I tried to use my wipers when there was a lot of snow and ice on the windshield. The result was that I could hear the little motor running, but the wipers didn't budge. Once I got the ice cleared off, I found that I could readily move the wipers (they moved together); they weren't held still by the motor.
I opened the hood, and removed the little access panel that's about 4" square, right up next to the windshield on the driver's side. Following the lead of another video I saw online somewhere, I made a video recording on my cell phone, sticking the camera down inside the panel. It made a nice recording of the arm on the motor going round and round, but the linkage arms not moving. It also showed a bent linkage arm.
I removed the wiper arms by popping the plastic cap off each, and removing the nut with a 14mm socket. The arms were then still stuck on. I pulled and wiggled them a lot, and eventually borrowed a pulley-pulling tool to apply more outward force, and wiggled and pushed and pulled more. I would be careful about pulling too hard, it might be possible to break the arms. I don't know if others will find the arms stuck on so hard. I'm not sure that tool really helped.
Getting the arms off was the hardest part of all of this.
I opened up access to the motor and linkages by removing the plastic access panel that runs the width of the car, right next to the windshield. The other little square access panel (passenger side) just sort of fell out.
I had to remove
- two push-in button clips (one on each end of the panel). I used a panel clip removing tool (a specialized little prying tool), but they came out easily, I expect you could do it with a screwdriver; and
- about four slide-on clips along the length of the panel (grab them with pliers and pull towards the front of the vehicle).
- the panel is then sort of tucked in to to the bottom of the glass, I had to pull and wiggle it to get it loose. It then just lifted out of the way. There is a separate plastic piece at each end that runs up along the glass about 6", those came out with the panel and sort of fell loose.
That let me see the motor and linkages. Sure enough, one linkage was bent, and the plastic connector at the end of the arm had popped loose from the motor arm.
I removed the whole linkage and motor assembly by taking off three bolts with a 10mm socket. I also had to disconnect an electrical connector by squeezing the little clip part, it then pulled off easily. This gave me access to put a couple of big pairs of pliers on the linkage arm, and bend it straight again. The connector then easily popped back onto it's mating half on the wiper motor arm.
I reversed all this:
- reconnected electrical connector.
- put motor and linkages back in place, bolt in with three 10mm bolts.
- slide access panel back in place so that it's nestled properly with the glass.
- put the button clips back in at either end.
- slide the four sliding clips back on.
- replace the two 6" pieces that run up the sides of the glass.
- replace the two little square access panels.
- put the wiper arms back on and replace 14mm nuts.
- replace plastic covers over the nuts.
Total time: about an hour. Total cost: $0.
I'll try to add pictures. I wanted to get this out there without getting hung up getting pictures to upload.
I opened the hood, and removed the little access panel that's about 4" square, right up next to the windshield on the driver's side. Following the lead of another video I saw online somewhere, I made a video recording on my cell phone, sticking the camera down inside the panel. It made a nice recording of the arm on the motor going round and round, but the linkage arms not moving. It also showed a bent linkage arm.
I removed the wiper arms by popping the plastic cap off each, and removing the nut with a 14mm socket. The arms were then still stuck on. I pulled and wiggled them a lot, and eventually borrowed a pulley-pulling tool to apply more outward force, and wiggled and pushed and pulled more. I would be careful about pulling too hard, it might be possible to break the arms. I don't know if others will find the arms stuck on so hard. I'm not sure that tool really helped.
Getting the arms off was the hardest part of all of this.
I opened up access to the motor and linkages by removing the plastic access panel that runs the width of the car, right next to the windshield. The other little square access panel (passenger side) just sort of fell out.
I had to remove
- two push-in button clips (one on each end of the panel). I used a panel clip removing tool (a specialized little prying tool), but they came out easily, I expect you could do it with a screwdriver; and
- about four slide-on clips along the length of the panel (grab them with pliers and pull towards the front of the vehicle).
- the panel is then sort of tucked in to to the bottom of the glass, I had to pull and wiggle it to get it loose. It then just lifted out of the way. There is a separate plastic piece at each end that runs up along the glass about 6", those came out with the panel and sort of fell loose.
That let me see the motor and linkages. Sure enough, one linkage was bent, and the plastic connector at the end of the arm had popped loose from the motor arm.
I removed the whole linkage and motor assembly by taking off three bolts with a 10mm socket. I also had to disconnect an electrical connector by squeezing the little clip part, it then pulled off easily. This gave me access to put a couple of big pairs of pliers on the linkage arm, and bend it straight again. The connector then easily popped back onto it's mating half on the wiper motor arm.
I reversed all this:
- reconnected electrical connector.
- put motor and linkages back in place, bolt in with three 10mm bolts.
- slide access panel back in place so that it's nestled properly with the glass.
- put the button clips back in at either end.
- slide the four sliding clips back on.
- replace the two 6" pieces that run up the sides of the glass.
- replace the two little square access panels.
- put the wiper arms back on and replace 14mm nuts.
- replace plastic covers over the nuts.
Total time: about an hour. Total cost: $0.
I'll try to add pictures. I wanted to get this out there without getting hung up getting pictures to upload.
