Questions regarding windshield wiper replacement...

J

JamesTXSD

Active member
We have the AFI wiper motors in our CD-25. The starboard side has always been sluggish, and recently just flat quit. The new motor arrived yesterday... but I have no idea how to get the wiper blade off??? Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.

I did several web searches to try to find out how those arms come off, to no avail. Thanks in advance for any info you can send my way.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":19ywkubr said:
We have the AFI wiper motors in our CD-25. The starboard side has always been sluggish, and recently just flat quit. The new motor arrived yesterday... but I have no idea how to get the wiper blade off??? Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.

I did several web searches to try to find out how those arms come off, to no avail. Thanks in advance for any info you can send my way.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
Click to expand...

Mine have a pinch bolt(10mm head)clamping the wiper arm to the splined shaft. If no pinch bolt then they just pop off! :mrgreen: :beer
 
OK, no pinch bolt that I can find... I have some concerns about just yanking on the arm (I'm gonna have to reuse that). Any tip to make it "pop" off?

Thanks again.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
JamesTXSD":ls7gcpwx said:
OK, no pinch bolt that I can find... I have some concerns about just yanking on the arm (I'm gonna have to reuse that). Any tip to make it "pop" off?

Thanks again.

Best wishes,
Jim
Click to expand...

OOPS forgot about the nut possibility, Semi gently pry up on the rear of the cap covering the wiper shaft(big end of arm) might have a nut under there? or a little clip to push out of the way and lift off.
 
OK, tried the gently prying... no joy. Fortunately, the boat is right out the door, so it's easy to make these trips. :wink: This is the pantographic arm, if that makes any difference (two connections on the wiper arm to the boat).

What's the saying? Oh yeah, "if it was easy, anyone could do it." :crook
 
JamesTXSD":zln5wqwk said:
OK, tried the gently prying... no joy. Fortunately, the boat is right out the door, so it's easy to make these trips. :wink: This is the pantographic arm, if that makes any difference (two connections on the wiper arm to the boat).

What's the saying? Oh yeah, "if it was easy, anyone could do it." :crook
Click to expand...

Does the new motor have a threaded shaft above the splined shaft?
 
tsturm":2vnr76b5 said:
...
Does the new motor have a threaded shaft above the splined shaft?
Click to expand...

No, just the splined shaft. MarineCo (AFI) was very prompt in a reply:


<<In response to your inquiry on the AFI wiper products, we do not have
instructions on how to remove them, only how to install them (see attached).
Our guess is you are referring to removing the "arm" from the motor shaft.
If so, first make sure that any set screws or spring clips have been
released. At this point it's just a matter of lifting it off the knurled
end. Sometimes they're very difficult to remove due to corrosion buildup.
If this is the case, spraying a little WD-40 on the corroded points and
letting it sit for a few hours or so should loosen things up. If that
doesn't help, you may be forced to cut the shaft of the motor and replace
the whole system.

Good luck, and let us know if we can be of further assistance.>>

The attachment they sent was in Word format, and I can't open that. :| I'll keep looking.

Thanks,
Jim
 
JamesTXSD":1z9pai6g said:
tsturm":1z9pai6g said:
...
Does the new motor have a threaded shaft above the splined shaft?
Click to expand...

No, just the splined shaft. MarineCo (AFI) was very prompt in a reply:


<<In response to your inquiry on the AFI wiper products, we do not have
instructions on how to remove them, only how to install them (see attached).
Our guess is you are referring to removing the "arm" from the motor shaft.
If so, first make sure that any set screws or spring clips have been
released. At this point it's just a matter of lifting it off the knurled
end. Sometimes they're very difficult to remove due to corrosion buildup.
If this is the case, spraying a little WD-40 on the corroded points and
letting it sit for a few hours or so should loosen things up. If that
doesn't help, you may be forced to cut the shaft of the motor and replace
the whole system.

Good luck, and let us know if we can be of further assistance.>>

The attachment they sent was in Word format, and I can't open that. :| I'll keep looking.

Thanks,
Jim
Click to expand...

