couldnt install temp/compass mirror

[kirbyap]

I have a 99' nbs silverado Z71 and have the mirror with the compass but wanted the mirror with compass and temp. I bought a mirror with both and a sensor off of ebay and took it to a local dealer and they said they couldnt install it because there was no way to power it :bull: because I dont have the automatic or climate control for the ac and heater. All I have is the 3 knobs. Where else should I try and take it to have it installed if it can be installed.

[kw2500hd]

That dealer is full of sheot. My 2001 has the 3 knobs for the a/c. When I bought my truck I had just a regular mirror. I bought a mirror with the temp & compass off ebay, fished the wiring harness out from above the headliner, installed the mirror, and plugged it in. I did have to buy the sensor and wire it from by the fusebox under the hood down to the sensor, but it works perfectly. My guess is that you might have bought a mirror from a later year truck ('04+?). I know those mirrors are different. Just out of curiosity, how many wires do you have coming out of the plug of the harness for your current mirror? I wouldn't take it to a dealer, it's a rather easy mod, especially if the harness is already there. I got lucky on mine, I found a mirror that come out of a '01 to put in my '01. I think the mirrors changed in '04. Try to find one from a '03 or earlier. I think GM used Gentex model 177.

[kirbyap]

Im not sure what year mirror it is or what year truck it came out of but I want to say an 02 and its going in a 99. The mirror that is going in has more wires than the one already in there I think is what they said. I would rather not mess with the electricals of it if I dont have to. Any ideas on where I can take it to have it done if not a dealer?

[kw2500hd]

First check to see if you already have the sensor. It's mounted behind the grille, about a foot from the driver's side headlight. It's mounted on a horizontal brace. If it's already there, plug in the mirror and see what happens.:wtf: Check out this link, GM put this model (GNTX-177) mirror in millions of vehicles. can you read what model the mirror you bought is?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-03-Chevy-Truck-Tahoe-Mirror-Auto-Dimming-Compass-Z71_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33699QQihZ015QQitemZ250072001281QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


The mirror you bought will have more wires. No worries, the extra wires are for the self dimming driver mirror. (if you had it.) Another one of the wires is so if you put the vehicle in reverse, the dimming feature is overridden. Don't worry about them.

[98GreenMachine]

First check to see if you already have the sensor. It's mounted behind the grille, about a foot from the driver's side headlight. It's mounted on a horizontal brace. If it's already there, plug in the mirror and see what happens.:wtf: Check out this link, GM put this model (GNTX-177) mirror in millions of vehicles. can you read what model the mirror you bought is?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-03-Chevy-Truck-Tahoe-Mirror-Auto-Dimming-Compass-Z71_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33699QQihZ015QQitemZ250072001281QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


The mirror you bought will have more wires. No worries, the extra wires are for the self dimming driver mirror. (if you had it.) Another one of the wires is so if you put the vehicle in reverse, the dimming feature is overridden. Don't worry about them.

that looks like the mirror I have. When I first start my truck, I can see the F and C things in the mirror light up, so the mirror seems capable to do the temp stuff, im guessing I would just need to add a temp sensor. Would the temp sensor be in the same place on my OBS as you described for the NBS?

[kw2500hd]

I don't know if it's in the same place on an OBS, but that's the first place I'd look.

[kirbyap]

ya thats the mirror i have now but i bought the one that has the temp and compass both displayed and need to find a place that will install it for me...

[9yukon9]

my brother has a 2000 silverado with a regular mirror. i dont know if this is true or not, but he want's a compass and temp mirror on and the dealer told him that most likely the wires are there already just tucked above the head liner. so i wonder if this is true? :think:

[kw2500hd]

my brother has a 2000 silverado with a regular mirror. i dont know if this is true or not, but he want's a compass and temp mirror on and the dealer told him that most likely the wires are there already just tucked above the head liner. so i wonder if this is true? :think:

Yes it's true. My 2001 2500HD had a regular mirror, but the harness was already installed. It WAS stashed above the headliner.:clap:

[AuburnChevy]

What does this harness look like? I have an 01 ext cab 1500 and I want the upgraded mirror as well. If it is up there this mean you just pull the old mirror off , replace it and plug into the harness in the headliner right? No wire running?

[Bradford]

See I'm lost cause my mirror has a wire harness going to it but I can't figure out what mirror I need to display the temp/compass and keep the pass. airbag on/off light that mine currently has.

[FUCTUP]

Am I missing something here? I'm not raining on anybody's parade but is it that important to have a mirror that tells the temprature on it? Is it just one of those 'gotta have it' mods?

