Exciting driving experience

[daved]

Flying down the A45 this morning in the lashing rain and I heard a slight bang and one wiper went one way and the other the other way looking like a Russian gymnast doing the splits (I was going to be rude with that simile but changed my mind) I investigated in a lay-by and found that the two wiper arms had come off the motor and that they attached behind the motor between it and the bulkhead. It couldn't have been the otehr way to facilitate running or economical repairs could it?

I then had to drive the next ten miles on a dual carraigeway with two months of rain falling and spray everywhere

God alone knows how motorcyclists cope. The only part of the windscreen that I could see out of was the little bit at the top where the wipers don't touch! I intended to stick to the inside lane but the outside was clearer of spray so I bombed along there and made it OK.

The Wolf is booked in to Clifton Lane this afternoon and the man on the phone said there was a mod for the wiper motor.

Cheers

Dave

[Dark Knight]

Unlucky - but aleast you got to where your going

Lets just hope the rain eases off later for you!!

[Nick]

Similar thing happened to me after the last Oxford meet, except mine fell off in macdonalds car park! still it was an interesting couple of miles home.
I fitted the Mike Satur replacement linkage, it's LOADS better then the crappy original, worth checking it out, it's around £60 IIRC

[daved]

Thanks Nick but it is an emergency so won't have time for Mike's kit. I can't have the car unavailable as the B is off the road and Moria needs the Avensis. So it is off to Clifton Lane at 2 o'clock..................if I can see out the windshield!

[Dark Knight]

Thanks Nick but it is an emergency so won't have time for Mike's kit. I can't have the car unavailable as the B is off the road and Moria needs the Avensis. So it is off to Clifton Lane at 2 o'clock..................if I can see out the windshield!

put the top down sit on a box and look over the winshield!!!! you can then become a HCHDC member and see....

or tie some string to the wiper and put it through the drivers window giving it a pull every now and then when you cant see too well any more!!

[Rich]

... The Wolf is booked in to Clifton Lane this afternoon and the man on the phone said there was a mod for the wiper motor ...

That's bad luck Dave... Just when the worst of the rain hits!

I had mine go a couple of years ago. It's not the motor that needs modding, it's the linkages that are totally cr4p. The ball joints pop out of their sockets and the flimsy arms do bend after a while if the linkage movement gets stiffer. I suspect that Clifton-Lane will strip the linkage, clean it up, regrease the joints and get it working that way. That's what I did to fix mine. The worst bit of it all is getting the whole assembly in and out of the car. The price we pay for a compact two-seater sportscar with all these mod cons!!!!

Mike Satur's revised design is much better, but unless yours in unserviceable, not really worth the dosh he charges for it. A similar kit is also available from MGF Centre and Brown & Gammons but again, the price is prohibitive when you actually see what you're getting...

Rich.

[uk kiwis]

Dave.

The guy on the phone at Clifton is Brian, he used to be the parts manager at Phoenix and has a good knowledge of 'F's, very helpful guy. Had that wiper problem myself in a 'Jappa', middle lane, motorway, NZ, rush hour Tropical downpour. Could'nt see a thing, Very very exciting!

[daved]

Just got back and it's all fixed. Rich it was indeed the ball joints and he had a mod that they fitted. I didn't think to ask where he got it. It took some drilling and he was on about removing the circ clips and lugs and replacing them with something stronger. £52 for the mod and £45 fitting. Not bad I thought.

Funny enough, he was just finishing an F with the same problem when I arrived

Now I have a question. The passenger side wiper sops at the far end of its arc at the place against the bottom of the windscreen where it used to, but on its backward arc it stops right in front of my eyes. I don't remember it doing that before. Where does everyone else's stop?

You are right Dave and he said you were very much a gentlemen too. And Rich who he says is in four times a month

[Guest]

Bad luck Dave, I had it happen to me on the dual carriageway last year. It is the crappy plastic joints on the wiper linkage, and a common problem. I was fortunate and had some string in the car, so I tied it onto the wiper and then through both windows and back round to the wiper so I could still work it and see where I was going!!! I ended up getting the improved linkage from Rimmers on a next day and sorted it myself. I probably should have posted some instructions for anyone else that has the prob. Glad you've got it sorted though.

