Wiper assembly removal
Discussion
My nearside wiper spindle has seized in the sleeve that comes through the body work. The whole sleeve turns in the fibreglass as the wipers move. ( I am not very surprised as, from talking to the previous owners, I don’t think the car has been out in the rain since it left the factory).
Its an S2 with the cable type wheel boxes. I’ve been back to the “bible” and looked at a number of previous posts (particular thanks to Alan Whitaker, Glenrobbo and Phillpot). It would appear its possible to remove the wheel box without removing the dashboard. But as someone with big fingers and small brain I cant for the life of me see how.
I can see how to unbolt the motor from behind the glove box, and undo the nuts on the wiper spindle sleeves to push them back into the car, but the assembly including the motor appears to take up the whole width of the car so there doesn’t seem any room to move it sideways to get it out from behind the dash. Do the cable and tubes disconnect from the motor or are the tubes flexible enough to bend down into the passenger footwell without kinking. I would rather not start the job until I have clear idea how to do it, so any advice will be very gratefully received.
Its an S2 with the cable type wheel boxes. I’ve been back to the “bible” and looked at a number of previous posts (particular thanks to Alan Whitaker, Glenrobbo and Phillpot). It would appear its possible to remove the wheel box without removing the dashboard. But as someone with big fingers and small brain I cant for the life of me see how.
I can see how to unbolt the motor from behind the glove box, and undo the nuts on the wiper spindle sleeves to push them back into the car, but the assembly including the motor appears to take up the whole width of the car so there doesn’t seem any room to move it sideways to get it out from behind the dash. Do the cable and tubes disconnect from the motor or are the tubes flexible enough to bend down into the passenger footwell without kinking. I would rather not start the job until I have clear idea how to do it, so any advice will be very gratefully received.
Edited by lewdon on Saturday 3rd June 18:02
Thanks Bobhon and Phillpot, info very much appreciated.
I think if I push both spindles back into the car and remove the motor and cable as you suggest there should be enough room to pull the tubes and spindles towards the passenger side enough to be able to unclamp the wheelbox and remove the tube section, repeated for the drivers side wheelbox.
I assume the gear wheel in the wheelbox has teeth all the way round so doesn’t need to be in any particular position when I put the cable back in. (one of the posts mention teeth only on a quadrant).
I vaguely remember a post where someone, it may have been Phillpot - I can’t find it at the moment, suggested using rubber hose for the wedge shaped spacers, to make the spindles point at the correct angle, does anyone know whether that proved to be a long term solution?
I think if I push both spindles back into the car and remove the motor and cable as you suggest there should be enough room to pull the tubes and spindles towards the passenger side enough to be able to unclamp the wheelbox and remove the tube section, repeated for the drivers side wheelbox.
I assume the gear wheel in the wheelbox has teeth all the way round so doesn’t need to be in any particular position when I put the cable back in. (one of the posts mention teeth only on a quadrant).
I vaguely remember a post where someone, it may have been Phillpot - I can’t find it at the moment, suggested using rubber hose for the wedge shaped spacers, to make the spindles point at the correct angle, does anyone know whether that proved to be a long term solution?
Thanks, Steve, I've sent you an email.
I am hoping that as the spindle sleave turns in the fibreglass with the wiper I will be able to lock two nuts onto the spindle and use a spanner to turn it and the sleave together to push out the cable once the motor is loose..
Did you replace yours with the dashboard still in place?
I am hoping that as the spindle sleave turns in the fibreglass with the wiper I will be able to lock two nuts onto the spindle and use a spanner to turn it and the sleave together to push out the cable once the motor is loose..
Did you replace yours with the dashboard still in place?
Well with much cursing and considerable bloodshed the wiper wheel boxes are out. Thanks everybody on the forum who helped me understand how to do it with the dashboard still in place.
A few notes for anyone else who might need to do it.
I couldn’t get at the passenger side wheel box to unclamp it in situ no matter how I tried. It might have been possible with a very long ratchet spanner but I doubt it. I had to give it up after I had tried everything I could think of to get at it with the tools I have.
The sequence I eventually used was;-
Cut all the numerous cable ties holding harness and heater pipes etc to the wiper tubes (I think they hung everything from them before they put the dash in).
