Wiper adjustment

[Scott]

Both my front wipers are clattering into the left side. There is about an inch to spare on the right side. Is this an easy adjustment to make or is a trip to the garage needed?

[nothanks]

Probably they're on a splined shaft. Pull them off the shaft and push them on 1 or 2 splines round from where they were. Tweak as needed.

[Cursitor Doom]

Usually not that simple. Wipers tend to form attachments to the splines on their drive shafts and can be a *bitch* to get off without a puller. Or sometimes even with one.

[Jim GM4DHJ]

never had a problem

[wasbit]

Varies from vehicle to vehicle even those of the same type. All you can do is try moving the arm on the splines & see.

[nothanks]

Sometimes easy and sometimes not, but the answer to the question is as I described.

[Tricky Dicky]

If they have never been moved off the splines then check any connecting links that is where the wear and tear will be. I had a Nissan many years back that had ball and socket joints on all the links and it tended to be the nylon socket that tended to wear on one link. The only cure was replacement.

Richard

[Jim gm4dhj]

out of a scrappy

[Brian Gaff]

I also remember not very long ago sitting in the front seat of a minicab, one wiper being completely flung off into the gutter. This part of a car does not seem to have developed very much in decades, oh except you now have to change the whole blade not just the rubber bit, I am told. Brian

[Scott]

Thanks to everyone. I tried yesterday to remove one of the wipers but even after removing the nut, it remained solidly fixed. However, I noticed there is quite a lot of play so even after adjustment - as you say - the wiper could remain loose and the problem may not be solved.

MOT time in March, so I will speak to my trusted mechanic then.

[Rod Speed]

Brian Gaff [e-mail] wrote

You were told wrong, you can still change just the rubber.

[alan_m]

Flat blades are becoming more popular. On my previous car I swapped over to flat blades which worked better than those supplied by the car manufacturer.

You can find replacement rubber for the traditional style and for the flat blades.