When it does pop off you are going to think O that was easy :mrgreen: :beer get out the penetrating oil & hose it down. Have a good one
 
There is a set screw that holds the wiper to the shaft. I think it is under a hinged protective cap. It is a bugger to get to since it is so close to the roof overhang. Once that is loosened you need to work the wiper off the splined shaft. Then you need to take off the nut that secures the shaft/motor to the boat. There is also a single screw or nut (can't remember and I am in Maui right now) that must be removed that. The motor will then come off the boat.
 
WD-40 sprayed - check
Gently pryed cover - check
I can see the set screw - check
Set screw is a giant pain in the ass - check

I'll let the WD-40 do it's thing a while longer and try again. Thanks for your help on this, guys! :thup Less than 17 minutes from my first post to potential resolution - this place is great!

Best wishes,
Jim
 
The key word is "two" set screws. Once removed you will have to overcome the salt corrosion and than the wiper arm will come off. I found I had to get the arm in just the right position to release its pressure on the splined shaft. When I acheived that magic position, after much frustration and prying, the arm came off easily.
Good luck
Ron
 
James, my wiper arm (came with the motor) uses an allen head set screw to anchor it to the motor shaft. Having replaced four wiper motors in five years I can toss a couple of tips out for you.

Removal with the blade in the park position (my motors are above the window) is very cumbersome and makes the port side set screw unreachable. I turn on the wiper and shut down the main power feed so the wiper blade is in a down position for better access to the set screw.
The tension created by the spring load on the wiper arm will cause enough side loading so that the arm cannot be removed even with the set screw loose. I lift the wiper arm then pry on the back side of the connector to rock the arm off the shaft. If the arm and shaft connection has not been well greased removal can be a real PIA due to corrosion (even when lubed it is a PIA).

Do not do this on the water if you can avoid it. When the arm releases it tends to do so all at once and can result in tossing the arm into the water (believe that I have two arms on the bottom of the Columbia now)

Once the motor is replaced (great fun setting the sweep correctly) you will get in plenty of practice installing and removing the arm. It is a bit of a guessing game if you have the arm on the correct spline for alignment and you need to do this in the park position.

On the positive side with a three year warranty you can do what I did and buy a third motor to replaced a failed one and not be without a wiper while the broken one is being replaced . I actually have a rotation plan for these pieces of junk. When my starboard motor fails I move the port motor over to starboard and install my spare on the port side. Might be a northwest thing but I have yet to have a motor last much over two years and can now tell when the failure is starting to happen.

Good luck
stevej
 
Well, just came back in and saw there are several new posts... TWO set screws, huh? No wonder the damn thing won't come off with ONE set screw undone!!

I let the WD-40 work and went after the house water pump. It, too, is dead. It took me a couple hours to get the old, dead one out. I finally said, "Hell with it, and cut the rubber feet off from the body of the pump. I mounted the new pump upright (instead of on the floor of the bilge :crook ). It took some fussing with new hose and then the new pump leaked. More fussing. More leaking. I found an o-ring with a small deformation, changed that out, and no leak! Wired it up and it works fine. I mounted some non-skid under and behind the pump, so it is much quieter, too. And every screw, hose clamp, and the filter are all easily accessible if it needs to be changed out some time in the future (should last a lot longer since it won't be sitting IN the water... the old pump was rusted and the motor was shot).

And then back to the wiper arm... I've been pulling like an old mule and the damn thing won't come off. Fortunately, it's 90º with 350% humidity... but it only feels like 150º and 400% humidity out on the bow. It's normally breezy here... not today. Tomorrow morning I'll go back out and see if I can find that second set screw.

I really appreciate all your help here, folks. This place is an amazing resource. I called the factory, left a message, but didn't hear back. I had suggestions here within minutes. :D

Joan wasn't sitting around while I was out in the sun practicing some swear words that I hadn't used in a while... she made a Sunbrella container for our camperback. Kinda like a duffle bag. She bought some Sunbrella to match, and it looks great. Prior to that, she went over each piece of the camperback, cleaned the eisenglass, put silicone on the zippers and snaps, and repaired a couple places where the stitching had come apart. I've been rolling the camperback up with old sheets inbetween to protect the eisenglass... Joan cut up old blankets and rolled it the stack around a cut off swimming noodle - it makes a nice tight roll.

