Which Window Wiper Is On Top?

[Guest martinkerr]

i have a 95 gal and wonder if i could remove some of the drivers blind spot when its raining by moving the drivers wiper to the top of the pasenger one so it reaches slightly farther to the edge of the screen.

 

Will this work and how are other gals, which wiper is on top?

 

cheers

Martin

[Guest SA Intruder]

LH on top

 

It sweeps slightly higher than the other.

[Guest Turbo]

Martin,

Well is my Galaxy wrong ? The drivers wiper is ontop on mine. It goes very close to edge of the winscreen too when it sweeps across. Why not swap them round and see what happens ?

Turbo

[Guest Turbo]

And I know how to spell windscreen too...............

Turbo

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Nope, yours aint wrong. They keep having changes of opinion at the factory. My Jan 2001-reg Gal has the drivers-side wiper on top but I know that some later ones have the passenger one on top. I think that trial and error is called for - try moving them around and see if you can get an improvement. The one on top should definitely get about 2 inches closer to the corresponding "A" pillar.

[Guest martinkerr]

im in the office late tomorrow so will swap them over then, (not that i dont actually do anything at work that is :) )

 

martin

[Tigger]

On my Mk 1 galaxy I moved the drivers wiper up a spline and the top of the wiper just touched the body work when ongetting rid of that blind spot.

 

I now have a MK2 and the blind spot is even worse I will try the same again!

[Dave-G]

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IF YOU TRY SWAPPIN, BUT YOU COULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. THE UPPER WIPER WILL HAVE IT'S LINKAGE ARRANGED SO THAT IT IS CLEAR OF THE LOWER BLADES ARC BEFORE IT SWEEPS. I THINK YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT THE UPPER IS ARRANGED SO THAT IT RISES FASTER-LOWERS SLOWER.IT'S A BUMMMER WHEN SOMEBODY SQUIRTS ON YOUR BONFIRE...AND I COULD BE WRONG..JUST BE AFRAID,VERY AFRAID THAT DAMAGE MAY OCCUR IF THE LINKAGES COLLIDE. AND PULEASE DONT DO IT IF YOU NEED TO USE THE CAR IN THE RAIN BEFORE YOU CAN FIX IT :)

[Fordy]

Hi Folks,

:) My !998 Model had the passengers wiper on top

:) My 2000 Model had the drivers wiper on top

:rolleyes: My 2003 Model (2 months old) has the passengers wiper on top but wipes more of screen than 1998 model but not quite as much as 2000 model. But had not noticed this until yesterday evening, so it can't be a problem. Mind you we haven't had a lot of rain in the last two months.

 

The 1998 version was definately bad!

Regards Fordy.

[Richmond]

I think that Dave-G is right; there could be a problem if you change which wiper is on top.

 

If both wipers started at the same time with the same angular speed, the free end of the lower wiper would move upwards more quickly than the part of the upper wiper which overlies it (as it is further from its centre of rotation), and they would collide, unless they are some distance apart vertically when at rest, which I don't think they are.

 

The upper wiper must start its sweep before the lower one. (Alternatively, the lower wiper moves at a lower angular speed than the upper wiper (at least for the initial and final part of each sweep), but this would be more difficult to achieve, I imagine.)

 

If you change 'em over, the earlier starting (or faster moving) wiper will be on the bottom and they'll get tangled up :)

 

If this is complete balls, and swapping 'em round is fine, I'd be interested to know how the the wipers avoid hitting each other at the beginning and end of each sweep.

[johnb80]

Hi,

My Galaxy is just 2 weeks old, I videod the wipers and then checked it frame by frame. The passenger wiper is on top on mine and it moves a considerable distance before the drivers wiper moves, if theyre swapped round it does look as if a wrecked wiper linkage would result. I do feel that the unwiped area of the screen is not significant and therefore not worth the risk.

 

Regards - JB

[Fordy]

Hi, The wiper arm forming is entirely different for each version whether drivers wiper is on top or underneath. Maybe if you purchase the interim version arms and try them on the latest version this may work but they may still collide due to speed as is being suggested. Probably an expensive experiment unless you can find them in the scrappy. I believe that the reasoning behind the changes is that VW (as we know makes the Ford version) want common parts for both LHD and RHD markets to save costs and on the early version (especially) and the latest version (2003 models) we have to suffer poorer top end stop positioning at the expense of the larger LHD market. The models around 2000 model year I believe were handed for LHD and RHD.

I reckon we have got to live with it!

A friend of mine on a 97 galaxy did as someone else has suggested move the wipers by one spline position with success, except that they didn't park straight.

 

Regards, Fordy.

 

ps wiper blades on new one are great, wipe well, quiet as well! and wipers are speed sensitive. Has anyone got the rain sensitive type as shown in some handbooks?

[Dave-G]

I think that models SPECIFICALY built for the british market were made to wipe to OUR benefit,at a premium price,to ford uk,not least 'cos the british market was very expensive and exploitable. Then came the "rip-off uk" bandwagon, where we discoverred we could save money on other soil which many of us did. So too did our suppliers (equally fed up at prices demanded for lhd uk orders) The distinction I am trying to make is that there are other lhd countries that have a lower cost of living,and car prices,a "general lhd market" That even ford uk occasionally bought from,where "economies"are made. How many of us expect our car prices to compare favourably with EC, even in the knowledge that rhd builds outstrip lhd by maybe x20? HMM, I'VE STILL MADE A PIGS EAR OF THIS,CANT EXPLAIN IT ADEQUATELY ENOUGH..GIVIN UP!!! SUFFICE TO SAY,IF WE WERNT SO TIGHT WE'D GET ONES PURPOSEFULLY MADE FOR LHD.

[Fordy]

Not so sure about that - COMMON PARTS = LESS COMPLEXITY = PROFIT to the manufacturer right from the manufacturing plant, making larger quantities at a lower price, and its parts storage with a space saving, through to the dealer parts distribution centre through to the dealer itself. Cost savings all round. Anyhow, thats my view.

 

Regards, Fordy.