Fix for slow wipers

appropriatenoises · Post by **appropriatenoises** » 24 Apr 2013, 16:31

Thanks Renn for a great writeup. Just did mine today. I will stress the importance of removing the wiper shaft using a vice (not a hammer as much as possible) because the shaft is aluminum and the threads will crush if pounded out.

Post by **rmmagow** » 25 Apr 2013, 11:09

I have to laugh at how far we all go to keep our old Volvos up and running right. My neighbor would trade his car in for something as minimal as this. I truly admire the work all you folks do to keep the old iron on the road. I only started running Volvos within the past 2 years or so but can tell it will be my last major brand for cars in the future. 2 now, maybe #3 by summer's end. Thank you members and our excellent mods!

appropriatenoises · Post by **appropriatenoises** » 25 Apr 2013, 16:20

rmmagow wrote:I have to laugh at how far we all go to keep our old Volvos up and running right. My neighbor would trade his car in for something as minimal as this. I truly admire the work all you folks do to keep the old iron on the road. I only started running Volvos within the past 2 years or so but can tell it will be my last major brand for cars in the future. 2 now, maybe #3 by summer's end. Thank you members and our excellent mods!

BAAAHH! LOL, you said it rmmagow! "my wipers are slow, must be time for a new car." !! I'm hanging on to this gem until a job comes along that costs more to fix than she's worth... and then even then I still might do it.

Post by **abscate** » 26 Apr 2013, 04:38

Renns...the intervention of labour and minimal cost of grease is saving an expensive wiper motor from early demise..well done!

Not to get too political ,but those of us maintaining these 15+ year old cars are being more "green" than the most efficient hybrid car on the planet. Saving both the energy of scrapping and amortizing the cost of manufactured energy is huge on the Eco-side.

So, yes...I can sneer both ideologically and intellectually as my T5 blows the doors off the Priii.

Post by **renns** » 26 Apr 2013, 06:10

Hey guys, glad to see the write-up is being put to good use. That wiper fix held up for the 2yrs following that I owned the car, and I'd bet it's still going strong!

abscate, I agree with your comments - the energy cost of mfg is huge, and is not taken into account by many 'green' folks. Spending a few $$ to keep the old girl on the road can be very green, so long as the emissions gear is all up to snuff. As fuel costs go up, though, I dream of those European diesels. It'd be even more rewarding to nurse the old girl along if she rewarded us with 35+ mpg!

roboconnell · Post by **roboconnell** » 02 Jan 2014, 19:45

my wipers just slowed down in the cold weather (we have had highs of <5F brrr). But hard to see outside without wipers...I guess I'd better just do it. Thanks for the write up renns.

Post by **renns** » 06 May 2014, 17:21

Glad to see people getting use of this diy. I just did the same repair on my latest Volvo, a V70. The wipers now swing with authority once again, just in time for the spring rainy season! If the tools are at hand, it's a 45 minute job. Just make sure to take note (or picture!) of the mechanism position before disassembling so it goes together the same way.

Post by **misha** » 09 Dec 2014, 16:05

I rebuilt wiper mechanism last night and...wow...what a difference

I should do that 2 years ago when first symptoms appeared,but it wasnt't that bad until last few months.
The little shaft at driver's side was siezed badly and i hardly separated it from the housing.
It hardly moved with a LOT of force applied.I wonder how the fuse and wiper motor didn't fail.

Passenger's side was ok,but since i allready was in that area i removed,cleaned and greased it too.

I put enormous amount of grease in the shaft hole and on the shaft itself just in case.

Jondop · Post by **Jondop** » 22 Oct 2015, 11:13

Brilliant repair.
Considering how hard it was to remove the shaft from the bushing, I am amassed the wiper was moving at all.

My855R · Post by **My855R** » 13 Mar 2022, 10:07

Hi everyone,
Appreciate this thread is old but I was wondering if anyone could help with with a question please ?
I really need to get the windscreen wipers sorted in order for my car to get through it's MOT. I have tried to follow the steps renns has kindly posted, but I am struggling with #7.
Is the 'retaining nut and washer' under the plastic boot which covers the base of the spindle? If I am interpreting the image correctly, I'm assuming that references no.14, but on my car there seems to be no obvious 'nut' I can remove. It's the same on both spindles so I don't think it has somehow gone missing over the years.. How are 13 and 12 removed as they are round and I can't get a spanner on them.
Without being sure on this step, I don't feel it it is possible to progress the repair.
Many thanks.

Fix for slow wipers

Re: Fix for slow wipers