Mid Year W/S wipers. I am stumped!!!

[Nick K.]

Hello gentlemen...My '63's w/s wipers are only traveling about half the normal distance from the park position to the outer edge of the windshield. Both arms are traveling in unison and park correctly when turned off. I have had the motor out and it checks out as far as I can tell. The trans links are not bent. The bar that bolts to the motor is not slipping. ???? I am stumped as this just doesn't seem possible.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Nick

[Duke W.]

Re: Mid Year W/S wipers. I am stumped!!!

Many years ago my windshield wipers would not return to the park postion and stop - a common C2 problem.

So I grabbed my 1963 Corvette Shop Manual and studied the W/S wiper overhaul section.

IIRC after removing the motor/gearbox assembly from the car I removed the gearbox cover and found nothing obviously wrong. Then I powered the system from the bench and found that the parking cam/pawl was not engaging and merely a little cleaning allowed the system to work properly.

I subseqently disassembled the gearbox, gave all the parts a thorough cleaning and reassembled it with fresh white lithium grease. A final bench test proved that it worked perfectly, and it also did so when back on the car.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to disassemble the wiper gearbox without a 1963 Corvette Shop manual (or later overhaul manual that has the procedure). There are lots of little parts like springs, cams, and pawls that need to be assembled properly for the system to work.

It was quite an interesting dive into the art of mechanical design.

Duke

[Joe C.]

Re: Mid Year W/S wipers. I am stumped!!!

Nick,

From your description, it sounds like the motor is operating properly (i.e.: continuous rotation of the output shaft through a full 360*; with engagement of the "park" pawl, reversal of rotation approx. 10 degrees). If this is the case, then there is something wrong with the geometry of your linkage. It sounds almost as if the crank arm, attached to the output shaft, is too short. Could that be possible? Did the wipers ever work properly before?

If you have the motor out of the car, then bench test it as Duke suggests. Also, with the aid of the Shop Manual, carefully disassemble it, remove all the hardened grease, and re-lube as suggested. Check the white nylon gear for wear. Be careful of the tiny washer pump pawl return spring.

Joe

[Wayne M.]

(also) Happened to me many years ago

Turned out it was definitely linkage -- nothing bent, just did not re-assemble or connect the cam on the motor to the proper side of the linkage. It's been at least 20 years, but I recall it became obvious after connecting the "other" way; (But can't remember enough to describe what way that is).