[hogleg]

First of all, I couldn't find a search thing for your forum, but I did scan over all 20-whatever pages there were in the vehicle help thing and I didn't see anything about windshield wipers. I'm sorry if I'm repeating.

So I bought that 87 RC, It's a 2WD, 360, power everthing with air and such, automatic. I'm digging it. It's like riding in an Easy Chair going down the road Don't care for the mirrors after I got used to the wider ones on my F150, but I'll cope. I do like the phenominal visability.

I do have a problem however, and that problem is this.

The other day while I was driving home in the rain, I heard a pop and my windshield wipers stopped dead. I flipped the switch a few times and found nothing, so I made it home (fortunately the rain didn't seem to stick to me too bad) and checked the fuses right away. The fuse was good, and the wipers moved in tandem when I manually pushed them down into their resting position, so they're still hooked together at least

The next day, after it stopped raining, I tried turning them on again. I could hear what sounded like the ww motor running, but still no dice on the wipey wipey. So here the ?-

Is there a linkage I can check that I don't have to rip the whole dashboard out to get to? I'm thinking that little D-Clip, or whatever it's called may have popped off or broke, and I'm praying it's under the panel that covers the heater intake vents. Sorry if I sound kinda stupid or if I'm not describing things right, I'm not so mechanically inclined.

I think I can probably handle it if it isn't too rough, though, so tell me the good news...pleasebabypleasebabypleasebabybabybabyplease?

Also, I have an electric Trailer brake and a battery switcher from the previous owner. Are those things I should bother removing, or would that cause more problems than it would solve?

I love this site, you guys are a nice tight looking group of friendly people. That's nice to see.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TaZMaNiaK]

Welcome to the site!

First of all, make sure the motor is actually running. Put your hand on it and see if it's humming. If not, the ground on the motor probably went. If it is running:
If you look down in the cowl slots by the wipers you can see the linkage. With the motor running you should be able to see the motor arm rotating around (freely if it broke off of the arm-to-arm linkage) If it isn't moving, you will have to take the cowl off. Remove the 8 or so screws around the edge by the hood lip, and remove the wiper arms, then you can pull the cowl off. Just be careful of your washer nozzles. Disconnect the "orbital" arm from the arm-to-arm linkage, and try to move it. There should be a good bit of resistance to it. If it moves freely, the motor gears are stripped internally and you'll have to replace the motor.

The trailer brake should just have 4 wires. Power, ground, brake light switch, and brake output. If you' might use it, leave it in. otherwise yank it. It's not integrated into anything.
What kind of battery switcher? Is it an isolator, or a solenoid, or both? Do you have dual batteries? Will you?

Matt {peace}

 

[jaamzg]

Mine did something similar, but it was due to a plastic retainer clip that looks like a donut. If it popped out, you'll need to get another one, they are in the help section at autozone or orielly's

 

[hogleg]

okay here's a stupid question. I went out to work on it today, got all the screws out and such, and then realized I didn't know how to get the wiper arms of the posts. I'm gonna go buy a chilton's guide, but till is there an easy way for the uninitiated to do this? My ford has clips that pull down and then the wipers pull straight up off the post, and I noticed that these have clips too, but when I pulled one off, it didn't seem any easier to get off the post.



Sorry for the ignorance!

 

[Mag]

It's one of those things you can't figure out until someone tells you, then you say, duh... Don't worry about the clips you're talking about....they're not needed for this.

I'm gonna go ahead and say try to be as gentle as possible while removing the arms cause there are teeth, tiny tiny fragile teeth, all the way around the posts. If you mess up the teeth on the post then you'll have to reinstall the arm with a hammer and it will be really hard to remove again. (Voice of experience)

In remove the arm you have to raise the wiper arm all the way up and then the arm pulls straight off of the post. (easier said than done)

You'll probably need a big flat head screwdriver to pry the arm off of the post while you have the arm raised up.
You also might want to mark the arm and the post with a sharpie or light pen so you'll know exactly how it was on there before. Also, once you get the arm off of the post, grease up the post and arm so it won't be so hard to remove in the future. Of course, installation is reverse of removal.

Hope this helps.

 

[hogleg]

Thanks. I'm going to go try that.

 

[ChrisLib]

Mine did something similar, but it was due to a plastic retainer clip that looks like a donut. If it popped out, you'll need to get another one, they are in the help section at autozone or orielly's

what he said, mine didnt pop off but it was raising a heckuva racket, turned out it was toast.new socket and some grease and back to normal.

