Is it normal for the wiper motor to get hot?

[Eurasiaoverland]

I've just rebuilt my windscreen wiper motor. I found nothing wrong with it and the brushes are still good, so I only cleaned up, re-greased and painted it. I put a few drops of engine oil in the bushing in the end of the housing. The armature looks perfect, no scoring etc.

I tested the motor as per the FSM - high speed, low speed and park all work correctly. But I noticed after running on high speed for maybe 30 seconds, the end of the motor (the nipple-like area on the end which houses the bushing) was getting hot to the touch.

Does this seem normal? No strange sounds, and the small wires I used to test it (I think 22 AWG) did not get hot.

 

[Lead Head]

The little nub on the back is the rear motor bushing. It shouldn't get hot that quickly. If it's getting hot, it's either binding or needs oil.

 

[aztoyman]

Not a Toyota wiper, but maybe helpful. When I did a similar cleanup, re-grease and assembly on my 52 Ford, I found I had to tighten the housing screws while it was running or it would bind up a bit. Enough to slow down and get warm. Mine also looked great inside other than solidified original lube.

Good luck with it!
Scott in AZ.

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

Thanks for the suggestions. It's definitely not binding up, but it's been open and in a box in the house for 5 years or so, and I probably degreased it in petrol when I stripped it, so I think I just need to add more oil. I did put a few drops of oil in the bottom of the housing, to wet the felt there, but I didn't want to overfill it and have oil running down the armature. I'll add more and see if it runs cooler.