/32” Drill bit

 

The mirrors.
Passenger mirror
passenger mirror

The bolts that hold the mirror on are located on the inside of the door.  You will find that rolling down the window makes it much easier to hold onto the mirror.

interior bolts

Remove the 2 bolts with the T-40 Torx.  These are long bolts so it will take a little time to get them out. 

what the mirror mount looks like

Remove the mirror from the door, it just slides out.

nice holes in the door
Here is a picture of the nice hole in the bottom of the mirror. This is where the water goes to fill up the arm. picture showing hole in mirror where the water goes
Jeep did include a molded in drain hole at the very base of the mirror where it bolts to the body. You can just make out the notch above my thumb. They also put a piece of foam to protect the paint on the door that effectively seals this drain hole. cast drain channel seal jeep put in to protect paint on door blocks drain

Drill a 3/32” hole in the bottom of the arm right where the curve starts.  I lined the hole up with where the molded notch was in the base.  (I was a little off on the first mirror, but once not enough to matter).  I will see if this size hole clogs up with anything and possibly go up a little on the drill bit size.

Where to drill a hole
hole drilled

Reinstall the mirror on the body.

mirror reinstalled

Reinstall the bolts.  Note: Do not use an air ratchet to tighten down these bolts, they screw into aluminum and will strip out the aluminum threads.

reinstall bolts
On the other side I just drilled the hole without removing the mirror.  You will be drilling up at a slight angle towards the vehicle, so go slow.  You will also have to watch the door brackets with the drill chuck. 
drilling without removing mirror, be careful
 

 

  N-m Ft. Lbs. In. Lbs.
       
       

This page last updated: 16-Apr-2008

Content and Design © 2002-present WanderingTrail,  Ronald Seegert
Common Sense and Safety should always be observed when working on your vehicle or doing modifications. Jackstands, wheel blocks, disconnecting the battery are a few of the basic safety precautions that should be used and may not be mentioned in the write ups on this site. You are responsible for your own installation, these write ups are a helpful guideline and should not be taken as an official installation instruction. My write up may be different from the kits currently out there, so alwasy double check the manufacturers installation instructions when installing anything. I try to keep the site up to date with changes that have occured as I discover them, but may not have the latest unless someone lets me know. If you feel that an install is above your capabilities after reading my write ups, I recommend getting together with a club and getting some help. Only a few times have I needed to employe some actual help from a shop to get something done. Usually welding or A/C work. While I have spent many years working on mechanical systems, I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I hope these write ups have been useful to you.
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