Wiper Travel Problem

Post by **leafie** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 7:57 pm

I’ve noticed the drivers side wiper on my Traveller hits the window rubber when it wipes to the upright position but sits perfectly flat when not in use. It has started to mark the window rubber, is there an adjustment I can make to stop the wiper travelling to far?

Thanks

Post by **Kevin** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:03 pm

There is not an adjustment for amount of sweep, it sound like a bit of wear and tear in the gears in the motor, you can of course turn them 180 degrees to use then unworn sections.

Post by **Relfy** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:45 pm

Do you mean the sweep is too broad then? I had a problem with the sweep being too narrow - the wipers weren't travelling far enough, so the driver's side would only be half-wiped.
I took the whole arm off and moved it round a degree or two on the wheel .... that meant the area wiped is better - atleast its the bit I'm looking through! But i did have to do the same to the other one, so they dont look wonky - and of course they dont quite park at horizontal anymore (not that you'd really notice....)

I know you said yours park at horizontal, but you could try moving it round just a wee bit, if they go?

....I havn't done it... but I'm reading the Haynes and can't you move the limit switch around in the gearbox aswell? So you could combine a bit of the two, until you get it right. I might just be talking out of my rear there though.

Otherwise........ I'd just not worry about it.

Post by **simmitc** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:56 pm

The limit switch affects ONLY the parking position, not the angle of the sweep. What affects the sweep: gearwheel in wiper motor, condition of rack, gearing in wheelboxes. There have been anumber of wheelboxes sold that give only a fraction of the correct sweep. Some traders recognise this, others are more reluctant to asknowedge a problem.

Post by **Relfy** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:02 pm

The limit switch affects ONLY the parking position

I might just be talking out of my rear there though.

There I told you so!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:31 pm

Different cars use different motors and wheel boxes. As pointed out above - only one half of the wheel in the wheel box gets used - if you dismantle it from the rack, and turn it 180 degrees - then it's like new again !

Post by **leafie** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:08 pm

Took the top off the motor to reveal the gearing and removed the wiper mechanism but could not get the wheel out and was afraid of damaging it. However when I put it all back together the wipers did sit a bit high when off so I removed them and reset in a lower position and all is well as the wiper no longer hits the rubber in the upright position. So thanks to all who gave advice and I seem to have fixed the problem more by luck than judgment.

Hope it stays fixed but if not how do you get the wheel out without damaging the plastic teeth.

Leafie

Post by **simmitc** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:40 am

The gearwheel in the motor is mounted on a shaft which passes vertically through the casing and is then retained by a circlip underneath the body. To remove the body from the car undo the three nuts that are on the bottom of the studs that pass through the rubber mountings. Fiddly to get to ! Sometimes the studs unscrew from the body - no problem, they just screw back.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:08 pm

But it's the wheel in the wheelboxes we were talking about - these are under the scuttle with the shaft sticking through for the wiper arm to sit on, Fiddling with the driven wheel in the gearbox won't help - but you have probably disturbed the parking position which is why you had to re-position the arms.

Post by **Cam** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:29 pm

Getting at the wheelboxes is fun! I usually take the whole rack out before working on them. I've never tried unscrewing the two nuts holding the rear plate on when they are still fitted to the car. Is that possible?

Post by **simmitc** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:53 pm

But it's the wheel in the wheelboxes we were talking about

It was, but then the post read:

Took the top off the motor to reveal the gearing and removed the wiper mechanism but could not get the wheel out and was afraid of damaging it..........how do you get the wheel out without damaging the plastic teeth

hence the answer.

I've never tried unscrewing the two nuts holding the rear plate on when they are still fitted to the car. Is that possible?

Yes, absolutely no problem - the studs are captive. It's usually easier to then remove the rack in sections. Also, if the chrome nuts outside are jammed, removing the rack components removes any danger of kinking the tube by accidently turning the whole wheelbox - wish I'd thought of that last time I changed the finisher

Post by **leafie** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:39 pm

bmcecosse wrote:But it's the wheel in the wheelboxes we were talking about - these are under the scuttle with the shaft sticking through for the wiper arm to sit on

So I was looking in the entirely wrong place.

Still as I seem to have solved the problem with more luck than judgment all is well at the moment. Took the glove box out on the passenger side and can see the shaft referred to so if anything does go wrong at least I know were to look.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:55 pm

At least you've solved it for now.