vacuum wiper rebuild

glenn in camino

glenn in camino

Well-known member
I have a kit from Brattons to rebuild my vacuum wiper but there are no instructions. It's probably really obvious but I don't want to take it apart until I think I know what I'm doing. Does anyone have instructions or some tips based on experience?
 
Save your money and return the kit if you can . Then call Rob Ficken. He can tell you what you need to know and also if yours can be rebuilt. Ficken Wiper Service. Believe he is located in New York.
 
I heard (but have not done it) that before you take apart/rebuild the motor one can add 3:1 oil into the inlet/nipple where the vacuum line attaches just before the wiper motor- re-attach vaccuum line, run the engine and the oil will relubricate the leather parts? Any truth to this??
 
dfclimber said:
I heard (but have not done it) that before you take apart/rebuild the motor one can add 3:1 oil into the inlet/nipple where the vacuum line attaches just before the wiper motor- re-attach vacuum line, run the engine and the oil will relubricate the leather parts? Any truth to this??
Click to expand...

Don't think it'll work that way - the line where the vacuum connects is the "exhaust side" of the wiper motor; you need to get the oil to where the air gets sucked INTO the vacuum motor, which is somewhere around the valve chamber, I think... it's different on early motors than on stuff from the '40s -'60s.

What I did with the vacuum motor on my '28 was to remove it form the windshield, then connect it to the intake manifold with a short piece of hose, and spray WD-40 into the air intakes while running the vacuum motor... it helped loosen-up some gunky inside, and the wiper works better...


One of the problems with original vacuum motors from the '20s and '30s is with the die-castings warping (very common problem with pre-Depression pot-metal). Once the housing warps, the piston paddle inside either binds or doesn't seal tightly enough... or both.
 
glenn in camino said:
I have a kit from Brattons to rebuild my vacuum wiper but there are no instructions. It's probably really obvious but I don't want to take it apart until I think I know what I'm doing. Does anyone have instructions or some tips based on experience?
Click to expand...

I took mine apart not long ago. The best thing I did was use my cell phone to take pictures during the disassembly. It was a genuine mess inside, especially the flap valve. Found out what I needed to know about how it parks, and, with the aid of the pictures, reassembled it with a wire hook to keep it parked. The sequence of the photos tells the part to install in the proper sequence.
 
As part of your maintenance use 3 and 1 oil. The original Trico oil is similar to 3 and 1 oil. Hook a rubber tube up to the wiper and manually work the wiper blade (you can leave the motor attached to the car). This will cause the wiper to "suck" though the rubber tube. Put the end in some 3 and 1 oil and suck some into your wiper motor. Inside your motor is a leather rectangular "paddle" that swipes in a semi arc inside the half circle case. The oil helps to keep this paddle pliable which provides a better seal between the paddle and the case.
 
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