Windscreen wiper failure

[GlynMo]

Having just posted about my pleasure in being back in to TVR ownership, there was a negative - the windscreen wipers packed up! The wipers don't move unless gentle pressure is applied (which was necessary to get them back to rest position), and the motor became very hot. Should I look for a partially seized mechanism or knackered motor first?

[shoggyraminator]

If the wipers are simillar to the Cerb ones (think they are) then there is a worm like pipe cleaner rod which connects the motor to the wiper arms. No real moving parts as such. The Griff wiper looks like easy access from my glances in it's direction. If it's the same setup then the pipe cleaner rod comes off from the motor end easily allowing you to check further.

[GlynMo]

I've disconnected the motor from the rod and the motor spins freely. The mechanism is pretty stiff in about the mid position i.e. when the wiper arms are vertical-ish. It's not clear how to lubricate the threaded actuation rod apart from the bit at the motor end. Any ideas, without accessing the rod and its tube (which looks like a real PITA) to split them?

[GlynMo]

It appears that I was approaching this problem from the wrong end! Whilst removing the wiper arms to enable me to operate the operating rod without a load, I found that the pivot where the wiper arm rotates to allow the blade to follow the curvature of the windscreen was extremely stiff on the driver's side, forcing the blade in to the screen and causing excessive friction. Freeing this seems to have resolved the problem.

[shoggyraminator]

Great, sounds like an easy fix. Lucky you.

[GlynMo]

shoggyraminator said:

Great, sounds like an easy fix. Lucky you.

Yes, except for the circlip that pinged off and I now can't find!