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+