bloody wiper!

[bigsi]

my wiper decided to go all wonky on me last night, when i put it on it struggles to even move, it will go a few inches and stop then go back a little then forward an inch and back an inch.. im going to take the arm off today and see if its a spline one and if they have worn, if so i will re fit and then drill a small hole all the way through the mopunt and arm fixing and put a pin in to lock it on then no more issues. anything else to check on? is it possible the motor is on its way out and if so where can i get one from please?

thanks

simon

[bigsi]

ok, well i have managed while the rain stopped and the sky opened up and the sun shone for a while to take a look.

it would seem the splines have gone so the arm just flops about, so i have managed to sort it out for now until i can make a better solution.

the nut which tightens down the arm only goes down a certain amount and cant go further to press fit the arm mount to the mech, so by adding a 2 mm washer under the nut with a thin serated tooth washer it locked it to the motor shaft. now the wiper works better than ever. however i think what i will do is drill through the mount and the outer arm ring and fit a good strong split pin through it also.

this will in turn keep things locked and prevent wear on the centre pin in future.

Edited December 2, 2007 by bigsi

[andydclements]

Be aware it might cause the arm of the box to snap off due to strain, you'll have a lot less metal thereafter you've drilled it.

Would you be bettertrying to make the arm of the box D shaped instead, and put a small pin through the wiper arm to lock onto that?

Andy

[bigsi]

well i can either put a pin through or i can drill one side of the arm mount and thread it and then a small divot hole in the centre pin and screw a grub screw in there with some thread lock, that way its only in about 2-3mm and wont create a lack of strength for the wiper arm or mount. the centre pin that rotates is quite strong so thats no an issue really it has to be to take the load over the years it has been there. it will need some form of fixing at some point and a through pin or grub screw will do the job if fitted correctly and is exactly the same size as the hole that way there is no movement to allow slackness and eventual failure or creating a weakened point.

[DanR]

What about using specialized epoxy obtainable from a bearing suppier. I used one that had a metal powder in it, for the worn spline on a supercharger. It never let go which was a surprise. As for eventual removal, a heavy duty soldering iron may work or a Dremel and sacrifice the wiper arm.

[bigsi]

thats a possibility but could be an issue when its time to remove, im more inclined to go with either the pin method or a grub screw. im going to take a good look tomorrow if the weather is ok, and decide what to do.

[GordonMasson]

I had to do a quick repair job on the S1 wiper arm years back when i was away from home because the splines had worn.

I managed to borrow a hand drill and i drilled a small hole into the wiper arm cap and into the splined shaft.

Then i put a self tapper in to hold it in place till i got home.

Worked like a charm and i forgot to do the prop[er repair.

Years later the gear on the wheel box went and i replaced the wheel box and remembered that i was should have done a "real" fix.

Point is that there doesnt seem to be a huge amount of force on the arm (as long as you dont turn on the wipers when the blade is frozen to the screen) and the small self tapper was more than enough to keep the wiper in place.

I also had a problem with my feet getting wet Bigsi.... the water was leaking in past the wiper spindal ...could be that that is where your water is leaking into the car from.

[bigsi]

thanks gordon i think what i will do is take the air box or what ever it is off in the front bonnet and loosen that and the jet fitting, clean them up, put some ptfe tape on them and some clear anti fungal mastic also, they way they are sealed up nice and tight. i will have to dry the footwell out but that wont take long as the carpets are out now. then leave it with the cover off when it rains and take a look, i may put some drip paper in also see where it drips onto the paper and look above it if need be.

im determined now to find this, i want to get my carpet in!!!!!

[USAndretti42]

Simon, are you sure that you can get to the wiper spindle and washer jet if you remove the plenum? On my S2, they are above the heater and access by adopting the Lotus position to reach over the heater. There's a decent amount of clearance between the heater and the fibreglass.

[bigsi]

well so far its bright blue skies here so im hoping to get a look at things in a few mins, i have a small fan air heater here that i will put in the bare footwell and dry things out, should make it nice and warm in there too!!, i can then think about getting on my back, taking the drivers seat out and then taking a look up in the cavity behind the dash and see if theres anything to see.

as for the fitings to be honest i dont know how to get access to them, i will take a look inside today and if i cant see them while upside down then i guess its off with the black thing in the front, piccie shows what i mean.

Edited December 3, 2007 by bigsi