Thread: Classic windscreen wipers stop, drive motor seems okay, help!

Hi mate, to get the motor out you do need to remove the decker panel and bonnet. The wiper motor sounds like it is stalling for some reason, weather there is an internal fault with the motor, or a linkage issue. As you have described it, I would bet on a fault in the motor - the fact that the wipers were stopping in a different position suggests the limit switch plate has moved. I am supprised the fuse didn't blow when the motor siezed, and I hope the burning smell isn't terminal. The wiper motor assemblies are fully servicable, so once it's out, pull it apart and see if you can find anything. If it is the linkages at fault, you should find the problem as you pull the wiper motor out. Let us know how you get on.

Cheers - Gav.

G'day Smukmand

I would suggest that is is one of the spring clips (there are 4) that attach the wiper arms to the motor, probably the one from motor to arms link,it is probably jammed on the link bracket and overheating the drive motor, you may be able to access it by removing the front valance panel (between bonnet & w/screen) the part No for those clips is (Nut spring "J" type--AK612014) hope that is of some help,

From 1985-91 parts catalogue CD available from AULRO shop


cheers

You know sometimes a few drops of oil down the spindles at the base of the wipers will do the trick. Give it a try.
Regard sPhilip A

I removed the bonnet and decker panel and immediately found the problem: a torsion bar for the driver-side bonnet hinge lift-assist had fallen out of its plastic clip at vehicle centre and the torsion bar had sprung against the linkage, thereby jamming both wiper arms.

I removed the plastic centre clips and refit them upside down (thus lifting the arms higher) and before refitting the decker panel I twisted both torsion arms upwards to new positions about 2cm higher than I found them, and back in their factory positions.

Removing and refitting the bonnet and decker panel is an easy job, but be sure to have a couple of lengths of water pipe handy to slip over the bonnet hinges (on the Vogue they had torsion bars - the bonnet seems so light!!) because you need to wiggle the panel forward from the windscreen along the hinges, and they need to be horizontal to allow forward movement of the panel. The job is best done with three people (one to hold the hinges down while standing a few yards forward of the vehicle, and one on each end of the decker panel. It might be possible for two people if you're both strong enough to hold the hinge down with one hand and move the panel with the other.) Oh, and if you're stuck, long screwdrivers will also serve as hinge depressors

In my case, I first noticed a 'slightly raised rest position' (although not as extreme as it got immediately prior to failure as described in my original post) back in about 2001, I shudder to think that the linkage was rubbing on the torsion spring all these years, but a huge collection of scratches on the decker panel underside suggests that this is the case. I am surprised that the wiper motor lasted so long.

When the whole lot was reassembled, I found that stretching the torsion bars had resulted in improved lift assistance, and of course the wipers now work more freely than before. If the wiper motor fails I now know it's an easy job to get in there.

Oblig nostalgia: While doing this repair I was temped to install an A-pillar mounted manual wiper... I remember driving through storms manually wiping the driver's windscreen of my series IIA, with its 6v lucas system, because the wiper motor on that side worked only when the headlights were switched off At least they still had the manual option back then.

SMuk

G'day smukmand

Sorry to jog your memory but ALL Landrovers rightfrom 1948 had 12 Volt Electrics,it is just that the early (pre67) had Positive earth and indivdual wipers with a hand park option,it probably had a bad earth

cheers