So ; It's been raining here for a week and my wiper linkage has begun to squeak , I looked under the hood , then under the dash but I don't see any linkages to lubricate ! . Is there any pictures or older posts showing and explaining how this works ? . Links to FPM illustrations etc. I don't want to grind them to junk . TIA ,
The linkage on my '85 is below the cowl, underneath a black plastic screen. There is a space behind the top of the firewall for the linkage.
Thank you ! That's handy , I'll give it a look soon as we're supposed to take it on an out of state drive next week , you know how SWMBO will get if the wipers pack it in 350 miles from home...... . If it *ever* stops raining here , I'll apply some RAIN-X as that'll work instead of wipers once you get above 35 MPH . Keep those helpful tips and ideas coming guys ! .
More thanx As during lunch I went out to the L.A.P.D. garage where I park and popped the hood , I have the long hood with the air grille in it , underneath was the black plastic screen , no screws ~ you just ever so carefully lift up each end then the leading edge then gently slide it forward , up and out and Lo ! the wiper linkages are underneath , I ran the key off and on a few times trying to stop them where I could reach but no joy (the DPM mangled the wiring so they only have FAST & stop , no self parking , washer etc.) , after a few minutes I took the wiper arms off and just let them run and sprayed the ball joints as they whizzed past , with Moly Lube in a Foo-Foo can , after a few squirts the squeaking stopped so I'm now good to go . The really good part is : these were the last real engineered for work trucks GM ever made so the entire wiper system is : A. easy access B. all bolted up , even the ball joints ~ no plastic pop joints like Chrysler crap (they break in heavy rain or snowstorms and dealers don't carry them) ~ as soon as I get some time & dry weather , I can take it all apart and hand clean the dity 34 year old parts , then hand pack with my favorite grease and re-assemble , they'll be good to go for the next 36 years . Woo Hoo ! Las Vegas HERE WE COME .
Wipers Nate, You gave me an idea. I have my cowl open which exposes the wiper assemble. I need to do PM on them while they are exposed. Does it require just a good cleaning and grease job? I have a replacement plastic section for that area. The cowl cover piece had the paint pealing off so I removed it for a good sanding.
Wiper Service Yep ; Just like the olden days ! . First thing , get some good penatrant , NOT WD40 crap and soak the little nuts & bolts , then remove the wiper arms by gently prying them up from below , undo & remove the pot metal pivots , undo the ball joint holding the linkage arms to the wiper motor proper and carefully with draw the entire linkage and pivots , remove the pivots from the arms and dribble some 30W or heavier oil down the shafts as you turn them 360° for a while , set aside and undo the ball joints and clean the pivots and balls with clean rags , NO red stains are permissable to remain as the red stuff is abrasive . Pack with good grease and re assemble , after the nuts are tight wipe off the smooshed out grease and re assemble the linkages to the pivots and button it all up . Once it's to-gether and working O.K. , park the motor and re-install the arms remembering they'll dip a little bit before moving upwards so leave 1/4" or so between the parked blade & the rubber . I hope this helps , I find the old overspray paint & crud is pretty easy to work off the plastic by using your fingernails.
Lucky For Us GM was still doing the things that made it (at one time) the biggest & most popular vehicle manufacturer in the world . This means you're able to take GM products further apart for repair & service , than spares are available..... 99 % of the time , simply taking the time to dis assemble , clean , re paint , lubricate , re assemble and properly adjust a thing , it'll return to ' As New ' service . Sadly , in this greed fueled time , no one wants to do the very things that made America great . At my shop the newer , younger Techs (they're not Mechanics IMO) not only cannot fix a simple thing like a carby or alternator , they don't even want to take it apart and see if they can learn how to .
