How to Install Tow Mirrors 2002-08 Dodge Ram 1500
Created on: 2016-06-13
Check out this video teaching you how to install upgraded towing mirrors on your 02-08 Dodge Ram 1500.
-
step 1 :Removing the Door Panel
- Remove the 10mm bolt behind the door handle
- Remove the door handle
- Remove the #3 Phillips screw from the middle of the door panel
- Remove the #3 Phillips screw from the sail panel
- Remove the two #2 Phillips screws from the bottom of the door panel
- Lift the door panel up and off
- Disconnect the window switch wiring harnesses
-
step 2 :Removing the Mirror
- Disconnect the mirror connection
- Remove the three 10mm nuts
- Remove the mirror
-
step 3 :Installing the New Tow Mirror
- Insert the tow mirror into place
- Tighten the 10mm bolts to the mirror
- Connect the factory connector to the mirror
- Unravel the wire on the new mirror
- Pull back the corner of the watershield
- Insert the wiring into the circular hole in the door without placing it near a moving part
- Run the wiring down from the mirror
- Pull the boot protecting the wiring harness inside the door jamb out
- Run the wiring through the hole near the boot
- Pry off the other side of the boot
- Twist the end of the wires and tape them to a flat blade screwdriver
- Pull the wires through the boot
- Pull up the kick panel and pull it out
- Pop the weather shield behind the kick panel by prying out the plastic clips
- Fold the shield back and feed the wires through carefully
- Repeat the steps for installing the mirror on the other side
- Peel your passenger side carpet back
- Pull out the center console trim panel
- Run the passenger side wires underneath
- Use the straps from the old harness to extend the passenger side wiring
- Twist the ends of the wire and place them in a single-barrel crimp connector
- Repeat the process for the other end of the crimp
- Reach up under the driver's side of the carpet
- Pull the wire through
- Remove the 10mm ground bolt
- Cut the end of the ground wire with a little bit of slack
- Install the eyelit connector to the ground wire (black)
- Crime the passenger side ground wire with a crimp
- Tighten the 10mm bolt to the ground
- Tape the red wire to a sharp pick
- Peel back the carpet
- Send the wire down through the rubber boot underneath the driver side carpet
- Pull the wire through the boot
- Leave enough slack to tuck the wiring underneath the carpet
- The second of the white wire with the yellow tracer from the latch side of the connector
- AKA 4th one in from the left
- Install a double barrel crimp onto the yellow tracer wire
- Stack the leads from the mirror on top of eachother
- Insert the leads into the crimp, crimp them, and close the safety latch
- Turn the vehicle on and check for running light operation
- Push the passenger side carpet back into place
- Press the center console trim into place
- Press the plastic weather shield connectors in on the driver side
- Press the kick panel into place
- Reinstall the rubber boot in the door jamb on both sides
-
step 4 :Reinstalling the Door Panel
- Remove the door lock bezel
- Connect the window switch wiring harness
- Insert the door panel into place
- Insert the door lock bezel into place
- Tighten the #3 Phillips screw from the middle of the door panel
- Tighten the #3 Phillips screw from the sail panel
- Tighten the two #2 Phillips screws from the bottom of the door panel
- Insert the door handle into place
- Tighten the 10mm screw to the door handle
Tools needed
-
No. 3 Phillips Screwdriver
Electrical Tape
Socket Extensions
Flat Blade Screwdriver
No. 2 Phillips Screwdriver
Crimper
10mm Socket
Ratchet
Needle nose pliers
Wire Cutters
Pick
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to install tow mirrors on your Dodge Ram. This is a 2008, but the procedure is the same for 2002 to 2008 Dodge Ram. You'll need new tow mirrors from 1AAuto.com, 10 millimeter socket with ratchet and extensions, number two and #3 Phillips screwdrivers, flat blade screwdriver, electrical tape, needle nose pliers, wire stripping and crimping tool, a straight pick, and a pair of pliers.
Remove the 10mm bolt in the inside edge of the door handle. Remove the door handle from the opening. Remove the #3 Phillips behind the door handle, and in this top corner, two #2 Phillips on the bottom of the panel. Lift up on the door panel to release. Then we'll have to disconnect the two connectors from the window switch.
Disconnect the connector to the mirror by pressing down on the tab on the top. Remove these three 10 millimeter knots. Make sure to support the mirror before you finish removing the bolts.
We have to pry the bug deflector up on our car. Put it behind the mirror. Work the mirror out of the door.
Here, we have our old part from the vehicle and our upgraded tow mirror from 1AAuto.com. You could see this mirror sticks out a lot more, flips up, has a panoramic mirror already installed in it. It's going to be a really good upgrade. Going to give you a lot better view of what's going on behind you, especially when you have a big trailer on the back of your truck. Bolt right in just like the factory part. Comes with an easy-to-install two wire harness so we can use this lamp as either a turn signal or a parking light.
Be sure to take the two wire connector, feed it through first, wind up your bolts. Pop the new mirror in. Make sure you use the new hardware supplied with the kit. It has a larger flange on the knot to help support the extra weight of the bigger mirror. Tight the bolts back up with a 10 millimeter socket.
