944
Wiper Linkage Problems
Several times recently the
driver's side wiper arm on my 89 n/a has disconnected from the moving metal arm
which presumably connects to the wiper motor on the passenger side.
Most irritating as it obviously tends to occur when pouring with rain!
The connection seems to
be a simple push-in ball joint, as it has to swivel during the wiping
process. When I push it back in it's OK for a few wipes but then
disconnects again. John B - 02 January 03
The replacement arm is 7.70inc VAT from OPC though
they said the ball is likely to be worn and recommended replacing the whole
assembly which is approx £75 (relatively cheap considering it's an expensive
looking Aluminium casting). I went for just the arm - after all the ball is
metal the socket plastic, which has lasted so far (6 months) at a tenth of the
price I figured it was worth the risk. I had both arms as previously I had
obtained a passenger one (they don't seem to fail - mine hadn't), to fit them
both I removed the whole assembly which required removing the wiper arms,
plastic cover and heater. Apparently it is possible to change the driver’s side
in situ, but the new arms are hard to connect. Tony - 22
November 02
Seem to remember when I had this same problem that
Mike B recommended
using motorcycle chain lube in an aerosol to lube the
joints as this can be
done regularly. Steve C - 23
November 02
I only replaced the O/S arm which could be accessed
quite easily, I split the arms using a large screwdriver and a great deal of
care not to damage the drive.
When refitting i heated up both ends applied silicon
grease then proceeded to fit by squeezing using pump pliers and has been ok
since.
I have not changed the N/S arm and would follow advice
as given on the forum ie, remove trim and heater box. Jim F – 25 November 02
The (fragile) plastic cover at the base of the
windscreen has to be removed.
It is held in
place at the front by the rubber trim – just lift away - and at the rear by the
large nuts and washers around the wiper spindles and It is also stuck in place
along the base of the windscreen. Mine peeled off the original sticky stuff and
I used number plate / trim double sided tape to restick it (available from
motor factors etc.)
Once the plastic is out of the way (clean area of
leaves) the heater blower assembly needs to be removed.
Disconnect the power cables from the assembly then
remove the bolts from around the blower (6?).
Once the bolts are removed there is a sticky mastic
type seal. I removed the grills from each end and inserted a suitable piece of
timber through the intake hole – where the grills were – and used the leverage
to break the seal, from one side then the other – be careful on the brake
master cylinder side there are some coils of wire inside – don’t damage them.
The blower lifts out of the way but there is a vacuum pipe that needs
disconnecting
Once the blower is out of the way the remaining leaves
and dirt can be cleaned out.
The wiper assembly is now easily accessed it is held
in place with 3 or 4 bolts.
Once the assembly is removed the arms are relatively
easy to split and replace. I used a crow bar to split them and a G-clamp to
remake them. I cleaned the balls and greased the sockets well prior to
rejoining them.
Assembly is the reverse of removal – check the seal on
the heater blower as any damage here will allow water into the car. I replaced
mine with a flexible mastic as a section was in poor repair.
Tony – revised 02 January 03
A temporary fix is to find some thick strong elastic
bands and wrap them around the ball and socket and it will stay together for
months.
A replacement bar is £8 but you have to take the whole
wiper mechanism off to get the inner ball and socket on which means you have to
lift out the heater fans and box.
When I fixed mine the wiper end ball and socket just
fell off again ! I found that the chrome on the ball had worn off so the ball
was not round any more hence its a poor fit. I am still looking for a second
hand
Spindle with good ball and presently keep lots of
laccy bands in the glove box, which have not let me down.
Harvey August 2001
Dougie August 2001
There's always one!
They must have had a special tool to press the inner
joint on without damaging the other socket under it and whilst apart, I did get
to rebuild and re-grease all the wiper mechanism which was quite badly corroded
in
places. Harvey
August 2001
Dougie August 2001