66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

[Daniel S.]

I posted a similar thread on the "Discussion Board Help".... maybe that was the wrong place..., so, I will recap here in short form.

My 66' Coupe is less than 2 months in my stable... so, still new to me.

Situation, my wipers try to jamb on each other and the wiper motor does not seem to work.

Everything else works 4.0 on this coupe. It had an extensive refurb/1997 and mostly garaged since. This car is 350/300 w/factory air.

I cleaned out the water bag before refilling and trying the motor. I also tryed to prime the fluid supply line from the bag fill hose. And, under low pressure, got a squirt from the drivers side nozzle and fluid show from pass nozzle.

Wipers are rigged with pass side wiper closest to windshield trim at rest.

I am hoping that with everything else having been refurbed or reworked that my situation is an electrical discrepancy. Is there a seperate fuse for the wiper system only? Or is there a hidden fuse at the motor on the firewall side? Finally, how can I get the correct rig instructions for the wipers?

I hope to show the "RebelRed" 66' Coupe the last week of Sept 08 for its first meet. So, any help ASAP will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dan

[Peter L.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Dan - Your post indicates that "Wipers are rigged with pass side wiper closest to windshield trim at rest."

The 66 Corvette AIM, UPC 1 ASM, SHEET D5, shows the driver side wiper is below, i.e closest to the windshield trim, the passenger side wiper.

If the wiper arms are installed incorrectly, this is the cause of the wiper blades "kissing" or trying to during operation.

Interesting but as you indicated there is no fuse labeled for the wipers, so someone is going to educate us on that one. What is also interesting is the 66 "metal" cars have a fuse.

Good luck.

Pete

[Larry S.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

My '64 and '66 both have the Pass side wiper blade closest to the lower windshield trim. They have been judged correct by NCRS.

[Donald T.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

My '64 and '66 both have the Pass side wiper blade closest to the lower windshield trim. They have been judged correct by NCRS.

Peter is correct. The passenger wiper blade should be above the driver's side at rest. The judges may not have noticed the incorrect orientation.

[Jack H.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

You got lucky with your exterior judges! The text of the JG reads:

"At rest the right (passenger) side wiper folds over the left (driver) side and parallel to one another."

This mirrors the pictorial in the AIM showing the RH wiper arm as the last to park and being positioned above the LH wiper arm.

Now, back to the original post/query... Remove the wiper arms from their drives (a removal tool is VERY helpful to thwart marring the chrome drive hub. Once the arms are off, you'll see a position 'fine tuning' adjustment screw on the upper side of the lower portion of the wiper arm.

Using a screwdriver, center the screw in the middle of its adjustment range. Now, install the LH wiper arm on the drive shaft such that it just 'touchs' the windshield reveal molding. Then install the RH wiper arm on its drive shaft so it's rest position is just above, but not touching, the LH arm. Use the fine tuning screws to tweak the cant (angle) of the two wiper blades such that they're parked parallel to each other. Your arms should now sweep without touching and park properly.

On the washer, DEATH to these guys is allowing them to go dry. Once they lose internal washer fluid, the sealing o-rings & gaskets in the valve assy of the pump tend to distort and dry up resulting in the pump sucking air through leaks in the valve components vs. pumping fluid from the reservoir.

You 'might' be able to recover by CAREFULLY tightening the four screws holding the washer valve's nipple assy against the valve assy on the pump. If you overtighten, you'll crack these plastic components!

Once things are tight, you should be able to prime the pump and manually test it by putting water in your mouth and BLOWING it through the pump via the washer pickup nipple. If water dribbles out at the pump's valve assy instead of going through the pump and out the two squirters, your internal rubber components are shot and you need to replace them.

[Peter L.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Larry - All I can say is, please check the appropriate AIM for your cars because my experience and the experience of others who have installed them opposite of what is shown in the AIM is that they are most likely going to ( I'd say will) cause an wiper operational problem down the road. Pete

[Daniel S.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Good news! I tried the washer again today.... just pushed the button and there was "Squirts", but not tested long because the wirper arms have not been adjusted yet... Now, to the Wiper Arm adjustment... my units are "Bright Chrome" w/Satin Blade Holders with raised center/inverted "V". But, they have NO Trico or Anco imprented. Therefore, I do not have an adjustment screw on the Wiper Arm assembly. So, once I get the arms off, how do I proceed to correctly allign the blade to prevent jamming/kissing of the blades?

Thanks for all the help you've provided so far... And, another hearty "Thanks" to all other who have responded! Dan

[Daniel S.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

PS... Where is the fuse for the Wiper System??? The Owner's Manual doesn't even list a fuse for the Wipers. I have looked at a simple schematic and it appears to me that the Wiper System is worked off of the Heater fuse? Any thoughts on this one?

[Peter L.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Dan - I'd work with the driver side wiper arm first and get it set up. Turn the windshield wiper switch off and make sure the wiper arms are in the rest position. Install the D/S arm and then with the blade on see that the blade is slightly above the windshield trim. With the D/S set up operate the wiper to see that the sweep is OK and the wiper is not going off the window to the side and that it comes back to rest OK.
The passenger side might take some trials and I'd be conservative and set the arm up a position or two higher on installation on to the wiper transmission spline and then install the blade and see how things look and also check on how the blade is with respect to the windshield trim on the P/S. If it goes too far, i.e. on to the trim and it doesn't look like the wiper blades with kiss, remove the arm and move it one notch on the spline.

Since the wiper arms are not Corvette arms this might be a challenge.

Good luck.

Pete

[Peter L.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Dan - Remove the fuse and then try the wipers. Pete

[Larry S.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Thanks Peter,
I checked the AIM and mine ARE wrong. The Passenger's side should be above the driver's side at rest.

[Jack H.]

Re: 66' Coupe Wiper/Washer Ops

Without the correct factory original wiper arms, you lack the blade cant adjustment so you're SOL in terms of this fine tuning feature. The wiper arms can be installed on the drive shafts in a myriad of positions (just select a give spline alignment). The cant screw was part of the Corvette wiper arm to provide in-between spline/fine tuning of the blade to arm positioning...