Some info on Early Wiper Motors

[swilson]

I never installed my wipers after finishing my build/restoration. I'm finally getting around to it now. I did a lot of searching around MUD but couldn't find info on wiring early OEM motors (stamped TNK) without the factory harness. So here's what I learned today tearing early wiper motors down on my work bench, and a little bit from reading other threads here. If you think I'm wrong about any of this, speak up. I don't claim to be perfect.

First off early wiper motors are single speed... no High & Low speeds. They are not synchronized. Your left and right wiper may run at different speeds... just be happy they're running They have an internal switch that when working properly will allow them to 'park' all the way to one side when you switch the wipers off.

Early wiper motors are no longer available from Toyota and are hard to come by used. If yours are not repairable there is an aftermarket wiper motor that looks very similar. LINK #1 LINK #2 Biggest downside is they park the wipers to the left instead of the right, putting the parked wiper blade right in your vision as you're driving.

I couldn't find a clear answer on whether early OEM (TNK) motors were switched positive or negative. I spent some time with my early wiper motors on the work bench today to figure it out. The motors I had to work with were a pair from a 1966 FJ40 and a pair from a 65 or 66 FJ40. I found the 'S' terminal is actually positive (+) switched power. If you ground the (-) terminal and put 12V on the (+) terminal the motor will run just until the wiper is in the parked position... or if it was already in the parked position it will do nothing.

If the internal switch for parking the wiper is stuck, it will also do nothing. In the 4 motors I worked on today, all the internal switches were stuck. A little penetrating oil and working the switch back and forth got them working again. Then putting +12V to the S terminal causes the motor to run until power is removed. Once removed from S, the motor will run just until back in the parked position.

Two out of four of the motors were completely seized. I put power to the S terminal and absolutely nothing happened. I took off the motor cover and everything looked normal. I opened the gear boxes and found the gears covered in 48 year old brown grease that acted more like concrete to the gears.

Rather than pulling all of the gears out I attempted to clean them in place. I scraped out what grease I could and then sprayed penetrating oil all over the gears and turned the motor by hand. It takes a lot of patience having to turn the motor by hand for several minutes until the gears had turned enough to get the oil moved around. You'll feel the motor get easier and easier to turn. When I first started I nearly couldn't turn it at all. After getting the gear box cleaned out really well I put power to the motor again... this time it ran like a champ.

So... don't give up on the wiper motor if it doesn't work when you first put power to it. It might just need some new grease!

Tomorrow I'll pick up a light weight grease to coat the gears in. Then I'll button them up and put on a fresh coat of paint.

I'll also take a few photos to show what the internals look like and were the internal 'park' switch is located if its useful to anyone.

 

[Okie joe]

I did the same thing about two weeks ago. Two other things I found out.

1. If the motor try's to park but then starts again. The little brake on the motor is hitting the side of the aluminum cap and preventing the brake from engaging. Lightly bend out the housing in that area. And it will park fine. I think this is due to wear on the small friction pad.


2. There are wiper motors that look identical but are mirror images of the one for fj40's. I think they must have been used on a different model or they are meant for the left and right sides. Don't know

 

[nuclearlemon]

went through annies motors last april.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-group/680945-little-orphan-annie-11.html#post8444755

posts 211 and 212

 

[swilson]

I finished up my wiper motors today and took photos to help anyone about to tear into theirs, especially for those less mechanically inclined that might be nervous about opening up their wiper motors.

The wiper assemblies have two sides. The side covered by the thin metal over (which is stamped TNK) is the motor side. The opposite side is the gear side, and has the portion that actually goes through your windshield frame where the wiper attaches.



All the gear boxes I opened had varying quantities of grease in them. One had just slightly more than what was needed to coat the gears... At the opposite end of the spectrum was this one.



I started digging out the grease with a screw driver. Then used brake parts cleaner and Qtips to clean the rest. The 'park' switch is on the left, protruding over the large gear slightly. In the above photo the gearbox is in the parked position. (which the arm attached to the large gear contacts the switch) If this switch is gummed up (like all of mine were) it will stick in and not be able to make contact with the arm.



This is the other end of the park switch where it moves the copper contact.



I lightly coated the gears in a light weight grease... and greased the park switch too.

 

[swilson]

I didn't do much on the motor side. Mostly just cleaned the inside of the cover and lightly wiped down the motor. Here's some photos of how things are supposed to look. Make sure the cover goes back on with the drain hole on the bottom side!



The black part with the copper strip riveted to it I believe is a friction brake. The copper strip needs to be tucked in the position it is in the photo. One of my motors had the strip not tucked in there and it wasn't able to park correctly. The switch was working, so it tried to park, but the momentum of the motor was enough to carry it past the parked position, so it would keep running. After I tucked the copper strip into place like I found my other motors the friction brake was working, which slowed the motor and let it park correctly.

 

[swilson]

A little primer and paint and they're new again.

 

[seth]

Reviving an old thread here, as I work on my wiper motors for the Dirtbag FJ40 — and find something surprising...

