Wipers

[jcol]

last August my MK 2 Galaxy wipers seized on the M6 in a downpour on the way from London to Scotland - Saturday lunchtime as well. However when the rain stopped I luckily managed to get a replacement whole unit from a breaker yard and a kind RAC man changed them over in under an hour. However recently the offside wiper has not been wiping far enough over. Fearing spindle seizure (and my original unit spindles had seized solid), I thought I would try a temporary easy fix - my MOT is due soon. Getting the wipers off was the first huge problem - trawling the internet for advice did not help, but a local friendly mechanic told me how, so thought I would pass on his advice in case anyone else has the same problem. Open the bonnet, remove the nut, lift the wiper off the screen, grab hold of the part of the arm goes over the spindle end and joggle it up and own - it eventually gives up and loosens. I then removed a circlip, a washer and then there should be an 0 ring except they were missing. I then squirted WD40 hoping that it would make its way down the spindle. In fact the nearside one actually seems too loose, but the driver side was was very tight. I then put the nut on (just in case since there was nothing holding the spindles up) and turned the wipers on, to encourage the WD40 down the spindle, and squirting more in. Then refitted it all - used the O rings from my old unit Now seems to be working properly - at least for the moment, but when he has time I'm going to get the mechanic to get the unit out and do a spring clean on the spindles and grease them properly.  You might know all this already, but I didn't..can't thing there is an easy way of getting grease in?

[jcol]

Actually when my wipers seized I could hear the motor running, but no movement in the wipers. I took the motor off the unit so that I could free up the spindles (huge struggle!) and would appreciate advice on two points;

Assume damage has been caused and if so what? I put the linkage back on and moving it does move the motor bit, so does not seem to have sheared the taper end?

Does the linkage need to be attached to the motor in a specific way/position?

[chromedome]

From memory. reconnect the motor electrical supply and make sure it is in the park position.

 

Looking down on the linkage the wiper motor plate should point to the left and in alignment parallel to the linkage.

 

Reattach the motor.

Edited June 21, 2016 by chromedome

[jcol]

yes, think I've got the linkage in the parked position, with the plate like that, but, how do I know that the motor spindle position in its cycle syncs with that position of the plate, if that makes sense, or does that matter? I don't know how the motor works - assume it cannot turn in one direction only? If it turns in one direction and then back, then that would need to match the linkage plate position?

[BrianH]

The motor on most applications is in a single direction, the reverse action being achieved by the linkages and offsets of the pins.

Without taking mine apart can't tell you for definite, But that should mean it does not matter anyway.

[jcol]

Well I rang up Bosch technical support, and a helpful man said what you also say - the motor turns in one direction, and the linkage does the reversing, so given this, it does not matter how the motor is attached. The problem is that looking at the unit in front of me, with the motor attached, there is a bracket on the linkage which attaches to the motor spindle, which is rotated by the spindle, but then that bracket meets a metal upstand, which I suppose stops the wipers from going beyond the high point on the screen, but what happens to the motor then? The bracket can’t carry on round with the metal upstand stopping it, but would seem to need to go back the other way, when it will meet a second metal upstand to stop it, so completing the sweep of the windscreen? Basically I can’t see how the bracket can do in a circular motion, which I suppose could reverse the linkage? You can see a picture of the wiper mechanism in the very helpful link below, with the two metal upstands (one is near a screw head). So I am confused, and also still wondering if and what damage was caused by the wipers seizing, but the motor still running?

 

http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/topic/18463-wiper-linkage-removal-and-regrease/?hl=%2Bwiper+%2Blinkage+%2Bremoval

[BrianH]

The bits in Red will turn a complete circular motion, the bits circled in Yellow will move back and forth only as the circular motion at the motor will reverse as it reaches its furthest point. It will make more sense if you can move it yourself and watch what happens with the mechanism as you do so.

 

Your probabbly ok with the motor - they are surpurisingly tough given the state some peoples spindles get in they still work after freeing them up.

