Model: '00VR

The rear wiper would work intermittently when I first bought this car in spring of this year but it's apparently given up entirely now. I lubed it with silicone (at least the part I had access to by removing the small cover) but that has done no good. Winter is coming and I had better fix this.

Is there any way get in there and replace certain parts or is it the whole assembly?

Silicone is a nice try, but it will not penetrate. The problem is usually the post itself getting corroded from salt and lack of use. The best way to do this is to remove everything and lube up the post where it goes through the door. You could try a penetrating oil and see if it makes it past the rubber seal.

If you remove the rear inside cover, be prepared to buy a couple of plastic pins, they always snap.

Klaus
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Did you do your Random Act of Kindness today?

I took mine all apart and found that the shaft that goes through the glass was dry/dirty/corroded and just needed to be cleaned and lubed.

I /think/ you could achieve this without removing the tailgate interior panel.

If you undo the nut on the end of the shaft that holds the wiper on, then you should be able to push/pull the shaft around enough to clean it off a good deal with soap and water and a rag, and then maybe use brake cleaner, and then lube it up. I would use something like grease rather than something more like a fluid. The spray lithium grease /might/ work but I would be more inclined to suggest an actual paste grease. Silicone grease (dielectric grease) would actually probably work well here as lithium or oil based grease will eat at the seal.

The shaft should slide in and out quite freely when you're done. Then just fasten the wiper arm back on in the correct position and give it a go.


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1998 V70 AWD->FWD->AWD Turbo 220k+

thanks, but when I tried this it was really rather corroded. I'm willing to try this again to avoid removing the whole interior panel.

when you did this, did you remove that black ABS plastic covering on the shaft? that thing is preventing me from getting in there and doing it properly.

Thanks!

I actually didn't do it this way - as I described in my post, I removed the whole interior panel, but I was just suggesting that you might try it without removing the panel to save the trouble.

I don't quite remember how the plastic bushing goes in or out, so I can't say that you can definitely pull it out easily. As I recall it did slide in from one side or the other, but I can't remember which. If you can get it out easily I would pull it out, but don't force it because you might break it.

Now that mine is lubed the shaft slides in and out quite freely. There's really nothing keeping it lined up in plane with the door, so you should be able to push it right through the glass so there's nothing sticking through without removing the interior panel. I wouldn't recommend this though because how will you get a hold of it to pull it back through?

I have two more suggestions for you.

- you might be able to get somewhere by blasting some water in at the thing while the wiper arm is off. Maybe disconnect the battery so you don't end up shorting something out in there (lock, license plat lights) and pull the wiper away and blast the water in there. It will get inside the tailgate interior panel but should run right out again at the bottom. The pressure and water might free it up enough to make some progress.

- the interior panel has a plastic cap over the back of the wiper shaft that is actually removable though I've never taken it off. I don't know how easy it is to get off without removing the panel, or if you will break anything doing it. Try it out and see where you get with it. If you can get that cap off things will be real easy because you can pretty much just force the shaft through the glass all the way and you'll still be able to retrieve it without removing the whole panel.

If these fail I'm pretty much out of ideas. Bite the bullet and remove the interior panel.

You won't need to unbolt the whole wiper motor assembly, just push the shaft through the glass, clean it up and lube it and put it back together.

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1998 V70 AWD->FWD->AWD Turbo 220k+