Wiper wheel box

[superstator]

Early this spring I came out on a frosty morning, and started up the truck without noticing the wiper switch was on. As it turned out, the driver side wiper was frozen to the glass, and something gave. The passenger side still works fine, but the driver side just kind of flops around. I'm guessing I stripped the gear in the wheel box, but can anybody give me a preview of how painful this will be to get at and fix? I replaced the motor this winter, and I think I'm still mildly traumatized by the experience of trying to get the new motor bracket up in the bulkhead...

[Jim-ME]

Check and make sure that the splined adapter on the end of the shaft is still tight before you tear into the rest of the wiper system. You may just need a new adapter is the adapter has lost the D shape where it goes on over the the shaft on the wheel box. Although I have individual wiper motors I find those the weak link.
Jim

[superstator]

Good point, I'll check that tonight...

[superstator]

Not so much - the entire spindle is turning back into the wheelbox, and it's got a distinctly skipping-gear feel when I twist it around.

[siiirhd88]

The wiper gearbox is retained in the bulkhead by the nut below the adapter. The nuts sometimes corrode onto the threadsa and strip out. Once you remove the metal vent cover along the base of the windscreen you will see the 5/16" tubing that the wiper motor spiral cable runs thru. The flared end of the tubing is trapped at each side of the wiper gearbox by a slot in a metal plate attached to the back of the wiper gearbox by two 3/8" wrench sized nuts. Assuming your truck is LHD you should be able to leave the motor and spiral cable in place and just remove the passenger side wiper gearbox from the cable by just removing the metal plate.

Bob