3 Speed Wiper motor Repair

[david hill]

Has anyone done a 3 spd wiper mtr rebuild. Are parts readily available and from where. Factory service manual doesn't address this. Thanks.

 

[Welder guy]

windshield wiper motor rebuild

 

[Big_John]

Don't use Passion 4 Mopar.

Example: Passion 4 Mopars | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile

BEWARE: Kim Passion For Mopars

and on and on.

 

[Welder guy]

Yikes that sucks

 

[stubs300]

I dissected a trashed one a long time ago just so see if I could without a lot of $$ of effort as I really didn't need it. The big white gear was so dry rotted was the biggest problem. It's a simple motor, if everything's in good shape and works now. It's mostly a clean up old gunky grease, clean contacts, check wiring, re-grease and put it back together. If you've done a starter or alt rebuild, you can do it. It's the outside case that's hard to make look good like new. Good Luck

 

[bigmoparjeff]

I'm doing one right now. I took some pictures of the process, but not in super-detail. Maybe I'll post it when it's done if I have enough pics to make it worth while.

Jeff

 

[3175375]

I'm doing one right now. I took some pictures of the process, but not in super-detail. Maybe I'll post it when it's done if I have enough pics to make it worth while.

Jeff

Good on you! I believe that you should post the pics you have when done with steps of how. It will be beneficial, even if not complete .

 

[halifaxhops]

They are pretty easy as stated above. The only place I have seen instructions are in the Prestolite manuals which I have if needed a scan. You do have to watch how they are clocked when put back together.

 

[david hill]

They are pretty easy as stated above. The only place I have seen instructions are in the Prestolite manuals which I have if needed a scan. You do have to watch how they are clocked when put back together.

If you could do that it would be a great help. The clocking and reassembly Info would be a great help. Thanks

 

[halifaxhops]

Send me a pm with the Prestolite number and the mopar one, got to keep these alive!
Ray

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Looks like I don't need to post any photos. I came across this today.

I don't recommend taking the windings out of the motor housing if you don't have to, or removing the contact from the switch plate.

Also, I haven't been able to find a source for the fiberglass covered wire that goes into the motor housing. Still searching for that item.

1969 Imperial progress thread

Jeff

 

[david hill]

Looks like I don't need to post any photos. I came across this today.

I don't recommend taking the windings out of the motor housing if you don't have to, or removing the contact from the switch plate.

Also, I haven't been able to find a source for the fiberglass covered wire that goes into the motor housing. Still searching for that item.

1969 Imperial progress thread

Jeff

Thanks for the link Jeff. Everything I need to know is in this thread link. I can't thank you enough for this info. Looking forward to you post.

 

[41indian]

D&M Restoration

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Greenville, SC 29615

Click here for a local map

Phone: 864.254.9989

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Fax: 864.254.9980

Email: Support@DandMRestoration.com

Please include your phone # for quicker reply and faster service!

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Thanks for the link Jeff. Everything I need to know is in this thread link. I can't thank you enough for this info. Looking forward to you post.

Well, it's certainly been a while since I was on this thread. I actually just finished the subject wiper motor last weekend. I didn't document the process as well as I would have liked to, but hopefully there's enough here to help out those interested in taking on this task.

My motor didn't come out as nice as I would have liked. Not having new fiberglass insulation for the motor wires made things a bit of a hassle and my splices ended up right where the wires come out of the housing. I had to run two of the wires out through the drain hole, since there wasn't enough room for all the splices in the hole for the wires. It won't be a big deal on this car, since the motor is mostly hidden. I'm going to have to PM Julian to see where he got his insulation from. I also messed up and painted the motor end plate faux gold cad when it should have been faux silver zinc.

Though Julian says that rebuilding one of these motors is child's play, I'd say that it's a finicky process that can end up with broken parts if you make one or more of many possible mistakes.

Here's our patient for the wiper rebuild. As you can see from the back it has a shaker hood....

and a two speed wiper motor.

Correct. It did not come from the factory that way. When the current owner bought the car it had an aftermarket intake and solid motor mounts, so the 2 speed motor wasn't an issue. Both of those items have now been removed and replaced with stock parts. One solution to the problem is to cut a clearance notch in the shaker base, but the owner decided to spend the coin and do it right.

A friend of mine had the correct part number, 1970 E body motor in his collection of goodies, though it was in pretty rough shape. Before starting the disassembly process, be sure to note the position of the switch plate indexing tab. This determines where the wiper arms will park.

