Wiper Motor Juddering FIX

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
With thanks to permission of Keith and James Pemberton for there how to guide:

I have been having the juddering problem with my wipers, and decided to have a go and sort it out myself. After reading James instructions below which are spot on. Only a couple of points to add, the wiper blades are a pig to get off a pal lent me a removal tool which made it simple. take a look here at one:

http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&productid=10565

To grease the spindles properly remove the "C" clip, just pop it off with two small drivers, and disassemble but cover with a cloth when removing as you will be amazed where it fly’s to. Took me 15 min to find one. Don't worry about too much grease in the ball joints as any excess will just squirt out of a breather hole.

I took some pics of the procedure:

WIP1.jpg

WIP2.jpg

WIP3.jpg

WIP4.jpg

WIP5.jpg

WIP6.jpg

WIP7.jpg

WIP8.jpg

WIP9.jpg

WIP10.jpg

WIP11.jpg

WIP12.jpg

WIP13.jpg


Removing the wiper and overhauling
  1. Remove the plastic trim caps from the nuts on the bottom of each wiper arm
  2. Undo the 13mm nut at the bottom of each wiper arm.
  3. Prior to removing the wiper arms note their rough position and use either a pencil or some tippex to mark the position of the arm relative to the mechanism (this will make it easier to put them back in the right position).
  4. Remove both wiper arms
  5. Next you need to remove the plastic scuttle trim at the base of the windscreen to expose the mechanism, to do this simply unscrew all the fixing screws holding it in place. Note do not fully undo (loosen off only) the 3no. Screws which sit more or less across the middle of the cover as these hold a series of fixing clamps in place so they only need to be loosened sufficiently to slide the trim off.
  6. Once the trim is free move it out of the way, I don't bother to fully disconnect the washer hoses, it'll move enough anyway.
  7. Next you will need to remove the drivers side scuttle trim which surrounds the right hand wiper mechanism I think there are three screws and you'll need to jockey it out as it is a fairly tight fit.
  8. The wiper mechanism will now be in full view. It's held in place by 3no. 10mm bolts. Undo these and disconnect the power cable to the motor.
  9. Remove the mechanism in it's entirety.
  10. Once on the kitchen table or you work top of choice you will notice the motor itself is shrouded by a rubber cover gently fold this back out of the way.
  11. This will expose the body of the motor and the control/gear housing. This is a circular housing, the top of which is covered with a white plastic top, you will need to separate this from the motor to be able to get at the control contacts.
  12. To do this firstly undo the screw securing the cable to the housing and then gently prise each of the retaining clips from around the edge of the housing.
  13. You should now be able to lift of the plastic top.
  14. Once open you will be able to see the wiper motor gear with it's electrical pickup tracks exposed and on the underside of the plastic cover 3no. Contacts.
  15. Firstly inspect the electrical pickup tracks for pitting or any other signs of arcing. If there is any gently polish out if possible using a mildly abrasive polish (solvo-autosol) or wire wool (be careful not to get bits in the mechanism grease if you use this)
  16. Note: Despite my blades shuddering badly in the past it's never resulted in particularly obvious pitting or wear on the electrical pickup tracks.
  17. What I generally do next is give the gear/housing a good clean and re-grease if needed.
  18. Clean the electrical pickups on the underside of the gear housing, I've previously used fine sand paper and even a small wetstone to ensure they are even and free of pitting.
  19. Gently bend the contacts up to ensure good contact.
  20. Once you've done this replace the housing lid, ensuring all the securing slips are engaged and secure the cable again.
  21. What I do next is to clean and regrease/oil all the linkages. It's surprising how much muck the joints can accumulate over time.
  22. I would normally take each of these apart individually to clean and re-lube, but do what ever your comfortable with. One word of warning the ball joint cups are actually easily removed but they can get brittle with age so go steady.
  23. Once you're done then the mechanism can be replaced in the reverse order of the above.
 
Last edited:

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Fantastic Conaero! Great co-operative work!

P
 
Last edited by a moderator:

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Hi guys,
My wipers seem to have decided to have a hissy fit after the snow. When I turn my wipers on now they don't work at all until they get to the fastest setting -then they work just fine. If I reduce the speed, even down to intermittent, they continue to work (at the lower speeds) for 2 or 3 sweeps, before getting stuck and stopping ususally halfway across the windscreen. A quick flick of the wiper stalk down to fast sets them going again, but inevitably it means the only reliable setting I have is super fast, which for light rain is very annoying!. Does this sound like a problem that'll be fixed by the clean described above (which I'll try anyway) or something else?
Cheers
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Chris, I would say yes, just use the guide above, liberal use of WD40 and special attention to the contacts. What has probably happened is a bit of water has got in and corroded the contacts, plus moving large amounts of snow will also put strain on the motor, so check the motor bushes.
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Forgive the ignorant question, but what sort of grease do i need to regrease the ball joints? My wife's on the way home and will pop in to Halford's to get some if i can tell her what i need! Anyone?
 

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
CS, am sure if your wife tells them what its for they will oblige, alternately phone Marios at Autoshield or Emblem, they will help out over the phone.


P
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Cheers P,
Have just rung Halfords myself, and they've recommended some all purpose stuff. They said I shouldn't use that for the electrical contacts in the gear though, just the ball joints. Have got the whole thing apart following the instructions above - they're very good! No steps are missed out. Only problem is that one of my no. 10 bolts holding the whole mechanism in must have previously been replaced with a screw headed bolt which has sheared clean through as I tried to remove it (and that was 30 mins after a liberal dose of wd40). Aaaaarggh.
 

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
...yeah, theres always one awkward bolt/screw........and usually theres a look of complete surprise on your face when it all goes to plan!

Hope you get the rest of it done to plan.


