It's raining and the wipers don't work....

[GREASE FIRE]

my wipers have been having problems for a while but just today it started raining and i could not get them to kick on at all - until after the rain stopped, but then they would move a short distance and stall, then make this noise that almost sounding like something grinding. Then they would move a little more and do it again. I popped the hood and the noise seems to be coming from the wiper motor.
does it mean the motor is most likely worn out or could it be something else? It kind of sounds like the motor is doing something but this clicking/grinding sound makes me wonder if there are some gears somewhere that are stripped?
anyone have this happen?
thanks,
Paul

 

[icanfixall]

Clean your windshield now and apply Raniex. You wont need wipers ever again. I thought this was just another snake oil scam till I used it once. Now I run with it on all my cars and trucks. Reapply it every other month and become a believer like me. That wiper motor repair is a tuff job....

 

[sle2115]

Yep, sounds like the gears in your wiper motor crapped out. Make sure though that the linkage behind it is not disconnected as well. On my 87 (don't know what year you have) you can look down through the cowl vents and see it. As far as changing it, the worst part of mine was the price (like $70 or $80 IIRC) but actually changing it was not bad at all. Hard to reach because of the trucks height, but other than that, not bad.

 

[Ironman03R]

Yep, Wiper motor. Just happened to me too, right after I sold my spare one to a friend!
Getting the cowl off with out scratching the paint is a PITA! But other than that its not bad if you have some mechanical abillity.

 

[GREASE FIRE]

Clean your windshield now and apply Raniex. You wont need wipers ever again. I thought this was just another snake oil scam till I used it once. Now I run with it on all my cars and trucks. Reapply it every other month and become a believer like me. That wiper motor repair is a tuff job....

so are you saying that the friction of the wipers against the windshield could cause this problem? Even when the windshield was wet it was doing that so it makes me think that is not the problem.

BTW what is so hard about changing the wiper motor?
thanks,
paul

 

[boggerted]

No, I think he means that the rain-x stuff basically makes rain blow off your windshield as you drive, so you wouldnt need to use wipers

 

[Russ]

I can second the Rain-X. I use the original stuff and then use the Rain-X washer fluid. I hardly ever need the wipers.

 

[sle2115]

I use rainx as well, but wouldn't want to "only" have it, no wipers. I never took the cowl off to do mine.

 

[Devilish]

I bought a crapload of that Glass Science stuff when our local Kragens were clearancing it out. I'd swear by it. Oh and yeah, the wiper motor is shot.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I missed the year-model of your truck, so my information may be a little off, depending on what you have.


On my 1985, I completely removed, FIXED, and re-installed the wiper-motor without taking a single screw out of the cowl; I was able to easily accomplish the whole job from under the hood.


I drilled out the rivets, cleaned and lubricated everything inside, freed up the three brushes that were sticking in their run-ways, replaced the rivets with screws/nuts, and it has been better than new for several years since; and, I kept my eighty-dollars in my pocket.







As for RAIN-X, I have used it for so many years that the wife just gets a bottle every time she buys groceries.

For years, I figured it was gonna be just so much snake-oil; man was I ever wrong.


Living in the steam-bath bug heaven state that I do, I have to almost daily clean the windshields on our trucks; oh yeah, don't forget the birds that crap out five times their body-weight per day.


With RAIN-X on the glass, bugs, crap, sap, or whatever just slides right loose.


I will also say this :

Once your speed is above about 30-MPH, with RAIN-X applied, you can turn the wipers OFF and see more clearly without them, than with.

BUT, when vehicle speed is below about 30, there is not enough wind-speed to BLOW the water off the glass, so your wipers still need to work.


This is beginning to read like an advertisement; but, another glass product that gets a big endorsement from me is INVISIBLE GLASS; that stuff is light years ahead of anything else I ever used.

 

[GREASE FIRE]

I missed the year-model of your truck, so my information may be a little off, depending on what you have.


On my 1985, I completely removed, FIXED, and re-installed the wiper-motor without taking a single screw out of the cowl; I was able to easily accomplish the whole job from under the hood.


I drilled out the rivets, cleaned and lubricated everything inside, freed up the three brushes that were sticking in their run-ways, replaced the rivets with screws/nuts, and it has been better than new for several years since; and, I kept my eighty-dollars in my pocket.







As for RAIN-X, I have used it for so many years that the wife just gets a bottle every time she buys groceries.

For years, I figured it was gonna be just so much snake-oil; man was I ever wrong.


Living in the steam-bath bug heaven state that I do, I have to almost daily clean the windshields on our trucks; oh yeah, don't forget the birds that crap out five times their body-weight per day.


With RAIN-X on the glass, bugs, crap, sap, or whatever just slides right loose.


I will also say this :

Once your speed is above about 30-MPH, with RAIN-X applied, you can turn the wipers OFF and see more clearly without them, than with.

BUT, when vehicle speed is below about 30, there is not enough wind-speed to BLOW the water off the glass, so your wipers still need to work.


This is beginning to read like an advertisement; but, another glass product that gets a big endorsement from me is INVISIBLE GLASS; that stuff is light years ahead of anything else I ever used.

thanks for the help! sounds like a plan that fits my budget.
mine is a 1989 - do you think that year could be fixed the same way as yours?

 

[FordGuy100]

Holy crap I live in the NW, where we get like 100+" of rain a year, and I havent ever used or heard anyone around here use rain-x. But hell if it works that good then it looks like I'm going to get a lot of the stuff to do all of our vehicles. Thanks for bringing that up guys

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Rain-X glass treatment works good - had it on my old Chevy all the time, never had a problem with seeing through heavy rain. Come to think of it, I oughta use it on the Ford too... the Rain-X glass wipes are crap tho, regular household glass cleaner and paper napkins work much better for the inside of the truck glass.

 

[sle2115]

I drilled out the rivets, cleaned and lubricated everything inside, freed up the three brushes that were sticking in their run-ways, replaced the rivets with screws/nuts, and it has been better than new for several years since; and, I kept my eighty-dollars in my pocket.

Mine broke up inside, no rebuilding it for the homebrewer!

 

[Fordsandguns]

Holy crap I live in the NW, where we get like 100+" of rain a year, and I havent ever used or heard anyone around here use rain-x. But hell if it works that good then it looks like I'm going to get a lot of the stuff to do all of our vehicles. Thanks for bringing that up guys

Yep it works that good. The harder it rains the better too. In town you need the wipers but on the highway the rain just blows off. The first time you see it in person it will amaze you how well it actually works.