Auto-dimming mirror not working

[BigBlueSplorer]

Hi! My '98 XLT has an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and I don't think it is working. I can't see any difference between day/night driving, and there is a lot of glare from headlights behind me. The mirror has been this way since I bought the car earlier this year. The Autolamp feature works fine (turns headlights on at night, off in the day). This mirror does not have an on/off switch for the dimming--according to the owner's manual, it should work all the time. Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the mirror so I can make sure that it has power? Thanks!

 

[Hoppy]

Do a search for autolamps. I have installed this in two of my explorers and it will have all the information you need to trouble shoot it.

If you have trouble finding it let me know and I will try to help you more.

 

[BigBlueSplorer]

Thanks, I think I found what I need. I'll try it out tonight....

 

[BigBlueSplorer]

Well, last night I took the connector off and tested all the wiring with a voltmeter. My mirror has 5 wires on the connector: Red/yellow is ignition, green/yellow is always hot, black is ground, black/pink is hot when the reverse lights are on, and white/purple is grounded when the Autolamp turns the lights on. All of these were working properly, so I took the mirror apart to see if there was anything obviously wrong (loose connection, etc). I could not get the autodim to work on a test bench, either. I did unsolder the connections from the PCB to the mirror glass itself, and using a 9-v battery I was able to get the mirror to dim. But there is something wrong in the circuitry--so I'll get on eBay and try to find a "new" mirror.
BTW, I found a button on the bottom of the mirror that can be pushed with a pin. With the mirror put back together it is just a small hole. Perhaps a test button to see if the mirror works??? Mine doesn't work so I don't know for sure.