The wire insulation on this motor is shot and it's going to have to come apart. If your motor still operates fine and the wires are good, you could probably just clean up the outside and repaint things. They really don't get all that bad inside. Or you could pop the motor cover, polish the commutator and put a bit of grease on the shaft end, then pop the switch plate and add some grease to the gears. If you're going for that new motor look, then it's probably best to take it apart. Good soldering skills are required for this project. There's a very delicate switch on the back side of the switch plate. If you put too much heat to the soldered connections on the plate, it will ruin the temper of the switch contacts and your switch plate is now junk. I found that out the hard way. I've left a trail of destroyed wiper parts on my journey to wiper motor rebuild enlightenment.

If your wiper motor already works fine, all the components should be good. If like me, you're working with an unknown motor, you'll need to inspect some things. First is to check continuity through the park switch. Mine was no good and required the contacts to be cleaned. Second is this guide ramp on the gear. If it's broken like this one, the motor likely won't park. You'll need a new gear. It's also very easy to break this gear the first time you fire up the motor. More on that later.

Here's one of the finicky parts: this wire that goes through the motor down to the brushes. For the life of me I couldn't get the wire unsoldered from the brush holder. Turns out that the wire is spot welded on. Just cut it and solder it back on later. I really wanted to replace that wire but it's stuck inside the winding wrap. Note the paper insulator between the wire and housing. It's there to insulate the tiny wire you can barely see that goes from one winding to the other.

You can see that the insulation is failing right up to the point where the wires go into the winding wrap. Even though the wires looks bare, they actually have a clear insulating coating on them. In order to splice onto these wires, the coating has to be removed. Best bet would to get new fiberglass sleeving and just recover the wires.

Here's the disassembled motor, along with my wiring notes.

Assembly will have to wait till tomorrow, as I just realized that I never took photos of the finished product, along with some other detail shots.

For cleanup, the motor parts got doused with electrical cleaner and the gearbox went in the parts washer. The delicate inside areas were masked off and the motor housing, switch plate, and gearbox were bead blasted. The commutator was polished with red Scotchbrite.

I initially thought it a bad idea to remove the guts from the motor housing, but now I think that's the best way to go. I have tried multiple times in the past to remove the screws that hold the windings and magnets to the housing with absolutely no luck. I'm going to have to sacrifice a motor to see what kind of nastiness it takes to get those screws out. I'll need to get some new bits for my impact driver first before I attempt it.

Jeff

 

[3175375]

Well, it's certainly been a while since I was on this thread. I actually just finished the subject wiper motor last weekend. I didn't document the process as well as I would have liked to, but hopefully there's enough here to help out those interested in taking on this task.

My motor didn't come out as nice as I would have liked. Not having new fiberglass insulation for the motor wires made things a bit of a hassle and my splices ended up right where the wires come out of the housing. I had to run two of the wires out through the drain hole, since there wasn't enough room for all the splices in the hole for the wires. It won't be a big deal on this car, since the motor is mostly hidden. I'm going to have to PM Julian to see where he got his insulation from. I also messed up and painted the motor end plate faux gold cad when it should have been faux silver zinc.

Though Julian says that rebuilding one of these motors is child's play, I'd say that it's a finicky process that can end up with broken parts if you make one or more of many possible mistakes.

Here's our patient for the wiper rebuild. As you can see from the back it has a shaker hood....
View attachment 416483

and a two speed wiper motor.
View attachment 416484
Correct. It did not come from the factory that way. When the current owner bought the car it had an aftermarket intake and solid motor mounts, so the 2 speed motor wasn't an issue. Both of those items have now been removed and replaced with stock parts. One solution to the problem is to cut a clearance notch in the shaker base, but the owner decided to spend the coin and do it right.

A friend of mine had the correct part number, 1970 E body motor in his collection of goodies, though it was in pretty rough shape. Before starting the disassembly process, be sure to note the position of the switch plate indexing tab. This determines where the wiper arms will park.
View attachment 416485

The wire insulation on this motor is shot and it's going to have to come apart. If your motor still operates fine and the wires are good, you could probably just clean up the outside and repaint things. They really don't get all that bad inside. Or you could pop the motor cover, polish the commutator and put a bit of grease on the shaft end, then pop the switch plate and add some grease to the gears. If you're going for that new motor look, then it's probably best to take it apart. Good soldering skills are required for this project. There's a very delicate switch on the back side of the switch plate. If you put too much heat to the soldered connections on the plate, it will ruin the temper of the switch contacts and your switch plate is now junk. I found that out the hard way. I've left a trail of destroyed wiper parts on my journey to wiper motor rebuild enlightenment.
View attachment 416487

