Hi guys, I posted about this the other day but didn't get a response.

My wipers dont wipe. The get halfway up then stop. If I push them/help them they make it.

I have a new/reconditioned wiper motor in there. (square type - park on the drivers side)

I need some advice as to what to check and how to fix.

Can the wheel boxes be adjusted?

I really need these fixed but need some advice.

Cheers in advance,
Ryan

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

The motor pushes and pulls a cable that runs to the wheel boxes in a grease filled tube. After this length of time the grease has turned solid and had lost all its lubricating properties. So cleaning the grease out of the tube and off the cable and re-greasing is a good idea.

The wheel boxes have a gear that sits against the cable. The teeth on the gear get worn from running on the same teeth all the time. It only wears out on about 1/3 of the teeth so when you reassemble the cable and wheel boxes make sure the gear is running on fresh teeth.
The wheel box shaft may also need lubricating with a couple of drops of oil if it is stiff to turn.

Inspect the cable to make sure that it is not worn where it runs on the gears.

Thanks Morris. Much appreciated.

Any tips for removing the cable/boxes etc?

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

To remove the cable you take the wiper arms off and unhook the cable from the wiper motor and then just pull the cable out of the tube. (I mark the end of the shaft with an arrow pointing up so that I can reassemble it with the arrows facing down to use the other side of the gear)

The proper thing to do would be to remove the wheel boxes to clean them but the chrome nuts are usually seized to the wheel box.
So I just do my best with CRC Brakleen and pushing the cable in and out to get rid of as much old grease as I can.

Thanks again.

What sort of grease should I use?

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

So today I pulled the arms off. Pulled the cover off the wiper motor. Pulled the cable out of its cover. Gave it a good clean, greased it up and reassembled. Before putting the arms on I tested to see if the splines were turning, which they were. So I tried grabbing them to see if I could stop them by hand. I couldn't.

So I put the arms back on thinking all would be good. But they still stopped about a third of the way up the screen. So my thoughts were that the spring in the arm is too strong and therefore the rubber blades are grabbing onto the glass.

So I have weekened the springs by stretching them a little. My wipers now wipe, but very slowly. I don't won't to weaken the springs anymore because I want the blades to still remove water.

So I have slow wipers. I'm not sure if this is how they used to be, because it has been years since they worked properly. I will test them with some water on the screen and see if that helps.

Ryan

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

I ten cents worth its an electrical issue not mechanical

Take the motor apart and check the brushes.

Make sure that commutator (where the motor brushes touch) is a nice copper colour and nice and even with no groove in it. (a dark colour is bad)

Also check the motor brushes are long enough to be nice and snug against the commutator.

Also the reason it now stops with the arms on is the force withe the arms connected and the drag on the screen is now 100 fold.

Also the best way to clean the commutator is on a lathe or in a drill press with linishing tape (harder to keep it round this way)

Also if you weaken the springs on the arms they will just flop around in the wind and not wipe.

Kiwiinwgtn

I don't think it's the motor.

I had this problem with the old motor. I've since put Ina reconditioned item from mini king and the problem remians.

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

I think your wiper motor needs an overhaul.
Could simply clean the brushes or need new brushes. Or worst case it may be an open circuit coil.
I had a similar problems with an early type motor and was eventually solved by getting a reco motor from MiniKing

_________________
1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

with the motor drive wire disconnected can you easily pull the cable backwards and forward they should be nice and free with out the wiper arms connected

You say the motor is rebuilt then the only only thing left are the wheel boxes.

I have had one seize and are in the process of sorting this on my car..

Take them out of the car with the cable and soak them in kero.

What happens is the aluminum oxidizes against the steel.
and the white power that is created binds up the shafts


kiwiinwgtn

Yes, the cable moves fairly freely as i just removed it, cleaned it and re-greased it. However, it does seem to be slightly kinked just after the motor.

As I said, they are now working, just not particularly fast. Not slow, just not fast.

As a recap:

-New/reconditioned motor
-Cleaned/re-greased cable.
-When trying my hardest with my hands, I can't stop the splines from turning.
-with the arms on, they would stop.
-with the springs in the arms stretched a little, the arms wipe, just a little slower then I would expect.


How much power should be going to the wiper motor? 12v?

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

do a wet test on the screen and see if that make a difference to the speed...

Most things I find wrong on Square type Wiper Motors is the Armature. As when they get slow they draw too much current and as they are spinning they also throw the now melted solder of the commutator connections. Remember these armatures are nearly 50 years old and the winding wire they used then do not have the insulation today's stuff has. You might need a new armature. If armature has not been changed it has not been reconditioned in my books. I could be guessing too but from all the things you have said you did I think I am pretty close to the correct diagnosis from this distance.

_________________
DID I MENTION THAT I AM THE BEST SUPPLIER FOR MINI ELECTRICAL PARTS AND REPAIRS?
"Let us remove your "SHORTS"

It could also be the wiring to the wiper motor. If you have a bad connection it might be limiting the current. Check that all the plugs from the fusebox are clean and tight, as well as the ones on the back of the switch.

This is what I'm beginning to think. It will certainly be my next port of call. What are the three wires for?

_________________
Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au