Where's your wiper motor, and what year is your car?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Where is your wiper motor located, and what year is your car?

Can anyone else report having the same type of wiper motor as mine - the later type fitted just above the driver's knees inside the cabin instead of in the rear corner of the engine bay?

I'd like to pin down exactly when this design change happened. My '99 450 has the newer design, but I'm getting the impression that it's actually quite unusual. Some people even seem to doubt the existence of the 'internal' wiper motor; it's as if many people have never seen it.

I wonder if we can establish which is the latest model year with the older motor location (corner of the engine bay) and which is the earliest year with the newer location (above the driver's knees). There will probably be some overlap I guess.

Also, I'd like to figure out whether the change of motor location corresponds with the introduction of the 'asymmetric' wipers. Do both of your wipers sweep the same amount of the screen, or does your near side wiper sweep a lot less than the offside one? On my car, the passenger side wiper only sweeps about half as much as the driver's side wiper - so I wonder if the asymmetric wiper design is tied up with the internal wiper motor. I'm betting it probably is, but don't know for sure.

[davetripletvr]

Hi, mine is a 98 and in the engine bay corner and wipers do a pretty much 50/50 even sweep of the screen.
I think 99 may have been the crossover point although some 99's will still probably have the older engine bay corner type.

[bobfather]

Mine is a '99 and the motor is under the scuttle grill. The old position is just an unused flat spot on the n/s inner wing

[bobfather]

Mine is a '99 and the motor is under the scuttle grill. The old position is just an unused flat spot on the n/s inner wing

[igiveup]

Mines an April 1998, and on near side engine bay.

[Yex 450]

May '98 450 here with motor on near side of engine bay.

[Andav469]

May 99 500, wiper motor on the inside of the car above the drivers knees

[phazed]

99, 450. Above the drivers knees.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Ah, so it does look like 1999 was the year of changeover. I presume the asymmetric sweep was part of that design change as well.