V70 rear wiper issues + solution

[Paul Grimshaw]

Thanks for the thread! My wiper had the identical problem and I've just stripped it all down, cleaned it, re greased and reassembled it. All working fine now.

It seems that the fundamental problem is water getting down the main shaft causing corrosion and stopping the motor from working the gear mech, causing burnt out motor and stripped gears.

My motor btw has a 'made in Czech Republic' sticker on it.

2004 face lift V70 T5 ex-plod, 175k.

[RM955I]

Can anyone show me where the spray nozzle locates please.....the damned thing sprung out and I don't know where it sits.

Sorry - worked it out and had it confirmed by another member. Ignore the question

[RM955I]

I've just stripped and re-built my wiper motor - the problem was not the gears but a built-up of crud binding the shaft to the housing.

For anyone interested I stumbled upon some info on t'internet where a guy was adamant that his mate worked in a place where they recondition wiper motors and the like and they use this stuff (below) on the shaft and cogs which as luck would have it I happened to have in the garage. I also put an external o-ring on the shaft between the wiper and the glass - can't hurt.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/s...egoryId_228374

[moffmeister]

Imagine my incandescent joy this morning on stripping down my motor to find that our friend the white toothed wheel has lost his teeth....

Cue £157 for new motor off Ebay (Braydon Motor Co.)

[foggyjames]

It's typically a two-stage process - first the shaft corrodes to the housing. Then, when it has continued to be used while labouring, the gear strips. Sounds like you caught it in time, RM!

I still have a near-complete motor available, without (stripped) white gear, in case anyone needs parts.

cheers

James

[RM955I]

As soon as it started to play-up I removed mine: you just know the internals will be made out of the same chocolate as the HU850 CD changer

[mirizlivpor]

As others have said - great write-up and thank you very much, OP!

My wiper acts kinda strange - it won't move when I switch it on and I hear the clicking sound (more like drilling a wall if you ask me ), but if I help it by swiping the blade manually, it returns alright by itself. Basically works only on the way back. I followed the instructions in the OP and took it apart. It was nasty! I could never imagine so much dirt can go in what appears to be a sealed unit - I got my hands dirtier than when changing my spark plugs! Anyway, I couldn't remove the "axle" part form the plastic housing - it would move an inch, but that was about it. I left the nut and hammered it, but I couldn't take it out. Cleaned everything as much as I could, but it could be much better. The white wheel looks alright in general, only I couple of "teeth" here and there seemed a bit shaved, but there was still some groove in between, enough to make sure it'll spin. Bummer though - cleaning didn't help. I still get the same behavior - won't go right unless I help it, but returns left alright. I didn't touch the motor because I thought it's OK since the wiper moves at least in one direction and I'm not sure that I can do anything with the motor anyway. I don't have a measuring tool to check the amperage as OP did, so I'm now clueless as to what could be the cause of this strange behavior. Any hints will be appreciated.

[RM955I]

You probably need to soak the shaft in WD40 or even better PlusGas until you can remove it, clean the housing thoroughly and grease the shaft. Ideally you then need to ensure that the hinged armature thingy is moving freely and to grease it. Also check the back of the white gear where there are contacts which provide the timing for the wiper action.

If you can move the shaft an inch it's probably just a case of squirting lots of PlusGas and wiggling the housing from side to side whilst pulling up.....I reckon you're not far off getting the shaft out.

[mirizlivpor]

Well, I did spray some WD40, but I didn't soak it I was somewhat afraid if it wouldn't drip too much and soak the contacts you mention. I'll definitely give everything a good cleaning and greasing should I manage to take it apart. I wasn't able to move a thing even with pliers ... I'll give it another try when I have some free time because it's well annoying not to have a working rear wiper. On top of that, my windshield wipers work fine, except in the fastest mode - they just freeze instead! I guess I get no love from the wipers

Thanks for the advice.

[RM955I]

Don't worry about the contacts - they're pretty robust and pressed into the back of the white gear so you can always clean it up later. The grease I used was Halfords red Teflon bike grease which seems to work well and was mentioned in an internet search I did.

I had to use a lot of penetrating oil and I also tapped the shaft with a rubber mallet until I could start to wiggle the shaft free. Luckily I also have a small Aldi ultrasonic cleaner which was great for cleaning the assembly.