C Class 1998 wiper problem
 

I have a 1998 C Class. Yesterday the wiper stopped mid cycle (in a rainstorm at 70 mph!). The car has a single wiper fitted to the front. These wipers describe a strange arc as they as pushed upwards about 1/3 of the way into the cycle and then pulled down about 2/3s in.

The point at which the wiper stopped is exactely at the point where it is pushed out.

On stopping the car I was able to play with the wipers and reset them. On starting them again they stop at exactely the same spot - with a little push they go past this point but always stop at this point. Each time I can hear the motor straining until it some sort of safety cut out comes in.

The garage I took it to are not entirely sure what the problem is.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Have you tried lubricating the wiper mechanism?
There is a small cover at the end of the wiper just before the wiper motor. Lift this up and you should see the shaft. Clean it and then put some grease on it. Hope this is your problem and it will help.

I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum.:) The search feature here is very good. It should be the first stop when trying to resolve a problem. Having said that, it may be as simple as lubricating the two rods the mechanism rides on. They are right under the large black plastic cover. After releasing the cover, with the wiper stopped in the middle, they are easily oiled(a little ATF works well).

Good luck, Dan

Thanks for the feedback. I've tried lubricating the rod which is directly at the bottom of the wiper blade and this has not helped. I will take off the large back cover and see if lubricating this will do the trick

Many times the plastic gear that guides the shaft will BREAK & that means a new gearing!

Hi M.B.DOC!!

Since you have joined this thread maybe you can give me some of your genious to help my 1998 C230 wiper problem. I am not trying to hijack the thread but maybe there is some relationship (or maybe not). Anyway, mine "skips" on the return path when it is about at 10:00 O'Clock to the drivers view. Even if I fold the arm "up" away from the glass it still jerks at this point. It has nothing to do with the blade. I have tried every kind of grease, spray and oil on the 2 guides under the cover. Nothing makes any difference. I assume I have to pull the whole mechanism out. What will I find? What causes this?

Thanks,

Mike

THe system has "lots" of torque! IF the gearing starts to seize & doesn't have enough lube then that horse-shoe shaped gear can crack.
VERY common problem on the c-class. ON previous cars with that system MB had a split contract....Bosch OR SWF. very low failure rate....But on the W202 C-class the complete contract went to SWF & the failure rate went WAY up!

In those instances where it does crack does this mean that the whole mechanism needs to be replaced or do MB supply individual parts?

No parts... complete gearing...MB 202-820-07-07...

where is this horse shoe shaped gear located? under the top black cover or under the rubber rain guard?

my 1993 did this and replaced with an ebay 1988 mono wiper that is different and does not act right (goes slow and high speed does'nt work). the cover is metal instead of plastic and i can not get it to come completely off. on my 1993 the cover is a 2-piece that pops off and is separate from the shaft, on the 1988 it is a 1-piece including the shaft with 1 screw underneath.

M.B.DOC, Have you (or anyone) ever seen this "jumping blade" symptom I describe? I have searched the site off and on for over a year and also posted about it a few times and I cannot find any other references. Only a few people with blade related problems which is not what I have as I said. It is a Seattle car so I know the wiper mechanism has a lot of "miles".

Mike

My Question to this post is how can others like myself prevent the gearing from going?

All you can do to minimize the risk ( or extend it's life, whatever you prefer ), is keep cleaning & lubing the mechanism on a regular basis. ;)
" Ordinary " wiper mechanisms eventually wear out too, if you keep a vehicle long enough.

I think the trouble seems to be the "horse shoe gear" which must be on the back side. I have lubed the two "guides" on the top side and that doesn't help me. I don't know what else to try. I guess I have to pull the whole thing. In Seattle that means the end of July.

Mike

M.B.Doc. is right.
 

Trust me on this, I took my wiper motor apart (gears section) after it stopped doing the full cycles. I discovered the cheap worn plastic gear and almost had a seizure. What did they think??? Putting a plastic gear against a smaller brass like material gear.

I am not a engineer but I could have figured that one out. Here in Canada, we sometimes have 6 inches of snow on the car or the wiper simply sticks to the winshield in ice.

Picture this; the night before, you go party and come back with the wipers on intermittent because it is snowing. You forget the wiper on and the day after, you start the car, the wiper starts going up and before you know it, it strips the plastic gear. Those Canadians you'll say!!! Well, if you had fun at the party it is worth it at least.

Bought one at MB for 250 Cdn + Taxes and replaced the whole thing myself. Keep the sliding part of the arm lubricated at all time!

Question to M.B.Doc. Since the part number had changed, does it mean they now have a better assembly (no plastic but brass maybe).

I still think it is a very good car and I would buy another one without hesitation. It does the job superbly here in all kinds of weather.

Have a good day everybody.

Pierre