Windshield Wiper Arms new vs old

[TheSecondChris]

I purchased a new genuine Porsche wiper arm for my 87 turbo because it jiggles when I'm on the highway. The new arms have two springs instead of one, which I assume will help with this small issue.

I was surprised by all the small differences between the original and current version of the part. In addition to the dual springs, the shape and location of the curves is different as well. Also, the metal insert with the female splines is not present in the new version. The new version is more of a friction fit, I guess.

[Monkey Wrench]

ever lube the pivots on the wiper mechanism? it's easily forgotten. might be plastic bushings or brass ones. sometimes the wiper blades sort of grab too, like when its raining very lightly or the road is just wet and there is some splashing. I guess you can get different blades, maybe silicone ones don't do that as much.
im a bit more familiar with the volvo and on my 740 I just removed the cowling between the hood and windshield, on that car found a plastic cover had shrunk a bit, it seemed to be allowing water to run into the hole that the heater fan sucks from thus wetting my floor.. I know the porshe is arranged differently, but its probably very similar, maybe even same motor.

on some occasions Ive taken the motor apart to find that the magnets inside the motor housing were supposed to be glued to the case but had become unstuck, when I pulled it apart I found that the magnet was actually stuck to the armature and all polished and rubbing. miraculously the motor still ran but was very slow and sluggish. the gearbox had issues too,

I kind of forget but think maybe I added a shim or something , anyway doesn't hurt to re-lube the gearbox.. I know its probably not in the service info, probably expected to be "sealed for life" there are a couple of contacts in there to park the wipers or make sure it runs to the park position, pretty easy to understand if you are in there looking at it. Ive also seen the same issues with door window motors, with the magnets coming loose, and a slow motor.

I just cleaned everything and used a bit of JB weld to stick the magnets back where they belong, they shouldn't rub on the armature.. you can always pull it apart maybe give the motor a good cleaning, check brush length look at the armature, maybe clean it up or polish it if needed. nicer to do all that in summer than when winter hits.


if you feel like going to the effort, its probably not a horrible idea to just pull out the assembly, on the volvo its just two bolts and the whole assembly comes out easy, but access is going to be different on the Porsche. I use Lubriplate grease, its a bit more resistant to water than just any lube. you might check with the others or the manual about how it comes out exactly but on most cars its an assembly. if you find plastic bushings and can't get them then maybe they can be made on a lathe out of some of the graphite impregnated bushing stuff, its easy to turn, cuts like butter on a lathe.. kind of lubes itself then. I think it wears a lot longer than the standard nylon or whatever they use, the white bushing material.

older ones might be oillite bushings or bronze, I think they need lube at least once every 35 years ;-) the oillite ones are sort of like tiny beads of bronze but porous. if you put one between your fingers and fill with oil then squeeze then you see the oil seep through all over I do that to preload them if I find those.

some might depend on area here in rainy Vancouver they are on half the year, in Arizona , not so much. places with harsh winters , well the freezing presents issues where they can get a bit abused. people turn them on when the wipers are stuck and it can strip the arm from the serrated thing. so you might look on ebay in arizona or some place with similar weather where they have seen a easier life if you want a used replacement.

I'm sure many just replace these motors but even then if its out and you are installing a used one, Id take it apart clean , lube and make it reliable when the sun is shining. on some cars that mechanismis inside the car, better protecte but maybe crowded up behind the dash, on a volvo 740 its a 15 minute job to take all that out of the car.

mine had an arrangement with a cable, like an aircraft cable, it is captive at both ends and wraps around a pulley. I didn't see anything wrong but cleaned it up, I put put a bit of lube there too. your mileage may vary.

i've seen on older cars where the bushings get slop then the wiper arms have freeplay and can then over run their intended travel and sometimes damage the chrome strip around the window or similar. you can just try to move the wiper arm to and fro and feel if it's all sloppy.

the is that rainex stuff, I guess its silicone, makes the water bead up until it dissapears. I dont like using silicone because it interferes with any painting I may wish to do. causes fish eyes, I try to keep it away from my house, any antiques etc. for any furniture or car restorer the stuff is like the plague, you can't see it, then you paint or refinish stuff and have issues with fish eyes. Ill sometimes spray a little around a door seal in winter , it helps the doors not get frozen shut. pam silicone spray for use itn he kitchen on pans has silicone and armor-all. probably pledge too. those are products I try not to use.

[Stephen03]

Jesus ****ing christ