As the title says, the new fintail has an issue where the wipers were stuck. I removed the arm from the motor shaft and the motor happily turns but the arm and small shafts through the cowl are frozen solid...where do these typically seize from? Is it the shafts themselves? I tried removing the wiper arm and spraying some PB Blaster into them and then tried turning with a vice grips but it is like they are welded in place! Anyone been through this?

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Common problem.
Solution is a homemade grease nipple tool.
I will post the thread.

http://www.sl113.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5929&SearchTerms=tools

The tools that guy made are pretty cool! Good idea.

PB Blaster is a good start. Now take off the chrome collars and the rubber that cover's the big nuts that hold the stalks to the cowl. Put the acorn nuts back on the shafts and use a rubber or nylon hammer to tap them downward. Not too hard.....yet.

Put one of the wipers back on, doesn't matter if it's in the correct parked position, and use it to gently start rocking the shaft back and forth while you tap on the acorn nut with a nylon hammer. If it starts to budge, keep working it back and forth, taping and adding the PB Blaster. Sometimes you'll find that only one stalk is seized, or is seized worse than the other, and that's the one to focus your attention on....but you still have to free them both.

If all this doesn't work, there are little "C" shaped wire circlips that snap into a groove on the shaft, just above the outside threaded portion of the stalk. Pick these "C" clips off carefully so they don't break, or go flying off never to be seen again. With these off, you can put the acorn nut back on, and tap the shaft harder, actually driving it down into the car quite a bit. Doing this will break the weld of the rust and allow you to get them soaking with PB Blaster better.

So what you wind up doing is tapping the shafts down into the car, spraying in the penetrant and then putting the wiper arms back on and start rocking them back and forth while pulling them back up out of the car. More tapping back down in, pentrant, then move up to Triflow, rocking and pulling back out......and pretty soon you can run the arms back and forth their full throw.

Get some Marine rated grease and grease them, then put it all back together.

If you can't get them freed up using this method, you'll have to take the wiper assembly out from under the dash. Horrible job and I swear the car is built around the wiper assembly (called a wiper transmission).

Be careful applying heat because there is a nylon bushing that if you melt out, you're screwed and the wiper stalk is ruined.

The cause of this whole thing is that the drain holes just below the stalks that go through that upper metal cowling, and down into the air well, are plugged. Either with 40 years of muck, or from the car being repainted multiple times. Either way, the proper fix for this is to remove the lower windshield trim, remove that cowl, drill out the holes, prime and paint them and make sure the drains work from now on.

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Thanks folks...I will try the old tap and twist tomorrow!

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

I can report that Todd's method worked exactly "as advertised", thanks so much! It took about 20 minutes of pounding with a 1 lb rubber mallet and spraying with PB before either side had broken free, then, starting out with the smallest movement they became wipers again instead of sculpture! I put it all back together and now am one step closer to being able to pass inspection with this thing...and this was the best kind of fix...free!

I also found my heater blower fuse blown and discovered the switch case had cracked and allowed a ball bearing used to form a stop detent had floated free inside and shorted it out. I took it apart last night, re-assembled it and glued the case back together and now the rheostat control works perfectly as does the blower...another item off the checklist.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Sweetness!! I'm really glad that worked for you! Good job on the heater blower switch too.

The reason why I suggested Marine grease on the wipers is because it's designed not to make corrosive acid when it gets wet. Automotive grease causes some real bad corrosion when it gets wet.

When you have time, get your drains under the wiper stalks cleared out (and maybe even enlarge them) or this will be an ongoing problem, especially if the car sits for long periods outside. I've actually seen them where the drains were clogged and once that sitting water around the stalks got deep enough, it would run down the stalks and into the car......wetting the underdash, carpets and metal floors.

The next thing on your list is: If you don't have high beams that can flash by pulling back on the turn signal stalk, you can hook those up to work in about 5min!

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Thanks for the tips on the grease and the drains. I blew out the drains with compressed air so they are clear. As for the grease, I used what I had which was generic automotive stuff...not sure how much got in there anyway but the important thing is they work now and the car is closer to getting a sticker...even the clock works in this beast...it's about the only thing that did work without needing attention! If I have a reason to pull the wiper arms again I will put in some marine grease...I'll just have to put it on my shopping list.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Well, with the drains clear and working, the marine grease is a moot point. Plus, you'll be using the car and it's got fresh lube in there now, so they'll probably be good for decades.

Give the heater and fresh air levers, and the heater valve levers and cables the same lovin'!

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That's reassuring, thanks...I already lubed all the cables and the valves on the heater. I also removed the cowl cover and vacuumed out the screen which someone had replaced with an A/C filter type material...it works fine but was clogged with debris. Step by step it will come together and be close to its former glory.

Next job is the windshield seal...never did one myself but have little to lose by trying.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

I don't recommend replacing the seal by yourself! It can be done but it's best to have three people. One on the inside working the cord and one on each side of the fender carrying the weight of the glass. Pop on over to, uggh, a Harbor Freight and pick up two of the large suction cup style devices for carrying glass. It'll cost you maybe a 12 pack of beverages and about $29 as opposed to $250+ for a new windshield. You could always go out on a limb and take your helpers to lunch.

I'm not big promoter of doing your own glass install. One mistake and poof goes several hundo.

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I'm not planning on flying solo on the windshield seal job...I'll have at least one other helper with me. I can probably pull it out by myself but to put it back I know I need help, thanks!

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

I cut mine out with a box cutter/carpenter's type knife. That way neither the glass nor the soft trim metal gets ruined. When the guy came to install the front and the rear glass, he put the glass into the rubber, then he put the soft metal trim into the rubber. Then he went around the rubber with some pretty thick nylon rope......and then he set the entire thing against the body, seating the bottom rubber edge first before pulling the rope out from the bottom and sucking it all down.

It was a tough install, both front and rear because of the wrapping glass.

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That precisely how the shop manual says it should be done...I think you use the rope to keep the groove in the seal open so it fits over a protrusion on the car, then you pull it out and it drops into the groove. The manual shows how its done pretty well but I am sure it is one of those jobs that if you have done it once it is much easier the second time. I bought this car to learn how to do everything it needs so I am not intimidated, at the very worst case I will have to pay someone to replace it...that's a risk I am willing to accept.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz