NOS Trico Vacuum Wipers Are Stuck

C

cbillelder

Well-known member
Hi Guys-
I recently found a pair of new old stock Trico vacuum wipers for my '38 coupe. They are new in the box but both are stuck. The shaft won't turn. I don't want to force them and risk breaking them, so I need some expert advice on these. I know it seems to be a common problem when they sit for a long time (years) and the grease gets hard. Is there any way of loosening them up short of opening them up? If I do open them, what is the best grease to use for lubrication and is there a source for replacement gaskets, or am I on my own? If it helps, the part numbers are KSB389-1G and KSB390-1G.
Thanks, guys. Any advice you can give is much appreciated.
Bill
cbillelder@comcast.net
 
Try dribbling some Marvel Mystery Oil into the vacuum port and a penetrant around the shaft, then patience.
 
Some old timer {and i'm 74} told me to use a t f to loosen it up & swell the leather. So far it works fairly good. Didn't run at all before. m
 
I had good luck with the MMO technique on the wipers in my, cough, 46 GMC. The patience part is really important. Tip the wipers so the vac inlet allows the oil to drift into the half round chamber. After a while, you'll be able to carefully exercise the wiper shaft increasingly back and forth as the leather loosens up.
Mfirth, what's a t f?
0 degrees and wind in sunny southern NH.
 
A friend of mine rebuilds these things and told me that often when the flapper sits in 1 spot for a very long time, moisture from the air causes corrosion at that spot and makes a defect in the pot metal. He uses fine wet/dry paper and his finger to smooth this spot out and he has a punch that makes new flapper seals and redoes them that way. I hope you get lucky and can free them up. My friend runs "Clean-Sweep" in Redmond Oregon and is elderly. It wouldn't surprise me if he retires at some point.
 
It's easy to pop the the top off and clean out the chamber and clean up the "flapper" as Duece_roadster calls it. I've done this to a number of old ones and relubed the flapper with a little vaseline. It's a 5 minute job.

GB
 
I found an NOS wiper for my Zephyr. I carefully removed the top without tearing the gasket. Removed the wiper and washed all the old dried grease out and re lubed it with white lithium grease. Works like new now.
 
I was wondering if there was any maintenance or lube required on these vacuum wipers. Mine work on the 52 Merc even after sitting for near 40 years. I was thinking that now I have the radio speaker and grille out it would be a good chance to get in there with some oil. If it has leather seals, how about "neatsfoot oil"? That is what they used to put on harness and leather boots.
 
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