wiper woes

[wibble_puppy]

think i've just made the most monstrous hash of reinstalling my wiper motor and wheelboxes

do the wheelboxes need to be pointing directly perpendicularly away from the screen in order for the wiper blades to clear the screen effectively? My driver's side one is a bit skewiff

still, including cleaning up the parts and doing things wrong and undoing them and doing them the right way, it only took me eight hours

Woeful wibble

[polo2k]

on mine i just made sure that the cable/spring run was pretty straight and on mine it is below the spindle.

[wibble_puppy]

i made it as straight as i could and put the wheelboxes back on the cable the same way up as they were when i took them out all those years ago... the cable runs to the front of the car in relation to the spindles

o'course i won't know how much of a hash I've made of it till i can connect up the motor and bung the wiper arms on and actually see whether anything happens or if it all explodes in a cloud of smoke

[polo2k]

Oh ive just re read that post. Is it the angle of the spindle through the scuttle pannel?
It shouldnt be a problem because of the pivot on the wiper, you might be able to lessen the angle by loosening the chrome nut on the outside, and then twisting the bleck plastis spacer between the wheelbox and the bodywork.

Hope ive got it right this time

[wibble_puppy]

Is it the angle of the spindle through the scuttle pannel?

yeah, that's right

(that, and whether I've bent the cable pipes at too weird an angle to allow the cable to travel through them...)

It shouldnt be a problem because of the pivot on the wiper

Cheers, i hope you are right!

you might be able to lessen the angle by loosening the chrome nut on the outside, and then twisting the bleck plastis spacer between the wheelbox and the bodywork.

Yeah, i've tried doing that.... lots Not all that much joy, really. Will have to see how it flies once it's connected up.

thanks very much for your suggestions, polo2k

[bmcecosse]

You do have the tapered rubber/plastic mounting bushes in there - yes ? You should be able to test for rotational movement of the spindles by pulling/pushing the inner cable by hand.

[wibble_puppy]

You do have the tapered rubber/plastic mounting bushes in there - yes ?

I sure do - all fixings present and correct

You should be able to test for rotational movement of the spindles by pulling/pushing the inner cable by hand.

Not quite sure if i follow you, but a lot of pulling and pushing has been going on, to no avail!

Spent 23 minutes on the phone to the lovely ESM workshop team this afternoon, going through what might be wrong and how i might try to fix it. They took apart a wiper motor on the phone and described to me the exact steps i'd need to take at my end to do the same thing if need be.

I shall return to the fray tomorrow.

[bmcecosse]

If you pull/push the inner cable (no arms on) the spindles should rotate. I have a complete assembly somewhere -if I get a chance tomorrow I'll get a picture of how it should be.

[wibble_puppy]

thanks very much for your suggestions and advice, bmc, much appreciated

Sorted it this afternoon after pondering and much tea. I rule

(still won't know for sure if it will work until I get windscreen in, wipers on and battery connected....)

[Welung666]

Surely the angle of the gearbox doesn't matter as you'll be fitting the wiper arms and blades at the bottom of the screen. The sweep will still be the same even if the gearboxes are at different angles.

[wibble_puppy]

apparently the spindles of the wheelboxes do need to be perpendicular to the screen in order for the wiper arms to make contact throughout their sweep

[bmcecosse]

Indeed they do - which is what the tapered rubber/plastic bushes ensure!

[wibble_puppy]

which is what the tapered rubber/plastic bushes ensure!

well, no, they don't - not unless the worm drive and all the pipes are in the right alignment. That's what I've been banging on about. The tapered bush collar things were in position perfectly, just as they were on the perfectly positioned PS wheelbox.

Anyway, all looks ok now *touches wood like mad*

[bmcecosse]

Hmm - I think if they are set square and in position - the boxes can't fail to be 'perpendicular' to the screen - surely ? Anyway - you seem to have it sorted now and hopefully without any paintwork damage which is always a risk when doing these jobs.