55 ford sedan vacumn wiper problem

zoegrant

zoegrant

Well-known member
my wipers are not working and I hear a hissing noise at the wiper motor under the dash.....I have checked vacumn "at the motor" and have 19" .....I have checked cable to operate the slider on the wiper motor and all seems good....I have run 3 oz of brake fluid thru the wiper motor and waited to the next day to try it. Loud hissing noise is still with me and "o" wiper action. ....Should I try more brake fluid ?
Havent used the wipers in a year.
Any other suggestions before I pull the vacumn motor out ?
As you know it is one of the worst jobs ever....thanks...John
 
Plug the vacuum line, and don't drive in the rain? :rolleyes:

Sorry, I couldn't help it.
At least working on the wiper motor on the bench is easier than working on it under the dash.
Does the plastic slide 'switch' on the motor use a gasket?
 
I just put on some "RAIN-X'' in case I get caught like I did yesterday so I will wait to the winter to pull the vac motor...I am not sure if the vac motor uses a gasket, will wait to see....
 
zoegrant said:
...I am not sure if the vac motor uses a gasket, will wait to see....
Click to expand...
I pulled mine out a while back and also have another one that likely needs to be rebuilt. If you want any pictures of the insides I can probably do that.
 
If you decide you need a different wiper core let me know. I have 2 or 3 of them I would sell. Rod
 
You may be able to get it rebuilt, but those can still run you some $$. C & G gets S180 for theirs, I got a Newport Engineering electric one for my '59 at about $225.
 
55 is 6 volt. If the car has not been changed to 12 volt, the Newport units will not work-they are 12 volt. Unless they now have a 6 volt unit.
 
Years ago, I took the vac motor out of my car, took it all apart and spread bearing grease inside the motor. Use the flapper to remove the excess grease. Use a dab of 3-in-one oil on that little mechanism at the top also. It ended up working like new again. While your at it, inspect your hoses and that nylon tee down under the dash. Make sure that your hose connection to the windshield washer didn't come off.
 
thanks for all the suggestions, it is very much appreciated. Tonight I pulled the wiper motor out and ran more brake fluid thru it. I will leave it a few days to see if the inside paddle will swell up enough to work properly....If it still does not work I will open it up to see what can be done and if I cannot get it going properly then I can get a newly rebuilt one from Cooncours in Nevada using my core plus $110....

I have not been able to find a 6v electric so I presume they are not available.. Probably couuld use a 12v electric using an inverter from Woodys custom shop. Just got one from them for $60 and have it hooked up to my cigarette lighter to be able to plug in my cell phone or Garmin GPS........thanks again .....John
 
Check the current rating on the inverter and a 12v wiper motor, it's probably listed as 'watts' or 'amps'. A wiper motor will draw noticeably more power than a cell phone or GPS and could easily blow the fuse on the inverter.
A dropping resistor might be a better choice if anyone has a suggestion for it's current and resistance ratings.
 
how would i get brake fluid into the wiper motor on the '39. the wipers start to work but stop about a quarter of the way. when you shut the wiper switch off they come back. i would like to try some brake fluid. i was thinking maybe attaching a longer hose on the vacuum line to get the hose higher than the wiper motor but not sure it would get into it. (maybe with slight pressure behind it ?)
 
Put some fluid in a can. Disconnect the hose in the engine area that goes to the wipers and stick it in the fluid. Work the wipers manually to suck up the fluid (It's better to have one person on each wiper if you have two) Let sit overnight and try it.

Put some rags on the floor inside to make sure there are no drips in the carpet.

The car may smoke on first start up.. No big deal, let it burn off.

twostickmutt said:
how would i get brake fluid into the wiper motor on the '39. the wipers start to work but stop about a quarter of the way. when you shut the wiper switch off they come back. i would like to try some brake fluid. i was thinking maybe attaching a longer hose on the vacuum line to get the hose higher than the wiper motor but not sure it would get into it. (maybe with slight pressure behind it ?)
Click to expand...
 
paul2748 said:
Put some fluid in a can. Disconnect the hose in the engine area that goes to the wipers and stick it in the fluid. Work the wipers manually to suck up the fluid (It's better to have one person on each wiper if you have two) Let sit overnight and try it.

Put some rags on the floor inside to make sure there are no drips in the carpet.

The car may smoke on first start up.. No big deal, let it burn off.
Click to expand...
thanks paul.
 
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