So frustrated!!!!!!!!
07-21-14, 09:37 PM
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So frustrated!!!!!!!!
So today I spent about three hours unsticking my rusted stuck windshield wipers. They were so bad I barely got the wiper spindles removed, but I did. I sanded the rust out and applied some good grease but in the process of putting everything back together I broke the plastic bushings. Tomorrow I get to try and come up with a fix but I might end up buying a whole new linkage. I'm really getting tired of old cars.
07-21-14, 10:20 PM
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Here's a recent post by the estimable Jim Rothe on the first-gen e-mail list that might be helpful:
Let's start with a photo:
http://www.jimrothe.com/mazda/wiper_grommet.jpg
The picture shows two wiper linkages. The bottom one is the one from
my 85 GSL-SE. Just above my index finger in the photo, you can see
the not-quite-concentric circles of a disintegrating plastic bushing.
That linkage still holds together, but there's so much play at that
bushing that wiper operation results in a clunk, clunk, clunk with
every pass of the wipers.
Just underneath that linkage is the separated rod of a linkage where
the bushing completely disintegrated and the linkage came apart. The
main section of that linkage is at the top of the photo. At the top
edge of the photo is the ball joint that the original bushing used to
secure.
In my hand is half of a broken bushing, and the rubber grommet that I
found to replace it. The grommet was sourced from my local Lowes home
center for $1.04. Plus tax. FWIW, Lowes seems to have a bunch more
little nick-nacks in their hardware drawers than the other guys do.
But the bottom line is that you'll need a grommet with a 1 1/8" outer
diameter and a 5/8" inner diameter.
I added some white lithium grease to the center of the grommet and
slipped it onto the ball joint. It seems to be staying in place and
wiper operation is once again clunk-free!
This fix will probably work for our pop-up headlight rods, too. I
don't know the dimensions of the required bushing for that
application, but Lowes had a pretty good selection, so keep that in
mind for when the time comes.
http://www.jimrothe.com/mazda/wiper_grommet.jpg
The picture shows two wiper linkages. The bottom one is the one from
my 85 GSL-SE. Just above my index finger in the photo, you can see
the not-quite-concentric circles of a disintegrating plastic bushing.
That linkage still holds together, but there's so much play at that
bushing that wiper operation results in a clunk, clunk, clunk with
every pass of the wipers.
Just underneath that linkage is the separated rod of a linkage where
the bushing completely disintegrated and the linkage came apart. The
main section of that linkage is at the top of the photo. At the top
edge of the photo is the ball joint that the original bushing used to
secure.
In my hand is half of a broken bushing, and the rubber grommet that I
found to replace it. The grommet was sourced from my local Lowes home
center for $1.04. Plus tax. FWIW, Lowes seems to have a bunch more
little nick-nacks in their hardware drawers than the other guys do.
But the bottom line is that you'll need a grommet with a 1 1/8" outer
diameter and a 5/8" inner diameter.
I added some white lithium grease to the center of the grommet and
slipped it onto the ball joint. It seems to be staying in place and
wiper operation is once again clunk-free!
This fix will probably work for our pop-up headlight rods, too. I
don't know the dimensions of the required bushing for that
application, but Lowes had a pretty good selection, so keep that in
mind for when the time comes.
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