[Rich]

... And Rich who he says is in four times a month

Yeah, he's not in all the other times I visit!

I regularly drop in just for a chat though, not because I have loadsa problems. It's great to see what's come in and how problems are dealth with. It helps when people ask me about stuff. I can point them in the right direction... usually a visit to Clifton Lane!

Recently, I had Martin check out my exhaust before I wasted any money on buying a new one. He jacked the car up as high as he could get it on the hydraulic ramps and gave the underside a good poking about. The worst part of it all was I was still in the car and it felt far from safe. Not an experience I wish to repeat!

Having said that, I also picked up our latest member, Seb, at the same visit...

Rich

[daved]

Thanks Stu but I needed it fixed today so would have just booked it in anyway.

Rich, don't be so defensive he didn;t say anything about the car being in................just you

So what about this question then. I noticed you studiously (there's a good word!) ignored it. The passenger side wiper sops at the far end of its arc at the place against the bottom of the windscreen where it used to, but on its backward arc it stops right in front of my eyes. I don't remember it doing that before. Where does everyone else's stop?

Have we got an SMS Tech Rep? Maybe we should have and then we might get some timely advice and not get ignored. I vote for Ally

[Rich]

... So what about this question then. I noticed you studiously (there's a good word!) ignored it. The passenger side wiper sops at the far end of its arc at the place against the bottom of the windscreen where it used to, but on its backward arc it stops right in front of my eyes. I don't remember it doing that before. Where does everyone else's stop?

Nobody wants to go outside in the rain and look! I know I had to adjust mine to get the windscreen sweep right, and that they park themselves near enough at the bottom of the screen, but my Rover 200 was a different story. If I adjusted the wipers to park at the bottom of the windscreen, they would bang against the stops when in use, so I had to adjust them to further up. Stewart knows how to adjust them when they do that, but I would have thought Clifton Lane would have done all the necessary adjustments for you...

Sorry I can't help more!

Rich.

[Nick]

When I replaced my mech I had to do some adjustment to the cam position on the back of the motor (it's a pig to get at once it's all been refitted) as my wipers seemed to be trying to clean my bonnet!
I also had to move the wiper on its spindle 1 notch - easy to do.
After I'd refitted everything back in place it took about an hour of adjustments to get it all set up as I wanted it.

TBH I'd take it back to Cliffton Lane for any adjustment, as you've paid 'em to do the job anyway.

[daved]

Thanks guys. I would take it back but only after confirming that the sweep is coming too far over the driver's side.

[uk kiwis]

Sticking my neck out a bit here but...

I cannot believe a manufacturer can build a modern car with less than satisfactory wipers in this day and age. Never heard of wiper failure in any other type of car. I did have regular problems with a 1969 Marcos we owned some time back though. It used to lay its wiper blade on the bonnet quite often, usually at speed in driving rain. Great car though!

[Rich]

That's what happens when a car is developed on a small budget and with a huge parts bin! The wiper motor is a prime example as it's the same one used in the Rover range, but mounted upside down... and that leads to other problems like the motor falling to bits because it fills up with water and disintegrates! I've had that before, and the motor got very noisy before it finally ceased. So let that be a warning. There is a fix for this and it involves drilling a small drain hole in the base of the motor. If you start to get a weird noise from yours, get it sorted before it's too late!

Rich.

[uk kiwis]

Shared knowledge is the point of a group such as ours is it not? Thanks for the explanation Richard.

I will listen out for any 'grinding 'noises from the wiper department now, not sure I am brave enough to drill a hole though!

Just pray for fine weather I guess!

[Rich]

Shared knowledge is the point of a group such as ours is it not? Thanks for the explanation Richard.

That's why it's always best putting any problems up on here before you fly off to the garage. You could save alot of money in labour costs by having situations diagnosed on the forum by people who have often experienced similar problems.

Rich

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