I accidentally knocked the passenger-side mirror off my Ford van, and I thought it looked like it would be a simple thing to replace by myself - just unscrew the mirror assembly, unplug the wires. Unfortunately, it looks like one of the nuts I need to unscrew is behind the interior door panel. I’ve been tying to remove that, but even though I’ve removed every visible screw (there are only 3), it’s still held firmly in place by something.
Can anyone help me? Or at least direct me to a decent resource for help? Is this something that I ought to be able to manage by myself if I just knew where to find the other screws (or whatever is holding it in place)? Or should I just give up and pay a mechanic to do it? It bugs me to hell that something that looks so simple has prerequisites that are so hard.
I tried to do this on my S-10 a few years ago. On my truck there were tabs that had to be popped out also. You can try the Haynes manual for your vehicle. That has gotten me out of many problems.
IME, it is not something you need a mechanic for, just an equal quantity of patience and beer.
Also, you can check this pdf to see if anything looks familiar. I know you have a van and the page shows trucks, but there should be some similarities.
Hardly any interior door panels are held on only by screws. Almost all have push clips around the perimeter of the panel. There are special tools to pry these loose, but usually a flat-blade screwdriver will work if used carefully. Insert it under the outer edge of the door panel and work along the edge until a clip is located, then pry as closely as possible to the clip to pop it out of its hole in the door. Clips are usually spaced several inches apart.
Various other things will likely need to be removed also. These include (but aren’t necessarily limited to) armrests that screw on, cover panels on inside door release handles, sometimes those handles themselves, some switch panels, and window crank handles. What needs to be removed, and how those parts are attached, varies among different vehicles.
Three choices:
Start with the clips described above, and once they’re loose try to determine where else something needs to be detached. You’ll have to figure it out as you go, and should realize that you may break something.
Get a factory manual that has exact instructions for your particular vehicle. (I’d be shocked if a non-factory manual were actually of any use for this.)
Look at the PDF that SSG Schwartz posted. Does your mirror screw into the little vertical triangle at the front corner of the window, or does it screw into the door skin?
If it screws into the vertical triangle you generally don’t have to remove the door panel, just the cover on the inside.
If it screws into the door itself, you probably will. Read what Gary T wrote.
Rick, it’s held in place by four screws. Three of those are in the little triangle, and one is below, buried behind the plastic panel that covers the interior of the door.
Balthisar, it’s a 2006 Econoline E-350 van.
SSG, that link might be helpful, thanks. I’ll have to compare it better to my van to see if the parts are analagous.
That kind of detail makes it possible to offer better help.
Remove the door handle trim piece. It appears to snap in at the front (pry it out) and hook in at the rear (don’t pry there). Remove the power window/door lock switch bezel and unplug the electrical connectors. It appears to snap in at the rear and hook in at the front. [Be careful prying those pieces out, as the diagram is less than crystal clear about front/back.] Remove the rearview mirror fastener trim cover and the four screws. Lift the door panel up to disengage the panel clips and disconnect the courtesy light.