Once we get the wiper done, the trailer needs some attention, a couple "projects" for the boat, and Wild Blue will be better than new. Not bad for all the use she's seen this year.

Thanks again for the help!

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I got pretty good at working on them as changed locations on my little
tug. Two setscrews for sure and as I remember metric. You should get
the proper one with the motor. Make sure the motor is set up for the
correct sweep and you may have to take apart the new one and compare
with the old one so the sweep is correct and the park is correct. The
AFI unit will have instructions and if they don't it is online. I wiggled mine
with water pump plyers and came right off but had salt residue in them.
I think the instructions says something about taking them apart and re
new grease but we are not going to do that till it fails right!
Bob Heselberg near Eatonville wa
 
Well, this is big fun! Yep, there's a second set screw... it makes the cutest little "plink" sound as it goes into the water. :disgust Oh well, with that out of the way, I'll just tug that ol' wiper arm right off.

Grunt.

GRUNT!

I have dug at it with a big screwdriver (using the lock-nut for leverage). I have 54 new gouges in my hand... shaped like the slot end of a big screwdriver. Shooting pain down my neck and shoulders from all the pulling. That damn thing isn't coming off for nuthin'! :x

More swearing, 14 cans of WD-40, more gouges. Joan came down to the dock and said, "Let me try." This almost always results in the deed getting done and me being humiliated. Not this time. She gave up after only a half hour or so of tugging.

The wiper blade looks like an old coat hanger, every knuckle and finger is bleeding, I'm sweating like a farm animal, and that wiper arm STILL hasn't budged a bit!!!! :amgry

I'm going to check around to see if I can find any C-4 explosives! A few more hours of this crap and I'm going to re-think my response to the thread about the C-Dory vs the Telstar trimaran... no windshield, no need for changing out wiper motors!!!!

Any ideas, friends?

Thanks in advance.

Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":3rfrhs4d said:
Well, this is big fun! Yep, there's a second set screw... it makes the cutest little "plink" sound as it goes into the water. :disgust Oh well, with that out of the way, I'll just tug that ol' wiper arm right off.

Grunt.

GRUNT!

I have dug at it with a big screwdriver (using the lock-nut for leverage). I have 54 new gouges in my hand... shaped like the slot end of a big screwdriver. Shooting pain down my neck and shoulders from all the pulling. That damn thing isn't coming off for nuthin'! :x

More swearing, 14 cans of WD-40, more gouges. Joan came down to the dock and said, "Let me try." This almost always results in the deed getting done and me being humiliated. Not this time. She gave up after only a half hour or so of tugging.

The wiper blade looks like an old coat hanger, every knuckle and finger is bleeding, I'm sweating like a farm animal, and that wiper arm STILL hasn't budged a bit!!!! :amgry

I'm going to check around to see if I can find any C-4 explosives! A few more hours of this crap and I'm going to re-think my response to the thread about the C-Dory vs the Telstar trimaran... no windshield, no need for changing out wiper motors!!!!

Any ideas, friends?

Thanks in advance.
Jim B.
Click to expand...


Get out the end grinder & cutoff wheel. Chances are you will need a new arm & Wiper arm before you are done! :mrgreen: :beer
 
Jim,
On mine it seemed to be the tension that the spring loaded wiper arm was putting on the spline was causing it to bind. It was really neccesary to get all the pressure off the arm before trying to pull the end off the splined shaft. I did the big screw driver pry thingee for about an hour before I managed to get it to work. If not, you may have to get a puller that has a sliding hammer on the shaft so you can pull evenly rather than pry with the screw driver. Another thought, I'm not near my boat, but could you undo the locking nut enough to put pressure on the arm end. If the threads go high enough by backing off the nut it may press the wiper arm off the splines. I can't remember for sure how far the thread go up.
Ron
 
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