 

[hogleg]

Well, I can see the detatched linkage through the cowl vent, but I can't get the freaking washer arms off the posts. The first thing I did was attempt to be polite to it. No lady likes to be forced, you know?

That got me no place, as per usual when trying to cajole a woman into something. I then attempted to be a bit more dedicated in my purpose. This got me nowhere, except gouging my palms pretty good. I then when and got my weight-lifting gloves with their thick leather palms and wrist straps, and proceeded to totally man-handle the mother-loving wipers into submission.

This, sadly, did not go as planned.

Now, friends and neighbors, I stand about six foot three and weigh in at a pretty solid 275. I leaned over the front of the truck, reached forward to the wipers, pulled the wiper up with my left hand and grasped the lower arm/post with my right. I then pulled my entire body up onto the hood, and still they did not budge.

Lucille is trying to break me.

 

[Chump]

I'm not sure on yours but some of the wiper arms have a small latch or locking tab that locks the arm to the drive post that comes through the cowl. Lok real close and see if you can find such a dude, some pull down, pull out or whatever.

 

[i1lusion]

Yep mine has the little tab and they wont come off if its in place. Just pop it out with a flathead.

 

[JackedRamcharger]

I had the same problem on my powerwagon it was a the litle white retainer..get a new one and it will work just fine

 

[hogleg]

Okay, so I pwnd my wipers today, and this is what I did.

1. I got sick of day after day tornados and rain forcing me to drive my brother's corrado. I love the Corrado, and I love my brother, but I don't like riding day after day in a voltswagon I can push like fred flinstone. I'm too big!
2. I went and talked to a friend of mine who's obnoxious, but very smart. I bet him 30 bucks he couldn't get my wiper arms off.
3. After he got them off, I took the cowl vent off and it was that little white plastic bushing. It was 2 bucks for a pair of them, and thats good because I ruined the first one putting it on in the wrong order. The second one I got right. Then I put it all back together with the love and care only born of a man for a machine that he HAS to love because gas is two bucks a freaking gallon. Then I turned it on and realized the wipers were on about 30degrees too high.
4. I turned the car off and left the wipers on, so as not to totally destroy my moter. I then pulled the wipers as far in the "on" position as they would go. I pondered how the ornery Jim had gotten my wipers off in the first place, and then I retrieved my trusty Vice-grips, of which I have many (because they're trusty). I also grabbed a roll of paper towls, and rolled one paper towel up into a tiny little ring which I put under the vice grip jaws so as not to totally violate my wiper arms. I clamped the jaws on just ahead of the post but still on the base of the wiper arm, and used them to hold the base in place while I pulled up on the hinged part of the arm. It turns out, you have to pull the hinged part of the arm up and pull the wiper arm STRAIGHT back, and I mean straight. You need three hands to do it! Or two and a handy vice grip!

Then I re-adjusted the wipers and lovingly put them back on. You have no idea how proud of myself I am! I am ALL THAT IS MAN.

Wipers, pheer me.

 

[Cruisin_RC]

Hehehe. I did this very thing last year. Of course you seem to have got the linkage back in correctly, lol. I put mine back in backwards the first time. It worked about one full swipe, then lock up solid. Man I was cussing those wipers.,,,,Cruisin

 

[Uncle Jay Tupelo]

I really enjoyed this!

 

[craash420]

Are all the plastic bushings the same size? The ones I got seem too large... needed pliers to get them in, and now I can't get them onto the posts. Is there a trick to this or a special tool?

 

[Turbo2go]

Its a very tight fit thats what keeps them on. I used a pair of channel lock pliers to squeeze them on mine.

 

[ChargingRam]

Well now that you got that taken care of....

The trailer brake may also have a brake line that runs to the master cylinder, so you would either have to remove the block from the master or find a plug to block where that line is.


Brian

 

[DDGRC84]

hahaha... great narrative, glad you got it fixed

 

[eight2thebar]

I am having the exact problem now. I heard the pop, no wipers moving. Bought the clips, and now can not get the daggum wiper blades off. Of course I am catching heat from my wife for driving her car when it is raining, saying stuff like, "Can't you fix it?" or "You need someone to look at it?" I am printing out this thread and will attempt it again. I may have to bet hogleg's friend 30 bucks to get them off. Thanks.

 

[hogleg]

well I know its a few days late now, but let me know if you can't get them, I'll take a digital camera and take pictures of how I did it.