If your wiper motor already works fine, all the components should be good. If like me, you're working with an unknown motor, you'll need to inspect some things. First is to check continuity through the park switch. Mine was no good and required the contacts to be cleaned. Second is this guide ramp on the gear. If it's broken like this one, the motor likely won't park. You'll need a new gear. It's also very easy to break this gear the first time you fire up the motor. More on that later.View attachment 416486

Here's one of the finicky parts: this wire that goes through the motor down to the brushes. For the life of me I couldn't get the wire unsoldered from the brush holder. Turns out that the wire is spot welded on. Just cut it and solder it back on later. I really wanted to replace that wire but it's stuck inside the winding wrap. Note the paper insulator between the wire and housing. It's there to insulate the tiny wire you can barely see that goes from one winding to the other.
View attachment 416489

You can see that the insulation is failing right up to the point where the wires go into the winding wrap. Even though the wires looks bare, they actually have a clear insulating coating on them. In order to splice onto these wires, the coating has to be removed. Best bet would to get new fiberglass sleeving and just recover the wires.
View attachment 416490

Here's the disassembled motor, along with my wiring notes.View attachment 416492


Assembly will have to wait till tomorrow, as I just realized that I never took photos of the finished product, along with some other detail shots.

For cleanup, the motor parts got doused with electrical cleaner and the gearbox went in the parts washer. The delicate inside areas were masked off and the motor housing, switch plate, and gearbox were bead blasted. The commutator was polished with red Scotchbrite.

I initially thought it a bad idea to remove the guts from the motor housing, but now I think that's the best way to go. I have tried multiple times in the past to remove the screws that hold the windings and magnets to the housing with absolutely no luck. I'm going to have to sacrifice a motor to see what kind of nastiness it takes to get those screws out. I'll need to get some new bits for my impact driver first before I attempt it.

Jeff

Great work!

In cleaning up some of the parts, would an ultrasonic cleaner do better?

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Great work!

In cleaning up some of the parts, would an ultrasonic cleaner do better?

Probably not. They aren't all that dirty to begin with, and due to the cloth-based wrap on the windings in the motor housing, you wouldn't want to soak that in a water based cleaner. Since I've never owned an ultrasonic cleaner, I'm assuming that the cleaning liquid is water based. I was watching something on YouTube where the ultrasonic cleaner was the way to go, but now I can't remember what it was. At the end of the video I was thinking that I was going to need to buy one, so it was related to things I do. Well, hopefully it'll come back to me some day.

Jeff

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Time to put it back together.


I recommend using Julian's trick to use small wire ties to hold the brushes in for assembly. See his thread for that. Lower bushing gets a light coat of grease. Armature goes into motor housing, and end plate gets installed.

You can see in this shot that my splices ended up in a bad spot. Didn't take a photo of next step, which is installing the gear with some fresh grease.

New rubber grommets came from McMaster Carr. The kits on eBay contain the thicker bushings for 2 speed motors.

Instructions for installing the gear must be followed exactly or the gear and or switch plate may be destroyed. I think these instructions may be in the 1971 and newer service manuals.

Lever on switch plate must be seated against stop. Push in direction of arrow. The switch plate in this photo is on a different wiper motor. You can see that there is a problem where the switch contacts meet. The stationary contact needs to be rotated clockwise slightly so that the contacts are parallel.

Finished product. The wire harness was in decent shape, so I reused it. The connector housing is new and came from Mega Parts. Some motors have a red-oxide like paint over the switch plate wiring, but this one did not.

The motor housing was painted with Eastwood's golden cad kit, followed up with a coat of their Diamond Clear. Looking back, I could have gone a bit more heavy on the red and green tints.

Motor installed in car.

Install the motor in the car without the linage hooked up. It may not be necessary, but I think it's best to make sure the first thing the motor does is run in the forward direction. Turn the wiper switch on before turning on the key. As soon as it powers up, it should be running in the forward direction. After it goes around for a while, you can turn the switch off to see if it reverses direction and parks. If something goes wrong, this is the time it;s going to wipe out the guide on the gear. If the wiper doesn't park, or runs real fast backwards, you nay have a bad or dirty switch or bad ground on the switch. Once the motor is parking properly, you can attach the linkage and run it through it's paces. If all goes well, the wiper arms can go on to finish the job. During this process, the entire wiper linkage should have come out so that the pivots and transmissions could be lubricated. I can guarantee that they are dry as a bone and maybe even partially seized up.

