Early FJ40 wiper motor restoration

[65swb45]

Sorry I didn’t get back to you! I made a note, but the note got lost!
This retirement stuff is hard work!

 

[thundermcawesum]

Body filler

Here are some shots after surface prep. Notice the pitting on the slave unit cover and rotor cover. This will stick out like a sore thumb if you went straight to paint.

Solution: body filler (aka Bondo)
Side note: Bondo is a trade name for a type of body filler, and it not great to work with in my opinion. It is cheap, but it doesn't let you "feather" as well as other products. When I say feather, I mean sanding the edges of the filler down so you cannot see the transition from metal to filled area in the final paint job.

For larger jobs like auto body, I have used it successfully in the past as a first, "rough" layer. I will then comes back and add over it with a much higher quality product like Icing or All Metal. You can feather that stuff down to what fews like single atom thickness. This stuff is $$$, so it is not for large areas but it is perfect for this!

See the before and after of the pitted areas filled with Icing.

Note on mixing filler: All fillers I have worked with require mixing with a hardener right before use. Icing is white and is mixed with a dark blue hardener. How much to add is something you have to get the hang of, but I would shoot for the light blue color shown here. Remember: once the hardener is in there the clock is ticking. On a hot day, you probably have 30 seconds to put it where you want. Once the filler starts getting hard to spread you are done. MIX ONLY WHAT YOU CAN SPREAD IN 30 SECONDS, or you will waste a ton of filler.

Note on adding filler: Don't try to be an artist when applying this stuff, especially if you have to fill in a larger divot. Glob it on, push it into crevices, get rid of as much excess as you can (because you will be sanding a ton otherwise), and leave it.

 

[thundermcawesum]

Sorry I didn’t get back to you! I made a note, but the note got lost!
This retirement stuff is hard work!

Hahaha I'll bet. I'm sure you're in high demand. Give me a call anytime today. I am off today and Friday.

 

[thundermcawesum]

Before and After Icing and sanding

Once the Icing sets up, you can sand everything down. Start around 100 grit and finish with 200-300 grit. You can see how the pitting is filled in in these shots.

 

[thundermcawesum]

Now is the time for primer!

Before primer, put on clean gloves and thoroughly clean the surface to get rid of any grease. I use surface prep spray.

I use sandable primer, or filler primer. You can use what's known as a self-etching primer (supposed to be good for rusty parts), but I have heard conflicting opinions on that. The etching is done by an acid, so I am wondering about the long-term wisdom of leaving an acidic primer on your pieces. If you cleaned the parts properly, there should be minimal rust left anyway.

Filler primer is thicker than other primers. It will allow you to fill in small imperfections that are left behind by the sanding process. The key word here is small. It is not body filler. It will not make up for crappy surface prep, but it will help hide small sanding sins.

General rules for using spray cans:
1. Work in areas with plenty of light. Sun is best if you don't have a spray booth. Sunlight will allow you to see EXACTLY what the surface will look like. It exposes all sorts of imperfections you won't catch in crappy shop light.
2. MULTIPLE LIGHT COATS. You will be excited to start painting, and will want to start seeing results quickly. Spray paints are carried by a volatile solvent/propellant that evaporates from the surface of the piece, leaving behind the paint. If you glob on a crap ton at a time, the lower layers cannot dry effectively and will lead to a crappy final surface. Lay a light coat, then walk away. The bottle should tell you how long to wait between coats.
3. Nozzle distance. The bottle should not be too far or too close to the piece. Too far, and the solvent will dry mid-stream and will not adhere properly to the surface. Too close, and you will get runs. Runs happen when paint is applied too thick.
4. If you get a run, drip, or spot, let it dry thoroughly and sand it down. There is no saving it at this point.
5. Temperature and humidity. This is a big one. Painting in humid conditions (usually above 65% humidity or so) is the quickest way to get a terrible finish. Temperature should be below and above the range on the bottle. If it is colder where you are, you should put the bottle of paint in a can of warm water before you use it.
6. Shake the crap out of the bottle before you use it for around a minute.
7. Between applications, briefly invert the can and spray to clear the nozzle. This lets the propellant clear out the paint so it can't dry in the nozzle.

 

[thundermcawesum]

I let the primer dry for a solid day, although this is probably not necessary.

From experience, sanding wet primer won't work and you will have to start all over anyway.
Here you can see some areas that needed sanding before paint. No big deal. Hit it with 220 to knock down the rougher surfaces and get rid of any bumps.

 

[Tennessee80]

Wow, great job!

 

[SteadiCruiser]

Removing the rotor cover reveals no obvious damage to the rotor or stator. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but in this case the stator would be the metal housing and permanent magnets mounted inside. There is also a race (yellow circle) in the top for one end of the rotor (red circle).

The rotor contains the windings and copper contacts for the brushes (purple arrow).

