Weird wiper problem

I replaced my wiper motor today after the original motor let all the smoke escape. Once it was in, I hit the switch and the wipers moved a couple of inches only - out and back in, but only a couple of inches.

It sort of looks as if the arms have an over center lock because when I yank on the driver's side link, the wipers come good and they sweep as they should. If I turn them off and back on again, they do the coupla-inches-out-coupla-inches-back-in thing all over again - sort of hunting in the same spot.

Everything's tight and look as it should be. Any ideas...?

PUll the nut off the wiper mechanism from the motor assy shaft....run the cycle, see that it returns to some stopped postioin very consistantly.....same spot every time....see that it stays running the way it should....

then check the reference on the wipers, that they are not OVER DOWN or extended too far to the windows, either way....that double D setup should be damn close when down, to the motor when it's turned off, if not, there is a couple adjustment on the wiper blades.....and if that don't do it....I wonder about the motor being out of synch inside....

been a LONG time since I faced a outta synch motor there is a fix, but damn if I remember it.....

go to your tail light thread man....I got something there, maybe....

I agree with what Gene is saying (sort of). The wiper motor is supposed to be able to find a "parked" or home position and if the wiper arms are out of adjustment or the motor is bad you will experience what you have described.

It's a new motor that I fitted (the smoke escaped from the old one) and once it was bolted in, I ran it without the wiper arms connected. The motor ran and parked fine and parked in the same spot each time.

Once I attached the wipers to the motor and turned them on, the shaft rotated properly but it's as if there's loads of slop in the links and the motor pushes them aside as it rotates - does that make any sense? While doing this, the wiper arms move up the windscreen a couple of inches and back down again, and will do it until I turn them off. While they were doing this, I grabbed the driver's side link and pushed/pulled on it and suddenly the wipers started working correctly and doing a full sweep. They would keep doing this until I turned them off, then they would stow properly. When I turned them back on again, they went back to the few inches of movement only

All the link attaching points are free to move and well lubricated. If I can't work it out, I'll take some video and post it...

Yeah Wayne, I think at this time some pics would help us all figure it out....

PIx are a help, but what is going on, is you have to loosen hell out of the serrated locating clamps that go over the ball studs.....locate the driver's side on the bottom stops, and clamp down the clamps.....leave the pass side up high and the linkage totally separate....see if the LEFT/driver's side works, and parks normal....then do the Right/pass side....

now it is possible to put that main drive lever on the motor 180 out on some cars....I can't remember on my vette.....

so if the motor is parked, per normal, and your wiper blades are all effed up, you need reverse the drive lever....:banghead::drink:

Wayne sounds like the wiper arm links are not adjusted properly and the motor is just returning to park.

loosen the nuts on the link at the motor crank and take the the drivers side blade and set it to appx 1" below the wiper blade rest and tighten the nuts back down for that link,then take the pass side blade and rest it on top of the drivers blade,tighten those nuts back down. now put the blades back on the rest, passenger blade resting on top of the drivers side,and try it again.
That is the same problem i had when i replaced my motor,and thats how i fixed it.

Thanks Kev, I'll give that a try :thumbs:

Not a problem,that is straight out of the AIM's,some fine tuning may be needed later,if the blades are hitting the molding.:smash:

kwplot34 said:

Not a problem,that is straight out of the AIM's,some fine tuning may be needed later,if the blades are hitting the molding.:smash:

Click to expand...

Damn, not in my books. I looked before I posted and all they say is how to remove the parts and how to re-fit them all - which is, the obligatory "fittment is a reversal of the removal process" :hissyfit:

saudivette said:

kwplot34 said:

Not a problem,that is straight out of the AIM's,some fine tuning may be needed later,if the blades are hitting the molding.:smash:

Click to expand...

Damn, not in my books. I looked before I posted and all they say is how to remove the parts and how to re-fit them all - which is, the obligatory "fittment is a reversal of the removal process" :hissyfit:

Click to expand...

Not the repair manual,the AIM manual. My repair manual says nothing on how to adjust the wiper linkage either,funny you would think it would be in there,but it's not.