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Windshield Wiper Motor Overhaul

G Guest
I got stuck in a heavy downpour in the mountains and my windshield wipers couldn't keep up, then they stopped working altogether, and of course I couldn't see anything. To make matters worse, I installed a heater by-pass gate valve and it was turned to the 'summer' position, so my defroster wasn't working either. Then, just to make things dangerous, with all my electrical systems taxed to the limit, my electric windows wouldn't open so I could not even see the road stripes out the side windows! The Da** Semi Trucks wouldn't slow down, and, well, I got it to the side of the road. Safely. Got a towel for the windshield, waited an hour and a half, crawled under the car and switched the heater cut off valve back on. I'm telling you this so you don't get killed and can do a precautionary measure while it's still safe and dry....

If it looks like rain, turn the heater by- pass valve back on to 'winter' position.

I installed a 100 Amp alternator so ALL Sytems WOULD Function in this worst case scenario.

My wiper motor was pulled out of the car and would not function, so I pulled it apart. The motor sits at the bottom and a mechanism casing sits on top. The mechanism casing has a screw drive gear that operates a gear in a circular motion. The gear has a 0.25" shaft that is off-centered. The stiff cable that goes to the wipers through a cable-housing is attached to this 0.25" shaft. The housing for this mechanism holds the cable onto the shaft. The gear spins on a bushing that is in the housing. This bushing on my unit was seized tight, with corrosion.

So I got a punch and drove the gear out of the housing. Then I got some fine sandpaper and polished the center shaft of the gear and cleaned the corrosion off the bushing in the housing with coiled sandpaper the best I could. I put some fine oil which I got from Radio Shack (so it wouldn't interfere with the electric motor if it dripped down in there) on the two parts (bushing & shaft). I reassembled it and re-installed it.

Well it works again, but still not that well, unless I just have one windshield wiper on. So, both my wipers are off and in the front trunk. If it looks like it may rain and I'm already on the road, I'm gonna pull off, install one wiper, turn the heater shut-off valve on, and continue on down the road.

But, I am going to have to do this job again, because I saw rust in the windings and casing of the wiper motor, and I didn't address the problem then. I'm gonna take the motor apart and clean the rust off so it works closer to new than it does now. The brushes looked fine though and there was no hot spotting or burned spots, so, just more cleaning and sandpapering.

And this time, I'm gonna pull the electric leads off the motor and clean them better because I want clean electrical contacts and these things were sprayed with a tar like rust-proofing material, 30 years ago.

Also, I picked up some Rain-X for coating the outside of the windshield and a different type of Rain-X for coating the inside of the windshield to prevent fogging.

Hope this doesn't happen to you, but it's a 30 year old car, and some of these things have never been maintained at all. Not being able to see while driving is scary experience....

An afternoon project with near zero dollar cost that could save your life!
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SD Steve Donegan (Guest)
quote:
Originally posted by MARLIN JACK:
I NEVER drive my Panther in the rain! EVER! How do you think all that rust formed in YOUR car?? I don't even like to drive across a small STREAM of water crossing the road, because the tires will throw it up into the wheelwells. Marlin.

[This message has been edited by MARLIN JACK (edited 06-18-2003).]


Relax Marlin, don't be so anal. For those that drive these cars, you will unavoidably be caught in a downpour or two. Not a big deal, just make sure those drain holes are there and not clogged.
RN ron norman (Guest)
It wasn't raining when I left in the morning, and it wasn't raining when I got home at nite (and my new Halogens work really well). And it wasn't raining in the mountains when I went there for some cornering, but it didn't just rain, it hailed, and I didn't like that at all either. And in fact, it never even rained in the city that day, but it rained like enough to flood out a small town (under 2-3 feet of water), up in the mountains. I like to do cornering in the corners, and mountains got them!!!

But, if you don't drive your car, you'll never need wipers that work. Guess Marlin hasn't gone to a Pantera Event in his Pantera.

I am gonna drive it and enjoy it!!! Rust isn't a problem, cause this cars been stored. Surface air from humidity caused corrosion in the electric motors. Never been ANY salt on the roads in Southern California. That's what caused the bubbles around the windshield.

And I put my windows up and down as often as I like, because they work. And all the bulbs work, 'cause I drive it. It even has 5 watt bulbs in the speedo and tach now, 'cause I put them there, so I can see them at nite.

And people shoot photos of me driving down the road, 'cause they're glad to see a pure-bred Italian Sports Car being driven. They may never see Marlin's, guess only Marlin sees Marlin's. Fix the wipers and don't be afraid to drive it Marlin. Even if you do get caught in the rain, even if you don't, the new buyer may want to see that everything works, including the wipers.

And when ANYTHING needs fixing, it gets fixed, da** the money, I'm gonna enjoy my life, my car, my health, what's left of my youth, cause I won't be here someday.....
RN ron norman (Guest)
I had a hot date with me and I was not gonna let anything stop me!!

Now, I'll review the IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
1) Take out you wiper motr, disassemble it, clea the bushing, lube it, and make sure it works, IF YOU EVER DRIVE YOUR CAR, because God controls the Weather, NOT THE WEATHERMAN.
2) If, your car has a heater by-pass valve, you need to put it on the 'winter position' if it stars to rain. Also, put the A/C on, even in the winter, because this takes the humidity out of the air and helps defrost/defog the windows.
3) Rain-X helps.
4) Keep a towel behind the seat if it is gonna rain, for emergencies.
5) Keep at least 1 windshield wiper in the trunk, because if you need it, YOU'RE REALLY GONNA NEED IT.
6) You need a 100 Amp Alternator to provide enough electricity to drive all the electric motors on the Pantera all at once.

Now, Marlin Jack, since you know it all, including what the weather is, with 100% certainty, why don't you respond, in an INTELLIGENT way, to the 2002 Post on where to drill drain holes?

Demonstrate some intelligence and give us all some advice that has been wanting and waiting for over a year now! You have a worldwide audience and we're offering you the chance to 'show what you know' There's a guy in Sweden who wants to know, and so do I.

Or, just stay at home and slide off the chair while you're waiting for life to be 100% perfect, and offering ADVICE LIKE THAT!!!!

Duhhh!!!!!!!!
bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
I agree, the Pantera wiper system is marginal at best. Two things can be done to help: first, Ford built splash shields for the wiper motor to protect it from the deluge of water thrown off the right front tire, then updated the shield with foam rubber edge-seals. My Sept '72 Pantera did NOT have such a shield but IMHO it is worth adding. Big fat front tires get very close to the shield, though.
2)- the cable drive for the actual wiper arms gets worn but only in the area of the wiper shafts. The cable acts as a rack-gear for the wiper shafts as pinions. To fix a worn cable, remove the whole unit, unclamp the cable at the wiper shaft and flip it 180 degrees. This presents an unworn face to the much harder pinion gears.
Use plenty of waterproof grease on all parts, 'cause this is a one-time-only fix. That weird thingy on top of the wiper motor is the Lucas version of a reversing switch and is sensitive to rainwater, too, as is the multipin connector from wiper to the main wiring loom. I believe the whole system is mid-'70s Jaguar which likely will not be any cheaper than a DeTomaso part if things get terminal. FYI, an East Cost owner adapted a complete wiper system from a certain Japanese car, but it took the resources of an entire machine shop, many hours and many bucks before the thing actually wiped rain. The good part is, it has two speeds, a real drive for the arms etc. A story on this is upcoming in your POCA newsletter.
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