Wipers stopped working in the middle of windshield while driving.. clicking noise ?

[icetitan]

My wipers stopped working in the middle of my windshield while I was driving in the rain. I got home and unscrewed the little caps and took the entire arm off on both sides. When I turn the switch on, the bolts that the arms mount onto still won't move at all. However, the wiper motor is making a quiet clicking noise every few seconds in equal increments as if it's trying to move the wipers like usual.

Any ideas ?

Thanks

[EScanlon]

Are you sure the motor is still connected to the arm linkage? Steady "clicking" might just be the motor actuating properly but it's the arm of the linkage hitting the motor spindle.

FWIW

E

[icetitan]

Thanks for the reply. I'm messing with it now, just took off the panel but I guess I gotta get this vinyl bag thing off too.

I did just noticed something.. When I increase the wiper speed on the controller by the steering column, the clicking speed DOES NOT happen more rapidly as I'd expected it to (if the motor was fine but had been separated from the arm mechanism, it would still be able to move at 3 speeds like normal I'd think)

[EScanlon]

Well, you're going to get some chuckling on the "speed" of the wipers. The Joke is you actually have Slow, Slower and Stutter. (Stutter being Intermittent). Additionally, the difference between Low and High is only a few cycles. Sadly the Windshield Wiper is one of the Achille's heels of the car.

You shouldn't need to get past the vinyl bag, just feel down underneath it, to where the motor spline EXITS the vinyl bag to connect to the linkage arms.

If it has come off, you'll find the linkage arm at the bottom of the Cowl Bucket.

E

[sblake01]

His car is a 78, or at least a later model because he said '3 speeds'. The wiper speed was, at least, adequate by then.....

Edited October 5, 2011 by sblake01

[icetitan]

yea it is a 78'. the wipers aren't so bad (when they are working.. ha)

EScanlon-

Thanks for the tip, I'll check the linkage

[EScanlon]

And many people confuse the 73's Intermittent Speed as a "speed". Especially when you note that the Comb. Switch only has Dots to denote which one it's on.

Hopefully it's that simple. If not, there are other things that get a bit more complex.

E