Windscreen wipers packed up

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:03 am

Well got ELLE back from the auto finishers yesterday with the bonnet work completed and she looks gr8. A closing remark from the guys was that the windscreen wipers were not working and as the washer was not working prior to it going in, I assumed the problem was related.

After some ivestigation work last night the fuses are fine, the washer problem appears to be the pump as with a voltmeter on terminal and someone operating the switch from inside it's reading 12V.

Anyone had any experience fault finding the wipers

Post by **Heuer** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:43 am

What kind of wiper motor is fitted? I have experience of the square shape DL3 and DL3A.

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:00 am

David,
Not sure the model but here is a photo insitu in the car:

Post by **Heuer** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:54 pm

That is the later motor (Lucas type 15 I believe) and works is much the same way as the DL3. Problem with these is the gearbox grease turns as hard as wax and that, along with insufficiently greased wiper rack can cause the motor to stall and possibly burn out. Looks like it has not been serviced/restored recently so I think you need to remove it from the car and dismantle. Clean out all the old grease, repack the gearbox, lubricate the bearings and bench test. You may find the brushes are worn and worth replacing. It is unlikely the windings will be damaged otherwise you would have been reporting a burning smell and smoke! Whilst the motor is off check the wipers for free play and lubricate the rack pivots, joints and spindles. You can access the rack through the centre console although space is limited. Be careful not to damage or move the park switch which is on the rack itself.

Things to be mindful of:

1. Before loosening the retaining screws you need to disconnect the actuating arm from the rack, via the centre console. The attachment is a ball joint and this is secured with two spring C clips. These need to be gently pivoted away to allow the arm to drop free. Make sure you do not break or loose these clips as they are difficult to get. Best to put a cloth in the aperture below the rack to catch one if it falls free because if it does you have no chance of retrieving it. Normally they stay attached to the actuating arm ball socket but better safe etc.

2. Do not attempt to unscrew or adjust the actuating arm as you will lose the park and ride settings.

3. Getting the wiper motor actuating rod out while attached to the motor is a bit of a struggle but as long as you are gentle it should be OK. You can move the wiper rack position to help ease things if necessary.

4. Installation is the reverse procedure.

5. There should be a gasket between the motor mounting plate and bulkhead so take care not to damage it. Replace if necessary.

6. SNG will sell you an reconditioned exchange unit if the windings are shot or you are unsure about doing the work yourself.

7. Disconnect the battery before starting work.

Did this recently on my car, although it was a DL3A motor. Good luck!

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:07 pm

Thanks as usual David for the great advice. I spent an hour this afternoon checking the electrics. Switch was working okay and reaching the connector at the motor assembly. Removed the inspection plate on the front of the gearbox and indeed the grease looks like bees wax. I will follow your instructions and report back.

Thanks again :)

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:20 pm

Removed motor this morning and stripped it down. Hand powered the wipers, tried also running the motor with no load. Internally all the worm drive and gear looks fine.

The following two pictures show the bushes and although worn they appear to be okay. The second picture shows the armature which I've tested with a ohmmeter (across commutators to spindle) and this is showing open circuit as it should. So I guess I'm baffled :? , the only other component on the motor is the limit switch but I assume if this was faulty it just wouldn't stop at the park position.

Post by **Heuer** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:37 pm

To be clear - does the motor run on the bench with 12v+ on the red/green and earthed through the body? Not familiar with this motor and I do not have a a S2 wiring diagram. Is the limit switch on the gearbox or on the wiper rack?

andyp · Post by **andyp** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:52 pm

And if it does run on the bench worl out a way of putting some load on it. What runs fine with no load can soon complain if loaded.

It might not be in the spirit of things but my inclination would be to go for an exchange unit.

Andy

Shaguar · Post by **Shaguar** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:05 am

UPDATE
Tried running the motor on the bench and it was fine, reconnected the limit switch and again applied 12V and again ran okay. Retested the connector and this time put the voltmeter across the supply on the connector. Previously I had used a part of the car body for earth. It transpires it was a faulty earth on the connector and I discovered that the earth lead had been disconnected during the recent bonnet work :x

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice on this one, even though I feel a little embarassed

I guess one positive is I know the in and outs of the 15W Lucas wiper motor now and saved myself ?68 (cost of replacement from SNG Barratt).

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:29 am

Well done on two scores - the satisfaction of rebuilding the motor yourself and you are now the forum expert on the 15W!

andyp · Post by **andyp** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:27 pm

Well done Shag. It's a lucky wiper motor. I would probably have binned it!

Andy

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
	Hide post links

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
	Hide post links

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
	Hide post links

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
	Hide post links

Link:
BBcode:
HTML:
	Hide post links

The 'E' Type Forum

Windscreen wipers packed up

#1 Windscreen wipers packed up

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11