The motors hang down “below” the windshield line, not centered like my other early FJ40 motors, which “center” on the windshield frame. Here’s both motors for reference. Oh, and before you say “just rotate them”, it’s not that. Notice that the wire connections should be on the left, regardless of where the motor sits.

Here’s what came on Dirtbag:

And here’s how the motor from my other 1965 FJ40 sits in the same spot and wiring position:

And here’s a look at the guts of both sets: The Dirtbag set on the left (early-64 left hand drive FJ40 FST) and the set from my late-64 left hand drive FJ40 FST on the right. Notice the difference?

Here’s a closeup of each. The left first:

And the right:

The shaft position is different on both sets, and if you look at the guts, the gears are also set up differently, so it’s not as simple as just rotating the backplate around.

Has anyone seen this before? This truck is so original that it’s safe to assume the factory put a set of right-hand drive motors on my left-hand drive car?!

What are your thoughts?
-Seth

 

[middlecalf]

Makes sense if the RHD wire harness - specifically the wiper harness - is flipped from LHD rigs, which I have no clue. Maybe John @pardion has an idea.

 

[Bear]

Seth,

There were two different motors thru the general period till October 1967, with some used until the mid-seventies: the "standard" motor usually seen on LHD US-imported trucks that park on the RH side when viewed from inside the truck (85110-60030); and a similar but reversed version (85110-60010) usually on RHD trucks that park the blade on the LH side. To understand each other clearly it's necessary to determine "inside" vs "outside", LH vs RH as a driver would sit..

The wiring terminals on the installed 60030 are located on the LH side of the mounted motor, those on the 60010 are on the RH side. Motors were mounted with the anti-rotation arm on the bottom and the bulk of the motor above it. There are usually captive nuts in the upper windshield frame to accommodate either style. Note that while most parts are identical, certain internal parts are the reverse of each other and not interchangeable.

You'll notice several ways these motors can be configured. Most often two of the same motor are used to park the blades away from the driver's position. Some trucks will have one parked outer LH and the other parked outer RH. All this assumes your motors and wiper arms are mounted and operate correctly.

You're fortunate to have both style motors and can open them up and compare the layout.

Hope this helps.

 

[kash]

What are these worth now ?

 

[middlecalf]

So what does one make of a LHD early ‘63 FJ45 that only has one captive nut in windshield for each wiper located to the right of the wiper positions, has the original wire harness that only reaches to the left of each wiper position, and thus the wipers (TNK) hang down like Seth’s dirtbag wipers? Residual paint on wipers matches the original Seminole Red paint of the rig. @Bear?

(park is therefore to the left for each wiper. L & R references from inside the cab looking at the windshield)

 

[Bear]

@middlecalf ,

Since you tagged me: Part of the LH/RH confusion comes from where you're standing(sitting actually). Viewed from sitting in the driver's seat, the motor as originally installed has its anti-rotation arm near its bottom lowest point, with the main bulk of the motor above it against the windshield frame, not hanging down over the glass. On the opposite side of the motor are the three electrical contact tabs. The drain opening on the motor cover should be at the bottom of the motor with the "TNK" logo readable correctly.

Most trucks seemed to be delivered with matching motors: either both LHD motors or both RHD motors.

Fifty years later, things get moved around: Because owners sometimes had difficulty finding the correct replacement motor for their truck, they would install the opposite motor(s), upside down. Similarly, sometimes windshield frames were swapped-out and the incorrect motors were installed. Sometimes owners didn't like the parked position of the blade on their glass and swap motors. And some trucks are seen today with one of each style motor, each parked to the outer edges of the windshield.

The original wiring looms for the trucks come up from the bottom of the windshield frame, along the upright edge of the frame, and then along the top frame edge toward the motors. LHD truck looms use the LH frame edge; RHD trucks use the RH edge.

While most of the trucks had captured nuts allowing anti-rotation arms to be installed on either side of the motor, depending upon either LHD or RHD use, likely some of the earliest trucks came with only one way to mount its motors and only one captured nut per motor.

My understanding of the TNK motors from 1958-October 1967 used by Toyota:

85110-60030
terminals on the LH side
anti-rotation arm on the RH side
blade/arm parks to the RH side

85110-60010
terminals on the RH side
anti-rotation arm on the LH side
blade/arm parks to the LH side.

Could Toyota have avoided the confusion with a differently designed motor adjustable for either LH or RH use--perhaps.
Being a RHD country, offering a different motor to position the wiper arm not directly in your face for LHD countries, does address the issue.
Accounting for what users will do after 50 years of use wasn't part of the original equation.

Hope this helps; it is my understanding.

 

[middlecalf]

Just wondering why the original painted ones on my LHD ‘63 are apparently for a RHD rig.

@kash if in good shape and are the correct orientation (LH/RH) for the buyer you should be able to get $300-$500 for a set. Of course, some will ask $500+ apiece. And they won’t really work like they should.

 

[kash]

What Year are they from

 

[65swb45]

@kash , have you seen even ONE post illustrating a factory wiper motor with a switch ON THE MOTOR?