Passenger wiper not moving

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quicker

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Guys,

Anyone have any experience with failures in the front wiper transmission?

My passenger wiper isn't moving. 09 LTD MAX

The linkage (silver) coming from the motor is still moving. but the wiper isn't moving and I can move the wiper freely through the motion by hand without issue.

See image below. Does the linkage ever break at the wiper arm/pin? If so is this repairable? I can't get the plastic cowl cover off to see as my wiper is stuck on the shaft.

Thanks


wiper trans.jpg
 
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crector080862

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I seen this happen a few times the bolt that holds the wiper arm on comes loose or strips out

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mjp2

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Happened to me. You can pull the cowl plastics and get creative with some zip ties for a temporary fix but you'll be back in there again in 6 months.

You'll end up breaking clips so go ahead order these ahead of time: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OCTUG8/

The real fix is to order and install the whole wiper assembly. Thankfully it's a relatively cheap part.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0080B3Z44/

As for installation, it's seriously some voodoo. The engineering that went into making sure it can be slid into place is beyond me, but it does somehow fit. To say it's fiddly is an understatement. Pay very close attention to the orientation of the existing assembly when you manage to remove it because the new one has to go in the same way. I didn't, and the 20 minute job took me 2 hours of twisting and turning and pushing and cursing.

Seriously, it's only a 20 minute job if you can quickly figure out how the assembly slides into the cowl. It comes out and goes in from the driver's side of the truck.
 

mjp2

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Does the linkage ever break at the wiper arm/pin? If so is this repairable?
Oh, and to answer your actual question, it's not a serviceable piece. It's molded rubber that wears out and causes the linkage to disconnect. It should be serviceable, but it's not.
 

bobmbx

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Oh, and to answer your actual question, it's not a serviceable piece. It's molded rubber that wears out and causes the linkage to disconnect. It should be serviceable, but it's not.
What you mean to say is "you'll need to scour your junk drawer for parts that will make it work"
 

mjp2

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What you mean to say is "you'll need to scour your junk drawer for parts that will make it work"
It's built kinda weird. Ball-and-socket type of joint, where the socket is a rubber cup that wears out. Rubber-injected in this case makes no sense. Had they used PTFE like in a spherical uniball it would have held up beyond the life of the truck.

One permanent-ish solution would be to drill a hole through the ball and the cup that it goes into and use a small bolt with a nylock to hold it together while still allowing some play as it twists.

A better option would be to cut the end off the socket piece, weld (or cut threads) a rod end on there, drill out the ball end, and assemble with a bolt.

Regardless, it's a PITA, and all of those options are made infinitely more difficult if the repair is attempted with the assembly still in the truck. Also, that fix is x2 because the other fitting is sure to fail soon.

I try to factor in the value of my time where many of these repairs are concerned, and $120 + an hour or two is worth it to me for a fix that should get me through another 150k miles.
 
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1955moose

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Can you imagine how guys/girls wiggle it in while the Suv is moving down the assembly line. Theirs probably an important piece that gets put on later. It amazes me how they shoehorn parts into an area that should have had 4-6 more inches to work with. But they do, and it will get worse. The year 2025, you'll have to take off the front bumper, to check your coolant. By then the coolant will be lifetime stuff, at $100.00 a gallon! Wonder what color it will be?

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quicker

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thanks guys. I bought the new transmission (and motor assembly). Good tip on the clips also as I broke every one of those damn things.

One tip I found on a youtube video was to remove the hood shocks and stand the hood straight up or carefully lay it back on the windshield. This allows the whole transmission to slide right out the drivers side. Very quick exchange if to move the hood out of the way.

Thanks again.
 

Escalante

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Need some HELP with a similar issue here.

Recently the passenger side wiper quit working. After some troubleshooting and inspecting the set up, I found the linkage on the passenger side came off. Looks like this is common due to wear on the ball/socket joint. No way it can be repaired unless you buy the complete transmission set.
Got the replacement set up in rockauto.com. Took 2 hours to replace it. All good until I turned the wiper motor on.
Works well when it moves from side to side. When it is in intermittent mode, the wipers park in the middle of the windshield.
Now, every time I start the engine, the wipers move and they park in t the middle of the windshield even if the wiper switch is OFF. Turn motor to constant running, then turn off, wipers park in middle of windshield.
Not sure if I have to reset something in the motor or the motor itself is not good anymore.
Any ideas out there on what's happening???
 

Kjhawkeye1

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Just replaced the wiper linkage with the same issue. Had help and briefly unbolting the hood from the bracket so. I could twist it into place. Nearly impossible to install otherwise. Works perfectly again.
 

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