 

There must be a bearing on the bit that attaches the two rods together of some sort that allows them to turn against each other, if yours doesn't seem to move it may need this bit taking apart and cleaning/lubricating to allow it to move.

Edited June 24, 2016 by BrianH

[jcol]

Thanks for your help Brian. Yes I agree the bracket attached to the motor, if it goes in a circular motion, will reverse the linkages - the problem I have though is that the bracket cannot complete the circle since it meets the metal upstands. I assume I must have done something wrong when I reattached the motor, but I really can't see any other way of doing it? If the bracket was a bit higher up from the motor, a good centimetre, then it would go over the top if the upstands, but don't think I've left a bit out? So I am still confused, but at least the used set I bought are working all right, though the driver side spindle is very tight and could do with a regrease. When I have time I may see if I can take the set out, but, before removal, once I can see it all, I will switch it on to see what is happening!

[BrianH]

Thanks for your help Brian. Yes I agree the bracket attached to the motor, if it goes in a circular motion, will reverse the linkages - the problem I have though is that the bracket cannot complete the circle since it meets the metal upstands. I assume I must have done something wrong when I reattached the motor, but I really can't see any other way of doing it? If the bracket was a bit higher up from the motor, a good centimetre, then it would go over the top if the upstands, but don't think I've left a bit out? So I am still confused, but at least the used set I bought are working all right, though the driver side spindle is very tight and could do with a regrease. When I have time I may see if I can take the set out, but, before removal, once I can see it all, I will switch it on to see what is happening!

Bit hard to say without seeing it - you could try posting some photos to show what you mean? Not sure if you can compare it to the ones in the photos or the one you actually have that works? It sounds like either your missing something, Or you've got stuff back together in the wrong order or wrong way round?

 

Or its just managed to bend/distort itself somehow when its seized up?

[jcol]

Should be a photo of the part (bracket) that rotates - as can be seen that bracket which is attached to the motor just can't! So the only way the wipers can go back is for the bracket to reverse, which apparently it doesn't?

[BrianH]

Looks to me like the gold coloured bit is bent too far down, though given the thickness of it it must have taken some force to do that if it did bend.

[jcol]

Well, as you say, given it's thickness, can't see it would be possible to bend it. Also the linkage that goes off to the left attaches to an equally strong pivot bracket, and that is not bent, and that linkage would not be able to be higher up because it is contrained by the pivot. So a bit if a mystery! In any case what are the two metal upstands for anyway? When I get the time, but am too busy with other jobs, so won't be in the near future, I will access the linkages on the car to see exactly what is going on!

[BrianH]

Well, as you say, given it's thickness, can't see it would be possible to bend it. Also the linkage that goes off to the left attaches to an equally strong pivot bracket, and that is not bent, and that linkage would not be able to be higher up because it is contrained by the pivot. So a bit if a mystery! In any case what are the two metal upstands for anyway? When I get the time, but am too busy with other jobs, so won't be in the near future, I will access the linkages on the car to see exactly what is going on!

 

Only other thing is if the motor really has given up and fallen apart/collapsed internally, it may be the case thats whats happened and hence the spindle has come away from its correct position making the linkage end up in the wrong place.

[jcol]

Yes, that makes sense, so the spindle should be sticking higher up? Guess that could explain why the motor was still running, but nothing happening to the wipers....suppose I could try opening the motor up to have a look, but think I'll wait to see what the wipers on the car look like to compare first. Thanks for your help..

[BrianH]

Yes, that makes sense, so the spindle should be sticking higher up? Guess that could explain why the motor was still running, but nothing happening to the wipers....suppose I could try opening the motor up to have a look, but think I'll wait to see what the wipers on the car look like to compare first. Thanks for your help..

I don't know without removing mine to look but theres certainly something wrong there (the whole angle of it looks wrong to me - very possibly the motor has actually caused it to fail when its seized by managing to force the weakest part, but something had to give either way). Comparing it is the way to go as you say anyway.