Jeff

 

[66 heavycruiser]

Hi all,

Just found rhis thread. I recentlt bought a 72 Newport sedan, and am getting after the little problems. Wipers dont park, looked into it and the guide ramp on the wiper motor gear is wiped out. Are there replacements out there?

Awesome thread, btw!

Thanks!
Sean

 

[jmustian]

Well, it's certainly been a while since I was on this thread. I actually just finished the subject wiper motor last weekend. I didn't document the process as well as I would have liked to, but hopefully there's enough here to help out those interested in taking on this task.

My motor didn't come out as nice as I would have liked. Not having new fiberglass insulation for the motor wires made things a bit of a hassle and my splices ended up right where the wires come out of the housing. I had to run two of the wires out through the drain hole, since there wasn't enough room for all the splices in the hole for the wires. It won't be a big deal on this car, since the motor is mostly hidden. I'm going to have to PM Julian to see where he got his insulation from. I also messed up and painted the motor end plate faux gold cad when it should have been faux silver zinc.

Though Julian says that rebuilding one of these motors is child's play, I'd say that it's a finicky process that can end up with broken parts if you make one or more of many possible mistakes.

Here's our patient for the wiper rebuild. As you can see from the back it has a shaker hood....
View attachment 416483

and a two speed wiper motor.
View attachment 416484
Correct. It did not come from the factory that way. When the current owner bought the car it had an aftermarket intake and solid motor mounts, so the 2 speed motor wasn't an issue. Both of those items have now been removed and replaced with stock parts. One solution to the problem is to cut a clearance notch in the shaker base, but the owner decided to spend the coin and do it right.

A friend of mine had the correct part number, 1970 E body motor in his collection of goodies, though it was in pretty rough shape. Before starting the disassembly process, be sure to note the position of the switch plate indexing tab. This determines where the wiper arms will park.
View attachment 416485

The wire insulation on this motor is shot and it's going to have to come apart. If your motor still operates fine and the wires are good, you could probably just clean up the outside and repaint things. They really don't get all that bad inside. Or you could pop the motor cover, polish the commutator and put a bit of grease on the shaft end, then pop the switch plate and add some grease to the gears. If you're going for that new motor look, then it's probably best to take it apart. Good soldering skills are required for this project. There's a very delicate switch on the back side of the switch plate. If you put too much heat to the soldered connections on the plate, it will ruin the temper of the switch contacts and your switch plate is now junk. I found that out the hard way. I've left a trail of destroyed wiper parts on my journey to wiper motor rebuild enlightenment.
View attachment 416487

If your wiper motor already works fine, all the components should be good. If like me, you're working with an unknown motor, you'll need to inspect some things. First is to check continuity through the park switch. Mine was no good and required the contacts to be cleaned. Second is this guide ramp on the gear. If it's broken like this one, the motor likely won't park. You'll need a new gear. It's also very easy to break this gear the first time you fire up the motor. More on that later.View attachment 416486

Here's one of the finicky parts: this wire that goes through the motor down to the brushes. For the life of me I couldn't get the wire unsoldered from the brush holder. Turns out that the wire is spot welded on. Just cut it and solder it back on later. I really wanted to replace that wire but it's stuck inside the winding wrap. Note the paper insulator between the wire and housing. It's there to insulate the tiny wire you can barely see that goes from one winding to the other.
View attachment 416489

You can see that the insulation is failing right up to the point where the wires go into the winding wrap. Even though the wires looks bare, they actually have a clear insulating coating on them. In order to splice onto these wires, the coating has to be removed. Best bet would to get new fiberglass sleeving and just recover the wires.
View attachment 416490

Here's the disassembled motor, along with my wiring notes.View attachment 416492


Assembly will have to wait till tomorrow, as I just realized that I never took photos of the finished product, along with some other detail shots.

For cleanup, the motor parts got doused with electrical cleaner and the gearbox went in the parts washer. The delicate inside areas were masked off and the motor housing, switch plate, and gearbox were bead blasted. The commutator was polished with red Scotchbrite.

I initially thought it a bad idea to remove the guts from the motor housing, but now I think that's the best way to go. I have tried multiple times in the past to remove the screws that hold the windings and magnets to the housing with absolutely no luck. I'm going to have to sacrifice a motor to see what kind of nastiness it takes to get those screws out. I'll need to get some new bits for my impact driver first before I attempt it.

Jeff

That's my wiper motor too. So there was no spring on that metal piece that looks like a claw? Mine just flops around