WARNING: The end that goes into the housing contains a ball bearing (light blue circle) that is not captured and almost certainly will get lost. It can be stuck in the old grease inside, or possibly come out with the rotor just long enough to bounce on the floor and out of your life. I'm sure they can be replaced, but I am not sure of the size.

View attachment 3067925

It's been a few months since I disassembled and I didn't have nearly the documenting skills you did unfortunately.

However, I found two bearings in my disassembled parts (not one) and, while I can't be sure, I suspect the second bearing goes in the opposite tip of the rotor (red Circle).

Could that be the case?

 

[thundermcawesum]

It's been a few months since I disassembled and I didn't have nearly the documenting skills you did unfortunately.

However, I found two bearings in my disassembled parts (not one) and, while I can't be sure, I suspect the second bearing goes in the opposite tip of the rotor (red Circle).

Could that be the case?

Yes. There are two ball bearings on either end of the rotor. I thought the one in red was captured, because it never seems to come out when I remove the rotor. I guess it isn’t!
So yes, you should be able to put them back no problem. Glad you didn’t lose them!

 

[thundermcawesum]

Paint!

Now the moment you've all been waiting for.
Notes on paint:
1. Temp and humidity recommendations on can. I painted on a very hot and humid day once when I was young and foolhardy, and the paint felt like melting candy apple coating.
2. Spray technique. Rattle cans are actually not as easy to use well as one might think. Key is to keep the nozzle clean (dab with rag occasionally, spray upside down to clear the paint path), several light coats, keep the can about 8 inches away, and keep it moving.

All of that being said, Duplicolor stainless steel is VERY forgiving. By it's nature, the slightly textured finish it creates can hide a LOT of sins

 

[thundermcawesum]

Brusher Holder, Soldering, Reassembly

I realized at this point that I made a silly mistake earlier. I had looked at the brushes with the rotor shaft taken out, which made them look much shorter than they were in fact. These brushes actually are ok (this was verified by testing the unit later).

I then put a brand new 4 pin connector (thanks @Coolerman ) on, cleaned the wires, and inspected the wire covering. Hard to believe, but the covering looked very good so I left it.

Next, mounted the parking switch to the newly painted and clear coated motor housing. Feed the wires back up through the large hole, then solder to appropriate terminals. Which color goes where should be in a previous post on this thread.

Put the tension adjusting screw and nut back in, and tighten until a reasonable amount of tension if placed on the rotor screw. It shouldn't be able to move back and forth, but don't make it so tight you wear out the bearing or burn out the motor.

 

[thundermcawesum]

Rebuilding and greasing

I sm sorry this is the only photo I have of this, but it essentially reversing what you did before. I can help if there are any questions on this.

I used solid white lithium grease, as I had seen it used for this type of application. I has enough structure to hold up between grinding gears, but it is light enough to not add too much drag. Certainly better than what was in there.

 

[thundermcawesum]

Drum roll...

I am very happy with the way this turned out. One thing I did differently was keep the original gasket surrounding the wires as they enter the rotor cap. It was degraded, but still one piece. I am including the replacement gasket I make also.

@65swb45 Let me know how this looks to you and I will send it along.

 

[thundermcawesum]

More pics

 

[65swb45]

I may have to buy a new battery for Ruftoys and start it just to check out the wiper motor!

Looks great from here.

 

[thundermcawesum]

I may have to buy a new battery for Ruftoys and start it just to check out the wiper motor!

Looks great from here.

Awesome! When’s best to call and talk about the steering unit?

 

[Tennessee80]

So this thread is very inspiring, and I have pulled my wiper motor and have begun diagnosing why the wipers are not working

It appears that the rod that goes between the main section and the smaller section, to connect both wiper gears, is frozen on the smaller side.

Any tips on how to get that unstuck? I opened it up, and the gears are fine, but the little Rod appears to be rusted on the inside

 

[thundermcawesum]

So this thread is very inspiring, and I have pulled my wiper motor and have begun diagnosing why the wipers are not working

It appears that the rod that goes between the main section and the smaller section, to connect both wiper gears, is frozen on the smaller side.

Any tips on how to get that unstuck? I opened it up, and the gears are fine, but the little Rod appears to be rusted on the inside

Glad to hear that!

PB blaster. Shoot some down into the sheath and give it time. Might want to lightly bend the entire thing gently to loosen rust.
I also put the rod in a vise and GENTLY twisted the internal rod a little.
You may have to keep applying PB blaster, as there isn’t must room for it to soak down into the sheath

 

[Tennessee80]

As you can see, my rod is in bad shape!

Maybe my rig is just old and needs some Viagra.

I’ve since removed the old electrical tape and weird wire wrapping so that I can get the internals moving.

LOL

 

[thundermcawesum]

As you can see, my rod is in bad shape!

Maybe my rig is just old and needs some Viagra.

I’ve since removed the old electrical tape and weird wire wrapping so that I can get the internals moving.

LOL

View attachment 3090390View attachment 3090391

Holy Moses. That rod doesn’t need medicine, it needs to be taken out back and put out of its misery
I’d say you need a replacement