Wiper motor removal and replacement

[ngaritj]

If this is a HZJ75 or similar, remove the top wiper arm cavity panel and leaf traps, remove the four bolts on the motor, ease it away from the cavity gently and undo the nut and split washer (No 11 spanner). Get a sst separator to split the motor rotor driver from the wiper arm assembly. You may need to slide the bonnet back out of the way to achieve this, depending on the tool. There are three alternative tools that will do this... to my knowledge. They are cheap, so get one before you start the job. One is like a bearing remover, another like a shoe horn with a forked end, and the other uses a bolt thread to put pressure on the rotor shaft end. Once this is removed you can wriggle the wiper arm assembly out of this hole just enough to be able to raise the other end out of the sky-facing space and withdraw it from the vehicle, Chuck it, but first remove the end plate, which you will need to reattach the new arm to the motor rotor. It's a neoprene/grease ball press-fit and will snap off. Connect this to the new wiper arm assemble. But, before you do this, clear obstacles from the motor and operate the wiper switch to interval mode, just long enough to almost complete a cycle. This sets the rotor into the correct position for installation. The rest is a reversal of removal.

 

[HAAANK]

After sleeping on it, I figured it out. Once the motor is detached from the firewall, you can manually move the wipers up the windshield. This moves the linkage so that you can deliver the joint between motor and linkage through the service port without trying to perform endoscopic surgery in a deep dark hole. Once the joint is delivered through the service port, you can get a good handle (and view) on things and pop out the ball without detaching the nut and losing your wiper park position. I used a flat head screwdriver which I insinuated between the motor arm and bushing. I just rotated the flat head, and the ball popped out.

Just swapped mine and your tip made it a 1 banana job. THANKS!

 

[barkingsands]

After sleeping on it, I figured it out. Once the motor is detached from the firewall, you can manually move the wipers up the windshield. This moves the linkage so that you can deliver the joint between motor and linkage through the service port without trying to perform endoscopic surgery in a deep dark hole. Once the joint is delivered through the service port, you can get a good handle (and view) on things and pop out the ball without detaching the nut and losing your wiper park position. I used a flat head screwdriver which I insinuated between the motor arm and bushing. I just rotated the flat head, and the ball popped out.

In addition to accessing the joint through the port; push the rubber jacket covering the joint then pry the joint from the inboard side (the thick side of joint's plastic socket). This will cause the ball to compress the outboard split side of the socket allowing it to pop out.

 

[barkingsands]

Another learning point, my intermittent function only worked at one constant speed. The problem was in the motor not the stalk or its relay. The motor has a designated park contact for the intermittent function, if that contact goes bad the wiper reverts to one constant speed when set to intermittent.

 

[Neuner]

Thanks for this postings, it was a huge help for me. Knowing about the little angled catch on the wiper arm and the ball joint was a huge save.

Ours had a nut on the end of the arm. I think it's important as with the tapered design, the arm could work itself off even if it's seated properly so if it doesn't have one, it should be replaced.

I had to use my bearing splitter to remove the arm with a "POP" which worked very well.

Took a photo of the arm position for the new one and it works well except it will not automatically return if turned off during mid-wipe. I'll post in another thread for this issue.

 

[keerolee]

Thanks a lot for the instructions, i was able to replace the wiper linkage easily with these!