Unplug the wiper motor. Loosen the nut holding the tube to the motor. Undo the clamp holding the motor to its mounting plate. (The two studs are fixed into the plate, there is no need to remove the plate itself).
The cable would not just pull out of the tube so, with the motor supported, I undid the nut holding the sleeves in the angled spacers and locked two nuts together on the seized spindle and, with considerable force, I was able to turn it and the sleeve together, clockwise, with a spanner to push the cable out of the tube.
With the motor and cable out of the way I removed the passenger footwell heater pipe..
I then pushed the the wiper spindles into the car, this sounds easy but on my car there was very little clearance behind the passenger wheelbox as it comes up against the heater. I eventually succeeded by rotating the spindles towards the windscreen and then pushed the wheelboxes towards the front of the car.
I then unclamped the drivers side wheelbox, (NB the clamping nuts on the wheelbox are 3/8”AF)
With this out I was then able to slide the passenger side wheelbox over to the footwell where I could get at it to unclamp it from the centre tube. I have left the centre tube in the car for the moment..
Tomorrows task is to count the number of teeth and order new wheelboxes, as they are both as knackered as I am.
A few notes for anyone else who might need to do it.
I couldn’t get at the passenger side wheel box to unclamp it in situ no matter how I tried. It might have been possible with a very long ratchet spanner but I doubt it. I had to give it up after I had tried everything I could think of to get at it with the tools I have.
The sequence I eventually used was;-
Cut all the numerous cable ties holding harness and heater pipes etc to the wiper tubes (I think they hung everything from them before they put the dash in).
Unplug the wiper motor. Loosen the nut holding the tube to the motor. Undo the clamp holding the motor to its mounting plate. (The two studs are fixed into the plate, there is no need to remove the plate itself).
The cable would not just pull out of the tube so, with the motor supported, I undid the nut holding the sleeves in the angled spacers and locked two nuts together on the seized spindle and, with considerable force, I was able to turn it and the sleeve together, clockwise, with a spanner to push the cable out of the tube.
With the motor and cable out of the way I removed the passenger footwell heater pipe..
I then pushed the the wiper spindles into the car, this sounds easy but on my car there was very little clearance behind the passenger wheelbox as it comes up against the heater. I eventually succeeded by rotating the spindles towards the windscreen and then pushed the wheelboxes towards the front of the car.
I then unclamped the drivers side wheelbox, (NB the clamping nuts on the wheelbox are 3/8”AF)
With this out I was then able to slide the passenger side wheelbox over to the footwell where I could get at it to unclamp it from the centre tube. I have left the centre tube in the car for the moment..
Tomorrows task is to count the number of teeth and order new wheelboxes, as they are both as knackered as I am.
It’s several weeks now since I replaced my wiper wheelbox but I thought I would close out the thread with a few notes that might be helpful to anyone else who may need to do it.
Yes it is possible to do it with the dashboard in place and turned out to be less difficult than I expected.
Notes;-
My passenger side wheelbox has 40 teeth and has a standout of 78.5mm from the gearcase to the end of the thread on the spindle. it is marked LUCAS with the number 60027003.
My driver’s side wheelbox has 50 teeth and the same standout, it is marked 60027004,
A replacement 40 tooth wheelbox was £35 from Adrian Venn at Exactly TVR. (I was able to refurbish my 50 tooth box).
The wedge shaped rubber spacers were from Wood & Picket Mini Centre (all 4 for £6.49), tall ones go on inside, short ones on the outside.
To get access you need to lower the underside of the glovebox (where the fuses and ECU are), take off the piece of trim which contains the ashtray and remove the passenger side corrugated heater hose. (If the hose is brittle and cracked as mine was then 50mm pond hose makes a good replacement at about £6 a metre)
When you pull out the motor and rack cable from the tube it is a good idea to do so directly into a large plastic bag. (Black greasy cable and magnolia trim don’t go together).
I tied a string to the drivers end of the middle Bowden tube before pulling it out on the passenger side.so I could pull it back through the same route when re-assembling.
Mark the tube that goes to the motor before releasing it from the passenger wheelbox so it can be assembled to the new one with the bend at the correct angle to align with the motor. (I didn’t and getting the angle right by trial and error proved a bit of a pain)
Trial assemble it all on the bench and run the motor. Mine felt smooth by hand but had a real growl with the motor running. I had to bend the tabs on the new wheelbox to accurately align the tubes with the pinion to get It to run quietly.