P
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Well, I've done the fix, and they're still the same. Looks like a new motor for me I think. Add to that my sheared off bolt and not a very succesful day yesterday really...
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
David Askew has the whole wiper motor assembly for £90 + VAT (eurospares £200+), so I'm going in that direction I think!
 

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Not bad........hopefully fitting the whole thing doesn't take too long......:)....maybe do a few pics too?


P
 

cowsurgeon

Junior Member
Messages
354
Will do, although there's not much that isn't covered by the pics above really...
Cheers for the moral support P!
 

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
No probs CS......when you expend so much time and energy and now extra dosh.....not much fun....am in same position myself with my handbrake!


P
 

conaero

Forum Owner
Messages
34,593
Its the same motor as the Alfa GTV, worth checking.

I have just checked Alternative Autos and its £219 plus VAT so no cheaper.
 

RSM Masser

Member
Messages
2,437
With thanks to permission of Keith and James Pemberton for there how to guide:

I have been having the juddering problem with my wipers, and decided to have a go and sort it out myself. After reading James instructions below which are spot on. Only a couple of points to add, the wiper blades are a pig to get off a pal lent me a removal tool which made it simple. take a look here at one:

http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&productid=10565

To grease the spindles properly remove the "C" clip, just pop it off with two small drivers, and disassemble but cover with a cloth when removing as you will be amazed where it fly’s to. Took me 15 min to find one. Don't worry about too much grease in the ball joints as any excess will just squirt out of a breather hole.

I took some pics of the procedure:


View attachment 324


  1. Remove the plastic trim caps from the nuts on the bottom of each wiper arm
  2. Undo the 13mm nut at the bottom of each wiper arm.
  3. Prior to removing the wiper arms note their rough position and use either a pencil or some tippex to mark the position of the arm relative to the mechanism (this will make it easier to put them back in the right position).
  4. Remove both wiper arms
  5. Next you need to remove the plastic scuttle trim at the base of the windscreen to expose the mechanism, to do this simply unscrew all the fixing screws holding it in place. Note do not fully undo (loosen off only) the 3no. Screws which sit more or less across the middle of the cover as these hold a series of fixing clamps in place so they only need to be loosened sufficiently to slide the trim off.
  6. Once the trim is free move it out of the way, I don't bother to fully disconnect the washer hoses, it'll move enough anyway.
  7. Next you will need to remove the drivers side scuttle trim which surrounds the right hand wiper mechanism I think there are three screws and you'll need to jockey it out as it is a fairly tight fit.
  8. The wiper mechanism will now be in full view. It's held in place by 3no. 10mm bolts. Undo these and disconnect the power cable to the motor.
  9. Remove the mechanism in it's entirety.
  10. Once on the kitchen table or you work top of choice you will notice the motor itself is shrouded by a rubber cover gently fold this back out of the way.
  11. This will expose the body of the motor and the control/gear housing. This is a circular housing, the top of which is covered with a white plastic top, you will need to separate this from the motor to be able to get at the control contacts.
  12. To do this firstly undo the screw securing the cable to the housing and then gently prise each of the retaining clips from around the edge of the housing.
  13. You should now be able to lift of the plastic top.
  14. Once open you will be able to see the wiper motor gear with it's electrical pickup tracks exposed and on the underside of the plastic cover 3no. Contacts.
  15. Firstly inspect the electrical pickup tracks for pitting or any other signs of arcing. If there is any gently polish out if possible using a mildly abrasive polish (solvo-autosol) or wire wool (be careful not to get bits in the mechanism grease if you use this)
  16. Note: Despite my blades shuddering badly in the past it's never resulted in particularly obvious pitting or wear on the electrical pickup tracks.
  17. What I generally do next is give the gear/housing a good clean and re-grease if needed.
  18. Clean the electrical pickups on the underside of the gear housing, I've previously used fine sand paper and even a small wetstone to ensure they are even and free of pitting.
  19. Gently bend the contacts up to ensure good contact.
  20. Once you've done this replace the housing lid, ensuring all the securing slips are engaged and secure the cable again.
  21. What I do next is to clean and regrease/oil all the linkages. It's surprising how much muck the joints can accumulate over time.
  22. I would normally take each of these apart individually to clean and re-lube, but do what ever your comfortable with. One word of warning the ball joint cups are actually easily removed but they can get brittle with age so go steady.
  23. Once you're done then the mechanism can be replaced in the reverse order of the above.

Just a hint here - be careful when removing the spindle from the arm with the dome shaped plastic bit - there is a small lug on the reverse which sticks through the arm, stopping the nut from turning on its own and the wiper becoming detached its visible in picture 8 above, it will only do this;
1 When its raining
2 When you have removed and refitted the whole thing at least three times by the road side - in the rain
3 Got fed up with the sniggers from passing motorists who stare at your beloved Italian supercar - with the bonnet up
4 Only happens to drivers side - the passenger side is not exempt from the problem but you can drive home without a passenger wiper, so it wont break, the other one will.

Good news is it can be repaired with careful drilling of a small hole and a strategically placed wire
 

rs48635

Member
Messages
3,181
RSM Masser
Good advice re: WIP8.jpg

Had my original unit out last night to check out process, AND refit drivers side arm that had "popped off". Been driving (occasionally) for the last 2 weeks praying for dry weather.

I have a 2nd motor and rack at home ready to fit tonight to cure my judder.Not sure if I should overhaul the new unit first. Maybe just clean up all the tracks? Does it need any lube in there?

QUESTION
How can I make the best watertight seal at the bottom of my windscreen?

My 3200 has a one piece cover (unlike that pictured), with the rubber seal attached to the cover rather then glued to the screen. There does seem to be a strip of glue along the bottom edge of the screen.
Would rubber solution (from puncture repair kit) be a good idea?