SLOOOOOOW winsdhield wipers

[Bigslug]

Since I've only owned the one '78 FJ40, I don't know if this is just the nature of the breed or if I've got some issues.

The fast setting on my wipers moves the blades at roughly the equivalent of the slow settings on a modern car. The slow takes maybe 4-5 seconds for a complete up/down cycle. I'd like to speed things up a bit

Before I tie into it, has anybody run into this before? Dirty contacts? Obstructed parts? Gremlins?

 

[lostmarbles]

Hi Big Slug (I've got some pellets in my garage you might like!)

I think they were always a little slow and useless - even compared to the wipers of other vehicles the same age.

But I like the "old-world-character" it provides.

So long as all the ball-joints in the wiper lever-mechanism are lubricated and free (they tend to get water inside and freeze up with rust) and the drive gears in the motor are also well lubed I'd leave it alone. But then, as I say, I like the "old-world-charm" of it.

They remind me of performance of the old vacuum-operated wipers when you have your foot on the gas.

 

[lobo loco]

They remind me of performance of the old vacuum-operated wipers when you have your foot on the gas.

Ahhh, I remember the vacuum wipers of a '56 Ford real well...at least they would speed up when you took your foot off the gas. Kinda like a forced way to get you to slow down when you couldn't see anymore. Anybody know what the 'benchmark speed' of 2-speed wipers should be when they are working right? Maybe some of us are expecting too much of them.

 

[steverb]

the brushes are probably worn. try banging the out side cover. the ones on my 77 worked quite well. but they did start to slow down gave the motor a smack and they came back to speed.

 

[brew8]

You may want to lube the shafts through the windshield and the linkages, cheers, Larry

 

[Ziffdaddy]

The slow speed should definitely be much faster than that. My 74's slow speed is usually too fast for light drizzle.....if that helps at all. Like a medium speed on a newer vehicle.

 

[lostmarbles]

You may want to lube the shafts through the windshield and the linkages, cheers, Larry

Yeah. Sorry. It is the thru-the-windSCREEENN where the rust problem usually is.

 

[missipboy]

i put a new motor on my troopy and they worked great. fast enough to keep up with a good rain. expensive, though.

 

[Weedhopper]

RainX helps slick things up. I am a RainX addict and use wipers very little.

 

[MOfj40]

Changing blades helped me a lot. My wiper motor is tired and the old blades that were on there created so much drag that it slowed the operation way down. Changing to new blades sped things up quite a bit.

 

[jhaha]

My wiper motor didn't work at all. I took it all apart, cleaned out the gears, brushes and whatnot and lubed everything. Works like brand new. Yours probably just needs a good cleaning.

 

[metalonmetal]

a good replacing of the grease would do the trick. i had to do it twice as the first time i put TOO MUCH grease in.

 

[Bigslug]

Hmmm. . .sounds like $1.00 of steel wool and $0.50 worth of grease on the one hand. . .

and a $200 replacement wiper motor on the other.

Option A looks like a good place to start.

 

[lostmarbles]

I do like the "old-world charm" of my slow ones- But not wanting to contradict the "safety-conscious position" I've professed to have in another thread, I guess "seeing where I'm going" must take priority.

I WILL, as a result of this thread, put the task of "trying to get a few extra wipe-cycles per minute" onto my large list of chores. (I've never looked at the brushes so it will be nice to pay them a visit too.)

So by starting this thread BIg Slug, you may well ultimately end up having saved a life!

(A big part of my enjoyment in typing this Post comes from typing your name Big Slug)

 

[Bob T]

Hey, big slug! I want to introduce my wiper motor to yours! Maybe they will get friendly and produce one that works as intended. My '69 top 'o the windshield unit makes me dizzy, it goes so fast. Seems like it's gonna throw the wiper off the arm any second.
Any thoughts out there on why so fast and what to do about it? Doesn't seem to be an over-voltage issue.
Thanks.

 

[Bigslug]

I do like the "old-world charm" of my slow ones. . . (A big part of my enjoyment in typing this Post comes from typing your name Big Slug)

There's Olde Worlde Charme in not being able to see? DUDE! THAT'S dedication!

Just so long as you visulize Bigslug as a large bullet and not a large mollusk, we'll get along fine.