Car wiper blade arm hard to remove

[The Natural Philosopher]

[Chris Bartram]

*shrug* I've read the warnings that it worsens galvanic corrosion. I've also recently removed the wipers on a 20 year old car which were a bastard to get off 15 years ago, but came off by hand after using copper grease that time.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Lots of theoritians on here. With rather obviously zero practical experience.

Oh - the chances of a wiper arm being aluminium remote - except for perhaps some exotics. The base will be pot metal.

[Steve Walker]

The trouble is that they remove the washer jets from the bonnet using their teeth as well.

I've had that done twice now!

SteveW

[Steve Walker]

The spindle may well be an alloy casting.

I have never had any problem with copper-slip and alloys though. Indeed, I have used it in a number of places where I had difficulty removing an item, but have had no difficulty there after using it.

SteveW

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I have a threaded balljoint/track rod end puller that does this job on cars we've had. Oddly, it bent when I tried to use it on an actual balljoint.

[T i m]

<snip>

More likely to be steel though. The body of the arm is more likely to be 'pot-metal'.

Same here (for lack of anything more appropriate at the time) but one place I might be slightly selective where I might use something like CoppaSlip is a wiper arm splines.

Specifically, if the arm has ever slipped before or the splines are

*very* fine then I might err on making sure it *doesn't* slip over being able to get it off easily next time (which might be never).

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Tighten and tap (on a track rod type balljoint, not a wiper arm, although you can if you are careful). ;-)

I can remember years ago we had a puncture on a boat trailer tyre and Dad got me to get the car scissor jack out to lift / hold it up.

I started to apply some pressure but felt it was 'wrong', the scissors were too flat and it wasn't starting to open so I stopped and expressed my reservations re going any further. Dad took over, carried on turning when we heard a loud 'bang' from the welds on the jack and that was now broken. To be fair to him, I was just a lad but he was more of a carpenter and I probably had more 'mechanical sympathy', even then. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Again, normally pot metal, if a casting. But to remove the arm you'd lever against the nut holding it in place. Protect if needed with some thin steel, etc.

Quite. I can only conclude many on here simply Google and never actually do anything.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Often happens with pullers. Best way is usually to tighten them only so far, apply heat, and whack them with a hammer.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Sorry - I sort of thought it referred to the spindle body. The actual spindle is steel on every one I've seen. The taper spline has to be harder than the arm body it fits to. Fitting a new arm cuts a spline into it when you tighten it.

Older cars used to have clip on arms. Usually a parallel spline with a matching one in the arm. So you could only adjust by the width of the spline.

Most of the modern ones I've seen use a taper spline. Which sort of cuts into the arm. Allowing fine adjustment - at least when the arm is new.

I've played with wipers perhaps more than most. The old Rover had a Lucas motor which was marginal, torque wise, even when new. So I've fitted a Valeo motor which is a similar physical size, but a ceramic magnet so lots more torque.