To put it back, assemble both tubes to the passenger side wheelbox and tighten. Fit the inside wedge shaped spacer (I put a 1mm thick washer on the spindle sleeve first to stop the shoulder pulling into the spacer). Tie the string to the end of the middle tube and with the spindle pointed towards the back of the car feed the middle tube in from the passenger side, pulling the string to guide the end through to the drivers side. . (NB: When you tie on the string to pull it back streamline it with electrical tape, I didn’t - and the end of the tube caught on the inside of the washer nozzle – replacement £1.79 from Halfords)
Once the passenger wheel box is in line with its hole, rotate the tube to bring the spindle up and forward through the hole.
Fit the outer spacer and washer, then screw on the nut to hold the passenger wheelbox loosely in place.
Then fit the drivers side wheel box loosely and clamp the bowden tubes into it. (access would be easier with the seat removed but there is just room to get under the steering wheel to do it without).
Feed in regreased rack cable and fit and clamp the motor. Then tighten the top nuts on the sleaves to clamp top and bottom wedge spacers together onto the bodywork to hold the wheelboxes in place.
Lots of cable ties, replace heater hose and the ashtray trim etc and jobs a goodun. I hope this all makes some sort of sense.
Yes it is possible to do it with the dashboard in place and turned out to be less difficult than I expected.
Notes;-
My passenger side wheelbox has 40 teeth and has a standout of 78.5mm from the gearcase to the end of the thread on the spindle. it is marked LUCAS with the number 60027003.
My driver’s side wheelbox has 50 teeth and the same standout, it is marked 60027004,
A replacement 40 tooth wheelbox was £35 from Adrian Venn at Exactly TVR. (I was able to refurbish my 50 tooth box).
The wedge shaped rubber spacers were from Wood & Picket Mini Centre (all 4 for £6.49), tall ones go on inside, short ones on the outside.
To get access you need to lower the underside of the glovebox (where the fuses and ECU are), take off the piece of trim which contains the ashtray and remove the passenger side corrugated heater hose. (If the hose is brittle and cracked as mine was then 50mm pond hose makes a good replacement at about £6 a metre)
When you pull out the motor and rack cable from the tube it is a good idea to do so directly into a large plastic bag. (Black greasy cable and magnolia trim don’t go together).
I tied a string to the drivers end of the middle Bowden tube before pulling it out on the passenger side.so I could pull it back through the same route when re-assembling.
Mark the tube that goes to the motor before releasing it from the passenger wheelbox so it can be assembled to the new one with the bend at the correct angle to align with the motor. (I didn’t and getting the angle right by trial and error proved a bit of a pain)
Trial assemble it all on the bench and run the motor. Mine felt smooth by hand but had a real growl with the motor running. I had to bend the tabs on the new wheelbox to accurately align the tubes with the pinion to get It to run quietly.
To put it back, assemble both tubes to the passenger side wheelbox and tighten. Fit the inside wedge shaped spacer (I put a 1mm thick washer on the spindle sleeve first to stop the shoulder pulling into the spacer). Tie the string to the end of the middle tube and with the spindle pointed towards the back of the car feed the middle tube in from the passenger side, pulling the string to guide the end through to the drivers side. . (NB: When you tie on the string to pull it back streamline it with electrical tape, I didn’t - and the end of the tube caught on the inside of the washer nozzle – replacement £1.79 from Halfords)
Once the passenger wheel box is in line with its hole, rotate the tube to bring the spindle up and forward through the hole.
Fit the outer spacer and washer, then screw on the nut to hold the passenger wheelbox loosely in place.
Then fit the drivers side wheel box loosely and clamp the bowden tubes into it. (access would be easier with the seat removed but there is just room to get under the steering wheel to do it without).
Feed in regreased rack cable and fit and clamp the motor. Then tighten the top nuts on the sleaves to clamp top and bottom wedge spacers together onto the bodywork to hold the wheelboxes in place.
Lots of cable ties, replace heater hose and the ashtray trim etc and jobs a goodun. I hope this all makes some sort of sense.
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff