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***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 09:51 am
by volvosneverdie
Happy boxing day all.
I have a rather urgent front wiper fault.
Windscreen was iced up this morning so I blasted it with de icer and hopped in.
pulled the wiper washers on to clean the deicer but the wipers were still iced to the screen. ooops. forgot to lift them.
I lifted them, deiced further and replaced them.
They however, just fell limp to the base of the screen.
Wipers are now just loose, limp and lifeless.
I managed to limp in to work at low speeds (no opther option) and did a quick diagnostic when I arrived at work.
1) (wiper) motor is running.
2)'wiper turrets' are rotating.
2) popped the plastic caps off the base os the wiper arms (above bonnet) and the retaining nuts on top of the "wiper turrets" are both loose.
3)I tried to finger tighten these nuts (no tools on me) and it made no difference. When wipers engaged, they just fall to base of the windscreen.
4) Nuts are then loose again.
So, will tightening up these nuts with a propper spanner (if I can find one in town on boxing day) do we think itll solve the problem?
Any help appreciated.
Finish work at 1600 and its forecast for rain/snow.

Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 11:48 am
by volvodspec
hmm, i'm afraid not.
you are probably going to need a new pair of wiper arms
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 11:55 am
by volvosneverdie
This is bad news.
If it rains, im gonna be stuck in a £1.50 an hour car park.
What do you determine has happened Anjo?
Any way to bodge?
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 12:43 pm
by volvodspec
if you take the wiper arm off you can see that the part that bolts to the car has a rough profile in it, this corrosponds to the profile on the wiper arm to make a good connection,
if blades are stuck and wipermotor is engaged the profile in the wiper arm gets scraped out and after that the wiper arm starts doing al kinds of weird things
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 12:56 pm
by volvosneverdie
So its just rounded out the fitment connection.
Balls.
Cheers mate.
Wont be making that mistake twice!

Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 12:58 pm
by mat 91
that does sound pretty bad
cant you just look out off drivers window witha water prof coat on

Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 01:01 pm
by volvosneverdie
Gonna have to try.
Cant leave it in town without getting clamped.
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 01:26 pm
by macplaxton
Oh dear, so you stripped the splines then?

Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:29 pm
by volvosneverdie
macplaxton wrote:Oh dear, so you stripped the splines then?

A little bit, it seems.
Just been out on my dinner hour to try and formulate a bodge.
Ten steps to Sucess:
1 ) To Maplins. purchase adjustable spanner, and duckt tape.
2 ) Remove wiper arms. Quite a lot of shaved metal falls out.
3 ) Blow on all components (seen proffesionals do this).
4 ) attempt to cut splines back into turret things with sharp knife.
5 ) Cut finger.
6 ) Drop Duct Tape in a puddle.
7 ) Re-attatch wiper arms in down position.
8 ) Tighten top nuts with adjustable spanner.
9 ) Cross Fingers.
10 ) Success!!!!
Tried a couple of 'test sweeps' and they both seem ok?!
Hopefully theyll see me home anyway.
Fingers crossed.

Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:45 pm
by whiskeyonesix
Good luck. I seem to have been my usual unhelpful self here sadly, but rest assured we were all with you in spirit during your wiper troubles.
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 04:56 pm
by monka
if that fails, go to halfords or something if there is one near you and get some rain x. failing that find some silicone spray. you'll never need wipers again
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:16 pm
by Chris_C
The splines are made from cheese

i've superglued my way out of trouble here before!
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:18 pm
by volvosneverdie
Chris_C wrote:The splines are made from cheese

i've superglued my way out of trouble here before!
Cheers man. Thats good to know.
ARE there any differences between wiper arms?
Dez has some 340s and I think im gonna replace mine.
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:25 pm
by Chris_C
Superglue only lasts a weekbut gets you home. Arms are the same, my local factors can normally get them for a tenner or so though. They cut the splines in the arm the first time you fit them so I try not to use sh ones
Re: ***Emergency Wiper help please!!!***
Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:58 pm
by volvosneverdie
Chris_C wrote:Superglue only lasts a weekbut gets you home. Arms are the same, my local factors can normally get them for a tenner or so though. They cut the splines in the arm the first time you fit them so I try not to use sh ones
Ah, good advice there dude.
Another drink I owe you.