Might I suggest one of these:
http://www.ambientweather.com/kethwimiandc.html

It's got a flashlight,clock,compass,thermometer...it also doubles as a keychain...

[AuburnChevy]

If someone wants something in their vehicle then thats their choice. Why does it matter what someone wants? If it makes them happy then I think they should do whatever it is.

[FUCTUP]

If someone wants something in their vehicle then thats their choice. Why does it matter what someone wants? If it makes them happy then I think they should do whatever it is.

I just asked a simple question and also gave him a simple solution...just curious that's all...

[Bradford]

I want it cause I want a compass in my truck but I don't want one double stick taped on my dash. And the temp is a added bonus.

[98GreenMachine]

Am I missing something here? I'm not raining on anybody's parade but is it that important to have a mirror that tells the temprature on it? Is it just one of those 'gotta have it' mods?

Might I suggest one of these:
http://www.ambientweather.com/kethwimiandc.html

It's got a flashlight,clock,compass,thermometer...it also doubles as a keychain...

Its more so because its a relatively easy addition if the truck already supports it.

[Bradford]

If I can post pics of my mirror and the harness that goes into it, can you guys tell me if its prewired for temp/compass?

[kw2500hd]

What does this harness look like? I have an 01 ext cab 1500 and I want the upgraded mirror as well. If it is up there this mean you just pull the old mirror off , replace it and plug into the harness in the headliner right? No wire running?


That is correct if you already have the temp sensor in place. My truck did not, and I had to run a wire from near the fuse box on the wheelwell to the sensor. I used conduit similar to factory, and the job still only took half an hour. The circuit for the compass is contained in the large blob on the mirror mounting pad. The harness will have somewhere from 5-9 wires in it, the plug is relatively flat, and all the wires are side by side in a single row. If you have On Star, the plug is much bigger, and the wires are grouped differently.

[kw2500hd]

See I'm lost cause my mirror has a wire harness going to it but I can't figure out what mirror I need to display the temp/compass and keep the pass. airbag on/off light that mine currently has.

I think what you need is to find a mirror from a '04+ that has the airbag info on it. There will be 2 buttons on it, "temp, and "comp". I'm not really sure what the plug will look like cuz my '01 doesn't have the airbag info on the mirror. You could go to the dealer and look at other trucks with the airbag info on them and compare plugs with yours. Maybe even get the model number off the back of the mirror. Now, to complicate things even further, there are 2 types of displays. On one type, you have to toggle back and forth between temp and compass. It only shows one at a time. The other type shows both at the same time. Both types were available for any year truck. To verify which is which, look at the black display area on the mirror. If it's almost perfectly square, it displays both at the same time. If the window is short and wide, (an obvious rectangle), it only displays one at a time.:confused:

[Bradford]

Ok man thanks for the info. I'll look into that.

[Shawn's SS]

If it's almost perfectly square, it displays both at the same time. If the window is short and wide, (an obvious rectangle), it only displays one at a time.:confused:


That sounds backward? I would think that the rectangle would show both readings side by side?

[Bradford]

Nope cause the readings are stacked.

[Hacker07]

First check to see if you already have the sensor. It's mounted behind the grille, about a foot from the driver's side headlight. It's mounted on a horizontal brace. If it's already there, plug in the mirror and see what happens.
Can someone take a pic of the sensor and post it? This sounds easy enough I just don't want to poke around forever looking for a sensor and have it be right in front of me the whole time bc I don't know what it looks like. Sorry if that makes me sound stupid, lol.

[Hacker07]

Can someone take a pic of the sensor and post it? This sounds easy enough I just don't want to poke around forever looking for a sensor and have it be right in front of me the whole time bc I don't know what it looks like. Sorry if that makes me sound stupid, lol.
Never mind, I poked around on my dads `03 and found his. I don't have one. How much is involved with installing the sensor?

[kw2500hd]

I used a 1/4" bolt and bolted it to the cross brace. Then I had to run the wires back up to just below the fusebox on the wheelwell. It's possible that you may already have the wires, they could be tied off somewhere. Crawl under your truck, and near the lower front, find the sensor for the airbag. It's mounted on the centerline of the truck, down low. Follow these wires back to the left fwd wheelwell. They go into a whiteish color plug under the fusebox. How many wires are going into the plug? This same plug also is for the temp sensor wires. Should be 4 wires on each side. If only have 2 going into the plug, and 4 coming out the other side, then you need to run wires down to the temp sensor. If you have 4 on each side, then you already have the wires.