Vacuum Wiper rebuild needed? Or something else?

30aadoodlebug

30aadoodlebug

Senior Member
Hey All,

So I'm the recent new owner of a barn find 1930 Tudor. The car has sat in a barn since 1956, and is in incredible condition considering the amount of time that it sat. Other than the generator, the only thing that is not working is the vacuum wiper system. It's pretty rusted, and I'm wondering if it needs to be rebuilt, or if it just needs a new rubber hose running from the cowl fitting to the wiper motor itself. That being said, could I need a rebuilt vacuum motor? or is my initial thought the fix. Also, if I do need to rebuild the motor, how would I go about it, as I have not been able to find any literature on it in any of my books.

Thanks,

Jon
 
You don't need the wiper if you don't drive in the rain. But if you do, then I use Rain-X. It will work better and I have found the water beads up and off normally on the windshield due to being vertical. You may want to cap the system temporarily to prevent any vacuum leaks.

Mike
 
Sorry for the delayed reply, I'm in the middle of law school finals so they are taking most of my time. I removed the wiper motor off the car. Also, in talking to my father (another a enthusiest) he said something about a rebuild kit. I looked them up, and they only cost about $10, so I think this might be the route to go. Any ways, here are some shots of the motor.
 

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Don't open it unless you have too. Soak it in 3 and 1 oil first and work the shaft back and forth. It may only need oil
 
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It is my understanding that the available kits do not fit that early style wiper motor with the "screw on" tin cover. The gasket kit does fit. As suggested, oil it up and try it first.
 
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Jon, Mine didn't work either. Someone on the forum told me to disconnect the vacuum hose, find a short piece of hose, add a few drops of 3 n 1 oil and blow it in while working the wiper back and forth. I did that, started up the car, and now works fine.
 
Looks like an original vaccum motor to me . I have been told the originals had the 2 screws on the cover like yours . I recently had mine torn apart and repaired , Mine had pitting inside on the area where it moves back and forth . I smoothed out the raised pits and cleaned everything and coated with 3 in 1 oil and replaced gasket . It works well . It must have no leaks .
 
I agree that Rainex is a good product, but the question was how to get the wiper to function. It may not do a great job, but I too, want my wiper to work.
 
Thanks all for the replies. Yes, I don't plan on driving my A in the rain (and if I do I'll use Rainex), but like any tinkerer it bothers me that it doesn't work.
 
This was a highly, non technical way of fixing mine, but I did take mine apart and oiled everything up. It wasn't too difficult and I got to see how it all worked. I cleaned the insides and oiled it again, then put it back together and it worked.

Driving to the Beardsley Cider Mill show this weekend was incredibly humid, so I ended up needing the wiper. Doesn't work nearly as well as a modern wiper, but definitely is effective!

Give that a shot first...maybe it just needs a good cleaning.

Joe
 
So, problem found. I did as everyone said and saturated the motor with 3-in-1 oil. This freed the wiper, but it still wasn't working. I decided to check the line from the firewall to the motor, and sure enough, it was the original fabric hose that was dried and split. I threw on a new rubber hose, and we're up And running. The reason for this wiper working and being so important is that here in Massachusetts, the wiper must function in order to pass inspection. Tomorrow I will find out if it will do so.

Thanks again for all of the feedback!

Jon
 
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