'85 Chieftain wipers go below window and stop

[class87]

From: zigzagwinnie  (Original Message)
Sent: 11/23/2004 11:00 AM

The wipers on my '85 Chieftain go below the windshield and stop working. I have added a flex stop so they don't do this, but would like to know the real problem and fix it. Where is and how do you get to the wiper motor?  TIA!



From: 70winnie
Sent: 11/25/2004 12:30 AM

Something tells me there will be a significant difference between the wiper motor in your '85 and the one in my '70, but since nobody else has answered your question I'll give it my best shot.  My wiper motor is easily visible if you can contort yourself to lie on the floor of the cab and look up at the underside of the dash.  It's a big, metal-colored cylinder, and there are two metal rods that extend from it, one to each of the wipers.  My suspicion is that yours will be smaller than mine, because mine just seems like too much motor for the task.

Anyway, it also sounds to me like maybe your wipers have slipped where they are connected to the rods.  Maybe there's a cotter pin missing (I don't know if there's supposed to be one), or maybe they're just fitted tightly together and have slipped over time.  If the latter, perhaps a good, hard twist at the base of the wiper (either by hand or maybe with vice grips on the wiper, connecting pin and/or push rod) will do the trick.

Please be very careful, and don't take these ideas as fact -- these are just educated guesses based on what little I know.  Follow them at your own risk!

Anyway, it's located above the center of the doghouse, and the metal rods extending to the driver and passenger side wipers are visible, but the connections to the wipers themselves are not shown. 

Again, this is a 1970 D22, which might look very different than yours!



From: denison
Sent: 11/25/2004 7:33 AM

A couple of times the wipers on my 72 have gone too far and locked up, when i needed them the most - on the high setting in heavy rain. Then I have to get out and push them back up - getting drenched of course. Since my wipers are the kind that never get near the edge of the windshield, my interim solution will be to add a -stop- underneath, and maybe avoid the high setting. I figure the rubber supports that hold the wiper motor in its bracket might have sagged enough from age to allow the over-centering, wont know till I get a look at it. The only reasonable way to reach my wiper motor, is by removing the glove box and reaching in with one arm, working blind. I have been procrastinating.
I will also remove the wiper arms and figure out how to lubricate the two pivots. 



From: zigzagwinnie
Sent: 11/25/2004 12:47 PM

Thanks for the replies. I had the top plastic dash panels off to to put weatherstripping around to get rid of rattles, and saw that the top of the dash is two metal panels screwed down with many screws. Since it's very difficult to see under the dash, I think I might try removing these to get at the wiper motor.
I had read on some BB about the gear housing cracking on these wiper motors and causing the wipers to go down too far,  but I've got to find the motor to look at it. I'll let you know what I find.

Forgot to mention, the 'stop' is made from 1/8 inch Lexan (polycarbonate) so it gives when the wiper arm hits it. It's worked well so far.

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.......Ron



From: denison
Sent: 11/25/2004 10:17 PM

I mentioned lubricating the wiper pivots because I have 3 cars in the driveway that are almost 20 years old, each with over 200,000 miles, and I have had to lube the wiper pivots on each of them, to save the wiper motor and its gear from overloading. I did it to the winny about ten years ago too. With the wiper arms off and the mechanism disconnected, you should be able to twirl those pivots with two fingers. 

[Cooneytoones]

From: cooneytunes
Sent: 11/25/2004 11:28 PM

ZigZag... I had the same problem with a 1988 Ford Bus. Wipers were dropping below the winsheild, and tearing the wiper blades. There were little c type clips (look like a small washer) that hold the wiper control arm to the motor drive rod.  At first I added a stop on the wipers. The problem that the stop caused (not right away) was it wore the c clips, and I replaced them several times.  The drive rod had a little groove in it to hold the control arm with the c clip,  the c clip rides in the groove and keep pressure on the control arm, this pressure causes the control arm to pull the wiper back.....A lot of forces are involved, wind resistance and weight, the motor is putting out a lot of force to make the wiper arm return.  The motor and the drive gear make a complete circle. and the pressure of the clip against the control rod, pull the wiper arm, then push the wiper arm. Other wise the wipers would try to make a complete circle. If the c clips, or this little groove, where the c clip rides gets worn, the wiper will over extend, and fall below the windsheild line, eventually going too far the other way, and I had to stop and pull the wiper back on the windshield. Eventually the clips just fell off, then, the contoll arm would fall off the drive rod, and now the wiper won't work at all. There were clips like this holding the wiper rods on the wiper side of the control bar too. The mechanical principles of windshied wipers haven't changed all that much from year to year, just some of  the drive mechiniasms, vaccum control was added on some models, splines on the rods, and some other small changes. I had to finally replace the drive rods on the motors. Due to the fact the grooves got worn from the clips, from the motor drive rod spinning and and the wipers hitting the stop, new clips would no longer stay in the groove.
Now I'm not saying the Winnebago is like this, and that this is your problem, but it's something I'd look into. The new clips cost me about 15 cents each. the drive rods were a lot more......
Hope you find the problem, and didn't eat too much Turkey today....Happy Thanksgiving.....
Timmy