Reconnect the factory connector to the mirror. Connect the two wire harness included with your kit. Unravel all the wiring. Make sure there are no loops or kinks anywhere in it. Peel back the corner of your weather shield. Send the harness down into the door, being careful not to route it anywhere near a window regulator or any other moving part that may pinch the wire and cause damage. Make sure when you run the wiring down from the mirror, go through the round hole here and not to the square hole where the latch sits. Remove the rubber boot around the wiring harness inside the door jam.
You may need a flat blade screwdriver to pry this out. Reach through. Pull those all the way through. You want to make sure when you reinstall your weather seal that the wire stays clear that square hole. Pry the other side of the rubber loom off the truck side of the door jam. Twist the ends of the wire together. Keep the wires feeding in the same place. We're going to tape the end to a thin flat blade screwdriver. Use that to send our wire through the loom, careful not to puncture any other wires. Hold your wires and pull your screwdriver back through. Feed the rest of your wiring through the loom. Lift up on the seam of the kick panel. Lift up. Pull the panel out.
Just below the parking brake pedal is this weather shield. You'll have to pop that out of the way with a pair of needle-nose pliers behind the plastic clips. Just pry them out. Fold it back until you can see where the door harness comes through. Feed the wire one at a time between the retainer and the actual wiring clips. Find that wire when it comes through on the other side. Pull that through. Careful not to make too sharp an angle when you're pulling or to shape that against any other metals. Once that's through, start the other wire the same way.
Now that you have your mirror installed on the driver's side, repeat these steps on the passenger's side up until the wiring goes through the cab. Once the wiring has been run from the inside of the door through into the passenger compartment, peel your carpet up and remove this lower panel below the cup holder simply by prying it out and placing it to the side.
Peel your carpet up that your wire's underneath. You could see that our wires aren't going to be quite long enough, so we'll use the scraps from our old harness to extend these. You want to twist the ends of the wire together nice and tight, put it in a single barrel crimp connector. Crimp that end. A little tug, make sure it's on there nice and tight. Twist the other end of the wire. Put that end on the other side of the barrel connector. Crimp it down. Make sure that you have a good tight connection. We'll reach up under the driver's side of the carpet. Feed our wires through until they reach your hand under the carpet. Pull one through, then the other.
We have a ground bolt right here on the inside of the truck. You go ahead and take that out with a 10 millimeter socket and ratchet. Pick your ground wire, leave a little bit of slack. Cut the end off and strip the end of the wire. Twist the ends together.
Install our eyelet connector. The eyelet connector just crimps on so you got a nice tight crimp on there. Give it a little tug to make sure it's not coming off. Crimp the passenger side ground wire. Another eyelet crimp. Make sure that's not coming off.
Reinstall our ground bolt. We're going to take our wire, tape it to a sharp, straight pick. You don't want to make it too thick, but we want to make sure it's on there good and tight. I'm going to peel back the carpet a little bit, and just to the outside of our e-break cable. Send the wire down through the rubber boot. Move the pick and the rubber while holding the wire. Now, we can pull our wire through.
Make sure to leave enough slack that we can tuck it back under the carpet. Our crimp connector won't fit through, so we'll just lay it all back down under the carpet. In order to make the lights on our new tow mirrors work as running lamps or marker lights, we'll have to use the second of the white wires with the yellow tracer from the latched side of the connector. This is going to be the fourth one in from the left.
Install the double barrel crimp connector on to the wire with the leads from your mirror stacked one on top of the other. Install them into the other side of the double barrel connector. Crimp your connector with a pair of pliers. Close the safety latch over the top. After installing your wiring, turn the vehicle on and check for operation of your running lights. Push your carpet back into place. Reinstall the trim below the cup holder, the two clips in the front.
Reinstall the plastic connectors. Pull the weather shield in. Make sure your carpet is back in place. Install the front clips of the kick panel and then snap the lower portion into place. Repeat this step on the opposite side.
Reinstall the rubber wire loom on both sides. It’s maybe easier to install the loom on the inner edge if you use a hook pick. Push down on the clips and remove the connector from the cab of the truck. Even just removing it partially gives you enough room. Slide the boot back around the connector and snap it into place. Pop off the door lock bezel by pushing from the back.
Reinstall your two window switch connectors. Line up the tabs in the door panel. Slide your door panel into place. Pop the door lock bezel back into place. Reinstall your four door panel screws. Hold your screw in place for the interior handle, line it up and tighten it down.
Thanks for tuning in. We hope this video helped you out. Next time you need parts for your car, please visit 1AAuto.com. Also check out our other helpful how-to and diagnosis videos.
Shop Products
Dodge Ram 1500 2500 3500 Driver Side Mirror Trail Ridge TR00181
Part Details:
- Flip-Up
- Towing
- Textured Black
- Upgrades and extends vision ideal for towing
- Premium finish upgrades for enhanced appearance
- Enhanced mirror options for visibility and damage prevention
- Direct-fit replacement
- Highest quality construction and materials prevent corrosion, dust and chipping
- Easy plug and play install with original mounting and connectors
- No
- Black
- No
- No
- Textured
- No
- No
- Plastic
- Flat
- No
- No
- No
- No
- No
- No
- No
- Manual
- Manual
- No
- Clear
- No
- No
- Yes
- Manual
- No
How to Replace Mirror 1998-2004 GMC Sonoma
How to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken, smashed, cracked, or shattered rear side view mirror on GMC Sonoma, years 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, and 04.
