Air wipers are not working

[trider]

As I work through the problems on my newly acquired deuce then next problem is my wipers do not work. The drivers side wiper will come across but not go back and the passenger side doesn’t move at all. I have searched the forum and not found the answer I am looking for. How do I go about tracking down why they are not working? When I turn the knob I hear the air hissing then the drivers side comes across and stays there, that’s all that happens. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[TMNT]

The rubber airlines tend to dry rot and leak air. Make sure the lines are good. Do you have plastic wiper motors are they metal? I tried for months to get the plastic motors to work and finally trashed them and bought new metal motors. No problems since then.

If the air lines are good and you know you're getting sufficient air pressure and air flow to the wiper motors, try taking them out and disassembling them to give them a good cleaning. Lightly lube them with air tool oil or some other light weight oil and then try them again. I just hooked mine up to the air compressor in my garage and worked on them until they started working correctly. The problem was that the cheap plastic bodied motors wouldn't keep working very long before they hung up again. When you re-install them, don't over-tighten the mounting bolts that go through the windshield frame. Over-tightening those bolts distorts the wiper motor body just enough to cause the piston to get stuck.

 

[TMNT]

Also, disconnect the air lines and hook up only one wiper motor at a time. If one is getting stuck and dumping air then the other one won't work. Find out if you have only one misbehaving wiper motor or if both misbehave when operated individually. If they are the plastic wiper motors, push the red button in and see if that fixes it. Most of the time it doesn't, but its worth a shot.

 

[MWMULES]

In Kansas it's mud dabbers plugging the vents, here is a thread that will help if you take them apart. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?35706-Windshield-Wiper-Motor-Rebuild

 

[shenkmen]

If the hoses are in good shape try lubing the wiper motors by putting a couple drops of air tool oil into the inlet.

 

[trider]

I just got home to look and I have the plastic bodied motors. I have not had time to look at them yet. Anyone have a source for metal bodied motors in case I decide to replace them?

 

[TMNT]

Try this:

http://www.eriksmilitarysurplus.com/wimoairop752.html

 

[trider]

Should the black metal loop on the left side of each wiper motor not have a hose attached to it? Both the drivers side and passenger side are like that and when I turn them on and stick my finger up to the end of it air is coming out. I wondering if someone unhooked them and did not hook them back up right. I have tried to show how the lines are ran in the pictures so you all can see what I am talking about.

 

[trider]

Try this:

http://www.eriksmilitarysurplus.com/wimoairop752.html

Thank you sir. I will take one shot at getting these to work and if that is not successful I will buy new ones. I have been out there checking it out, all the rubber lines are still soft and pliable and appear to have been replaced since seeing civy use as one of the connections has a worm gear clamp on it. I will try to oil them and see what happens.

 

[goldneagle]

Should the black metal loop on the left side of each wiper motor not have a hose attached to it? Both the drivers side and passenger side are like that and when I turn them on and stick my finger up to the end of it air is coming out. I wondering if someone unhooked them and did not hook them back up right. I have tried to show how the lines are ran in the pictures so you all can see what I am talking about.

View attachment 471747View attachment 471748View attachment 471749View attachment 471750

The U- shaped tubes are the exhaust vents. They are supposed to be that way. Check to see if they are venting. Use the manual lever to sweep the wipers back and forth. I took the air hose off and sprayed WD-40 into the tube. I then used the manual sweep handle to work the wiper back and forth until they were doing it on their own. Also try pushing the red button on the motor housing and see if it starts to function.

 

[trider]

When I push the read button in, it stays in and doesn't come back out. When I manually sweep the wipes with the air pressure to them I can feel resistance. I will try the wk 40 thing and see what happens.

 

[trider]

Ok the WD-40 was a no go. I did find that the passenger side is blowing air out of the seal I have circled in this picture. The drivers side will go one direction then when I manually move it the other way and let it go it will return. Should I just buy two new ones with metal bodies?

 

[TMNT]

Your mileage my vary, but I tinkered with those cursed plastic motors for weeks trying to get them to work. If you can afford the couple of hundred bucks for the new metal motors, it will save you a lot of frustration.

The problem seems to be that over time and temperature, the plastic components change shape slightly. Of course that causes the piston to bind in certain spots and to leak air past the piston in other places. (My observation and not a proven fact). Once that has happened, all the silicone and lube in the world won't fix them.

 

[goldneagle]

Ok the WD-40 was a no go. I did find that the passenger side is blowing air out of the seal I have circled in this picture. The drivers side will go one direction then when I manually move it the other way and let it go it will return. Should I just buy two new ones with metal bodies?

View attachment 471755

Did you try to tighten the screws on the end to see if it would stop the air leak?

 

[Rusty nuts]

I got tired of constantly messing with mine and converted to electric and sold the old on an auction place advertised as spare parts. Electric is soooo much nicer.

 

[TMNT]

I got tired of constantly messing with mine and converted to electric and sold the old on an auction place advertised as spare parts. Electric is soooo much nicer.

No question the electric wipers work better. The only reason I kept the air wipers was nostalgia and authenticity. I just get a kick out the way the air wipers sound.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I can offer this repair thread. I have fixed several motors that still work fine. http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?56882-Plastic-air-wiper-motors-repair-how-to

 

[weld88]

This almost sounds like what I was experiencing when a bought my deuce. I didn't think mine worked at all, then one day I turned and turned my air knob until it actually felt like it was going to unscrew and fall off. I Probably have to do between 10 to 15 full revolutions before mine comes on, so just try to keep turning and turning it could work, that's the simplest thing before tearing anything apart.

 

[airborneinfantrygrunt75]

On the air powered wipers....I wander how many people throw these out??? If you have taken it apart there is really not much to them. I recently had my driver side getting air without any leaks. i could see that the air was going to it but me and my brother decided to take it off the frame and inspect it for maybe some bad o rings or lack of lubrication. We proceeded breaking it down changed out the o rings that we could and looked at how it functioned off of the truck. After close inspection we found that the rod that goes from the unit out to where you attached your windshield wiper arm passes through a metal sleeve and was rusting to the sleeve. My brother sprayed penetrating oil and let it run down into the sleeve while working the rod back and forth and eventually broke it free from the sleeve to where it moved inside the sleeve as it should. What a simple fix!!!

 

[someoldmoose]

Use the manual handle as needed. I am going to be putting an air/water separator / luber on my air system. The oil helps keep all those little motors, gizmos, and thinga-ma-jigs moving freely. The water removal benefits should be obvious. Have done this on every vehicle with an air system I have ever had. IF things have been sitting a while it is a great idea to clean and lube them first.