Access to wiper linkage?

[torchard]

Looking for a description of how to access the wiper linkage. Specifically access to the passenger side wiper spline as it's loose - not just the arm but the mount itself. I assume there is a nut or something on the back side that has worked its way loose.

How to get to this?

I saw a link to a posting on the UK which describes access to the wiper motor via the glovebox (teeny tiny fingers are a bonus!), is this also the way to the back side of the spines or would I take the front panel off the van?

thanks for your assistance.

--T

[Delicaman]

Mine is loose too??? I tried to get my hand up there too. No luck. I think something has to come out for access. The glove box for sure..

Benn

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[MardyDelica]

Hi, if your linkage from outside wiper blade is loose, just loosen the nut in the front wiper blade, then take out the wholearm assembly , by then you see a shaft with the nuts on it, tighten this nut to the point that the shaft that holds the wiper arm dont move, pls dont do evertight, now you fix the problem, all this delica when it came from japan is loose they never re-tight it since new, i always tight this nut on all my delica & never had any problem at all.
hope this help :lol:

[torchard]

Thanks for the description! Done.

[MardyDelica]

hi, your very welcome
Cheers:

[sealica]

OK - so I'm jumping over from another thread I hiijacked. viewtopic.php?f=64&t=15631

OK well I put a spare nut on the drive shaft to re-attach the linkage - no dice. The motor just whirs constantly when I turn the wipers on ...

I figure I'm extremely close and it just needs some adjustment somewhere, but obviously being behind the dash it's pretty hard to guess where :p

What a headache!

Update. I felt around and noticed the linkage was probably misaligned somehow. I reattached the linkage after taking it apart and positioning the swiveling links (bars) at either end of the main link like so \------\

It works! It still sounds funny, I need to adjust the arms for reach and stopping point. I do feel that I broke *something* I only have one speed, and turning the wipers to max the motor is louder than I recall ... I think I hear a bit of rubbing from somewhere along the main link also.

Anyways - LIVE AND LEARN - mark your wiper arm position on the spindles!!

Just to share knowledge which was a real big headache for me. I ended up adjusting the arms in such a way that they flew off the windshield and broke the sealant I put on one of the washer jets - aggh - so my issue was aligning the wiper linkage like so; \______\; the correct alignment is something like completely inline, but with the cams (little arms attaching wiper motor to long shaft of linkage "\") ever so slightly angled like five degrees or so upwards.

Sorry, but pictures are impossible since I did this by contorting my arms and reaching behind the wiper motor with a 1/4" 12mm socket (3/8 socket/wrench was almost impossible to use in the limited space). I definitely have a few scrapes from contorting, and while taking the dash off is actually not that difficult it does require remembering where every little peice goes to get it back together right (plus you won't be driving it until you put it back together!).

I will try and draw a diagram once this plays out and I'm sure it's working, but it was a huge relief after all the sloppy wiper arms flying off the windshield and banging into things (undoing some of my sealing in the process :\). The solution was definitely having a second pair of hands (girlfriend) to flick the wiper switch, lift arms and such while adjusting the cams from the contorted position sitting on the passenger side floorpan. Drivers side wiper comes thru above the fuse box, but the whole thing mostly appears to be adjusted from behind the wiper motor (behind glovebox, passenger side).

Hopefully my next project is the rust, ATF change, fuel filter, and getting the interior all set up for adventures. Happy fall everyone!

[sealica]

Unfortunately the saga is not yet complete. It seems that the cam which attaches to the wiper motor works itself loose after a while. I suspect it's maybe related to worn wiper blades; so I'm going to give switching those a go. Tightening the nut up again did "repair" the issue, but not much good if they stop working at random - you know.

It's a weird issue also; considering asking a mechanic for a diagnosis but they estimated $300 and I'm not convinced they would be able to do much more than I have. Perhaps taking the dash apart and replacing the whole linkage is the only solution?

I just can't fathom which part exactly has gone wrong ... the motor seems fine, wiper arms ... do wiggle a bit, but they function when that nut to the wiper motor is attached - so eliminate those? Thought about maybe loctite on the nut to the wiper motor, but then it's going to be impossible to remove if I ever need to ...

Help brainstorming? I dig that it's a weird one; hard to even respond to.

[sealica]

So I managed to fix this. Although I wish I could take pictures my camera is broken (I don't have smarthpone) and my girlfriend with camera was at work. Kind of a shame because I haven't seen too many pics of the dash removed.

But once the dash and driver's side instruments are clear the linkage was actually pretty easy to pull 1/4" ratchet necessary. We did loosen/remove a few bolts on the wiper motor mounting bracket, but it turned out not to be required and actually backfired a little bit when we tested the wipers forgetting to replace that one bolt. The bracket shifted which required some fiddling with a mallet, physical force, and playing with the wipers to get it aligned again to replace that bolt.

The mitsubishi wiper seals I got are completely wrong though so I'm still going to have to go through the resealing process. I will update with some part numbers and pics hopefully when I get around to that.

Attaching the new linkage was super easy it basically slides in no problem through the area to the right of the steering wheel. Definitely a two person job though to keep the linkage aligned and not bang it around against everything. Pretty much a 5 hour gig ... I actually find the dash kind of easy to pull compared to previous vehicles, but that said I've done it two and a half times basically :p (I installed the speedometer cable incorrectly so I had to reinstall the drivers side instruments two or three additional times)

[Morganizer]

Spot-on Mardy! The wiper could be tightened from outside the car, without getting under the dashboard. I'd like to add the following:

The nut that holds the windshield wiper on is covered by a hinged lid. That black, smooth thing at the base of the wiper arm just lifts up with your fingers, revealing a nut.

That nut is 12mm. I used a socket, but a wrench could do it too. Some WD-40 is recommended, as it's bound to be somewhat corroded.

The wiper arm wouldn't come off when I pulled, so I threaded the nut back on, backed it off half a turn, then tapped it with a hammer and a wooden block. Didn't take much. Then took the nun off, and the wiper came free. (I meant nut, but the typo was funny so I left it!)

The nut that secures the wiper spindle (hey, that sounds like the real name) is large -- 22mm. A big Crescent wrench did the trick. Choked up on the handle to reduce leverage so I don't tighten it too much. It is compressing a rubber seal, after all.

Also note: There was an early warning sign that this was getting loose, and I didn't know how to interpret it. The driver's windshield wiper was leaving streaks, right at the point where I need to look down the highway. This went on for months, until washing the car by hand, I noticed that the spindle was loose. It seems tight when the wipers are down against the windshield, but folded up the spindle was all wobbly. This is why a clean car runs better! Washing it, you notice small problems before they become big problems.

Further, I'm really appreciating this forum, because I was worried the loose spindle would require removing the instrument cluster, glove box, dashboard. Glad to find out it was resolved in minutes!