Had to Rebuild the Wipers

[Bruzilla]

I was driving home from work a while back and the passenger side wiper quit working. I pulled the vent panels off today and found the drive arm for the passenger side had become disconnected. I felt around to feel where it connected to and couldn't find an obvious stud, so I decided to just pull the whole assembly.

I pulled the lower section of windshield trim, then disconnected the nut that holds the rotating assembly to the motor, then pulled the wiper arms off and removed the six bolts that hold both arm drivers in place,then slid both sides of the assembly out through the passenger side opening. I saw that the upper rubber washer and the E-clip had vanished from the post for the passenger drive arm. As I was walking into the garage, the other arm slipped off and I saw the driver's side arm rubber washer had been clinging to life and was falling apart too, so I decided to just rebuild the whole thing.

I went to the local Lowe's home store and bought two pairs of 3/8" rubber washers and one pair of 3/8" E-clips, total cost was a little over $3.00. I took off the old washers and replaced them with the new and used the new E-clips on both arms. I also cleaned all the old grease off the rotating assembly and regreased it before installing the completed assembly back into the car, again using the passenger-side opening.

It was about an hour of work, and $3.00, and now my wipers work like new. I'm glad I pulled the whole works out because the driver's side was getting ready to fail, which would have sucked... leaving me in the rain with no wipers. So if you got a spare hour and $3.00, this is a good and easy weekend preventive maintenance project.

 

[Someotherguy]

nice , but i wish you guys would post some pics of this stuff

 

[696969]

Are you sayin you pulled that vent thing between the hood and the windshield? If so, how? I need to get in there too eventually and repair mine.

 

[rsd859]

They just pull right off, Im in the process of doing the same thing.

 

[D575]

I'm afraid to drive my car in the rain.

 

[Bruzilla]

nice , but i wish you guys would post some pics of this stuff

LOL Problem is when I'm working on the car I'm focused on working on it, not documenting the work. If I get bored this weekend I'll go out and get some pictures.

- - - Updated - - -

Are you sayin you pulled that vent thing between the hood and the windshield? If so, how? I need to get in there too eventually and repair mine.

You have two vents there, and they just pull off from the front. The front has connectors that go into holes, and the rear has tabs that fit into slots. Just lift up on the front and pop the connectors, then lift the covers away. The passenger side is bigger, so pull the wiper assembly out through that side, and go through the driver's side opening to get the nut off the motor driveshaft.

 

[rsd859]

Im the same way, I work first and take pics later.

 

[old tired rebel]

nice , but i wish you guys would post some pics of this stuff

Xs 2 Pictures please I will need to do this to my Charger

 

[tallhair]

Originally Posted by 696969
Are you sayin you pulled that vent thing between the hood and the windshield? If so, how? I need to get in there too eventually and repair mine.

You have two vents there, and they just pull off from the front. The front has connectors that go into holes, and the rear has tabs that fit into slots. Just lift up on the front and pop the connectors, then lift the covers away. The passenger side is bigger, so pull the wiper assembly out through that side, and go through the driver's side opening to get the nut off the motor driveshaft.

pretty sure 696969 is talking about the metal cowl vent there burzilla and thought that's what you meant.

 

[pabster]

I'm afraid to drive my car in the rain.

X2. I don't drive my Charger in the rain, ever. Worried that rust will somehow find it's way in, and Avocado Gold don't handle so well in puddles, either.

 

[Bruzilla]

My car was coated top to bottom with POR-15 when it was repainted, so my rust worries are pretty much history.

What really shook me up with the wipers was in December, I went to an office Christmas dinner. It had been raining all day, and was pouring when I left. It wasn't until I went to leave the dinner that I found that shorting issue my lights were having, and I had to drive home in the dark, in a pouring rain, with one wiper, no dash lights, and only headlights and four-way flashers for external lights! if my driver's side wiper had failed then, that would have been some bad news for me.