Volvo Wiper Motor Replacement for 75 to 78ish FJ40 (1 Viewer)

[YODA 88 62]

Used the thread below to guide me through the process of replacing my wiper motor on a 1975 FJ40 after finding melted contacts in the motor. Below is a more detailed account of the process. Thank you to those who made the first thread happen.

Wiper motor from a Volvo into a 75 FJ40

I'm on the last stage of my build and was looking at re-installing the wiper motor. Decided to take the motor a part to check its condition (was giving me issues before I parked it) to find out one of the brush holder is completely gone :( Wasn't sure what I was going to do, seeing that the...

forum.ih8mud.com

Parts:
2000-04 Volvo S40 Wiper Motor $150 rebuilt from Rock Auto
14g GXL multi color wire kit from Remmintion, 25 feet each of 6 colors $52 on Amazon
Heat shrink connectors-Wirefy Kit Amazon
Heat shrink tubing-Automotive
Step down butt connectors-CE Auto Electric Supply
Electrical tape
High temp wire loom 1/4” and 3/4”- Amazon
Electrical Automotive Connector Kit $20 on Amazon
Large wiper motor cover and gasket-$99 from Spector Off-road

Tools:
Crimpers, regular and terminal crimpers for connector kit
Wire stripper
Butane Torch
Soldering Iron or use the torch
Needle nose pliers
Small gear puller
Vise grips

It started with no function at all from the wiper motor or washer fluid motor. And naturally, the knob set screw was not budging even after being soaked with penetrating oil due to corrosion within. The knob broke off and the switch was disassembled. Corroded contacts were very obvious. A new switch was ordered. The motor was disassembled and melted plastic containing the contacts was found. No replacement parts are available.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Next steps….

Remove the defrost panel. Pull the old motor shaft using a small gear puller. I picked up a 2.5” gear puller on Amazon. Make sure to keep the puller centered or it will wallow out and bend the stock wiper connection. Use vice grips keep the puller tight on the wiper connection.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Obtain your Volvo Wiper Motor. Use your step down connectors to connect the stock wires with the new red and green GXL wire. Properly crimp, solder the connectors, and protect with heat shrink. The new wire can be cut around a foot long in case of mistakes.

Next you will solder the assorted colored GXL wires on to the motor. Red and green go on the stock locations.

Red - High Speed 2
Green - Low Speed 1
Blue - 12V
Yellow - 12V
Black - Ground

Test your wiring. Add the plug terminals and use a jumper wire like the red one pictured. This 12V jumper will be tied into the built harness and shown later.

This wiper motor looks to park using 12 volts instead of ground in the Toyota wiring.

Break the top wiper motor connectors using needle nose pliers (lots of bending without twisting) and cut the plastic away from the top leaving a plastic buffer from the wiper motor cover.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Note: the ground wire needs to be run to a better ground than the windshield frame. Mine will run back to the battery ground.

Build the Harness:

-1st section -
Cut 40 inches of each wire: green, red, blue, yellow.
Attach the terminals for the connector that will be used for the wiper motor.
Insert into the connector.
Wrap the wires with loom.

On the other end of the loom, crimp on heat shrink female connectors that will attach to the switch on the green, red and yellow wires. ***Crimp a step down connector on the blue wire.
Create a 5 inch short blue wire and add a female heat shrink connector.

-2nd section-
Cut an additional 40 inches of blue wire.
Properly connect the blue wires as pictured. The second 40 inches will go to the stock wiper fuse. Wrap this with 1/4” loom.

Remove and/tie back the stock wiring.

Put the new harness in the dash.

Sorry for the unfinished harness pictures.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Connect and install your switch using the following pictures with letters for wire color. Use the shorty, blue wire for this connection.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Fuse panel connection:
Disconnect your battery if you haven’t already. Should’ve been step 1.

Locate the long black section of your fuse panel. Find the solid blue wire and remove it.

Cut the old connector off until you find clean copper. It was likely corroded. This small, blue wire will run the washer fluid motor using the stock connector that is at the front of the stock switch.

Using a step down connector connect the blue wire to the old blue wire on the large end. Then run a new 3 inch section of blue GXL wire a terminal that will fit the stock fuse connector.

Pictured is a bad idea with the old wire. It could have melted and possibly fried the stock harness. Use the new, bigger wire. Mine has been changed out.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Wiring should be complete and buttoned up after another check of function.

Attaching the motor:
The small stock wiper cover does not fit the new motor. A plastic one from SOR almost fits. Comparison below.

 

[YODA 88 62]

****This next steps will be updated when I figure it out. Just putting the steps down while every thing is fresh in my brain*********


I have fit and drilled out the holes in the stock plate. I created a motor connection bracket using the same hole distance as the stock brackets. I ground off the back of the stock ball and welded it to the new bracket. The new bracket had to be ground down since it was hitting the base of the windshield frame. Also, pictured is the stock arm on the new motor which didn’t work due to the hole being wallowed out.

When reassembled, I found the defrost duct to be hit by the longer motor shaft. It was easily clearanced by heating up the plastic and mashing it down. Not pretty.

 

[YODA 88 62]

I’m now deciding on how to mount the wiper cover. The motor still got a decent stick out on with the larger cover. May create something out of cutting board and use the new stock gasket and gasket that comes with the plastic wiper cover.


There seems to be an additional clunk based on where the shaft is located. I located it it close to dead center of the old one. I might try to adjust the clunk out or not worry about it since this 40 will likely not see much driving in the rain. With some better positioning of the motor on a new plate the clunk could be minimized. It was minimized with just a slight movement away from the linkage (moved to the passenger side). How much clunk is in a stock motor?

 

[samatulich]

Nice work.
I did the same a few years ago. Wipers have been flawless ever since.
I used the stock wiper cover off a 78(?) and newer 40. It’s larger than the ‘76 one. It lined up with two of the factory screw holes and I used a riv-nut for the thirds screw. The 4th hole lined up with a bend in the windshield frame, I didn’t want to risk fouling things up, so I settled for 3 of 4 screws to hold the cover down.
Again, great write up.

 

[graham5david]

Great write up

 

[YODA 88 62]

Nice work.
I did the same a few years ago. Wipers have been flawless ever since.
I used the stock wiper cover off a 78(?) and newer 40. It’s larger than the ‘76 one. It lined up with two of the factory screw holes and I used a riv-nut for the thirds screw. The 4th hole lined up with a bend in the windshield frame, I didn’t want to risk fouling things up, so I settled for 3 of 4 screws to hold the cover down.
Again, great write up.

Thank you. I’ll take a look at how you did yours. Nut-serts are awesome and huge time savers in the future.

 

[YODA 88 62]

Finally got around to the last step.

I used the stock cover and hammered out the necessary space needed to fit the motor within the cover and use the stock mounting holes. It’s a patina rig, so I couldn’t put the black cover on there. The hammered cover adds a little more character. Might add a screen at the bottom to dissuade dirt dobbers from creating a home in the cover. The bottom is open like stock.

I used a 1/2”ish thick rubber gasket left over from a bed topper along with the original gasket. I had some left over metric Chevy bolts that were 18mm and 24mm long. A 20 mm bolt should do the job and does not interfere with the wiper arms inside. It may interfere if using the larger cover and new mounting holes. It would be a great application for nutserts/rivet nuts.

I also extended the ground to run to a junction near the battery. Prob around three to four feet of wire. Learned a new trick to thread a new wire through existing loom. Dip the first couple inches of wire in dielectric grease and insert into the loom. Slides all the way through with way less obstruction.

Fitment of your covers will vary.