The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

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Soobster
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The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

Post by Soobster »

I have this problem with my windshield wipers. When I run the wipers the driver's side blade will hit the weather stripping along the driver's left edge of the glass. The blade makes contact with the stripping at all wiper speeds, but it gets worse (the blade really gives the stripping a pounding) when I increase the wiper speed.

Is there any way to adjust the travel of the driver's side wiper blade so that it does not go all the way over and hit the weather stripping and trim?

Also, because the wiper blade has been slapping into the weather stripping, the stripping is falling off. I want to reglue it (or get new stripping to reglue) onto the trim strip that runs along the edge of the windshield. However, I am honestly pretty scared to pull at that exterior trim piece without knowing exactly how to remove it. Has anyone had experience with pulling that black trim that runs from the bottomn of the windshield along the edge up to the trim that runs the length of the car?

Thanks all.
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LaureltheQueen
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Post by LaureltheQueen »

my blade does that too...
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Soobster
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Post by Soobster »

Why? Oh why?

It needs to stop, it is driving me crazy!
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Post by scottzg »

The wipers are different lengths on the driver an passenger sides (20 and 21 inches, i think, check your user manual) I bet someone just bought a 21" 2 pack.

That stripping has to be gotten at by removing the metal trim on the outside. Rip out the window weatherstripping, and then look for screws. You'll find them all over. When you have them all, the piece can be more or less lifted out.
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skid542
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Post by skid542 »

Mine knocks too but it hits the other wiper when it returns back to the 'down' position. Does it at varying speeds and on varying days. I've learned to live with it for now, I think my gear box is dying since there seems to be excess play in it. Have you checked the play in your gearbox?
Lee

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professor
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Post by professor »

Mine does this, too, and the wiper is correct. It hits both the side trim, and the bottom when on high.

In my case it appears that the arm is stripped a bit on the spline shaft. In other words, you can move the wiper arm an inch or so when the wipers are off. So the arm over-shoots due to inertia, especially on high.

I'm going to replace the arm and see what happens. That noise is damn annoying, and its been raining a lot here lately.

I suspect the stripping is from frozen wipers in the winter.
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skid542
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Post by skid542 »

Frozen wipers, those can be bitchy. And if you don't get all the snow cleared off the cabin air intake and the wipers come down and pack it so it doesn't come all the way down. I know I've done that once or twice.

Anybody else using Rain-x, cuts down on how much you need to run the wipers and hear that knocking.
Lee

93' SS, 5mt swapped, 182k, not stock...
96' N/A OBW 5sp, 212k, Couple mods... RIP
99' N/A OBW, 4eat, mostly stock.
Soobster
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Post by Soobster »

Good to hear I'm not the only one.

So when the wipers are at rest at the bottom of the windshield should there be any play in the wiper arms? Mine seems to have quite a large amount of play. Will swapping a new wiper motor solve this problem or is there slop that develops in the linkages as well?

I actually have an extra wiper motor that I pulled from the JY before I noticed that the wiper fuse was missing.

Does gearbox=wiper motor?
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Subaru_Nation555
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Post by Subaru_Nation555 »

Soobster wrote:So when the wipers are at rest at the bottom of the windshield should there be any play in the wiper arms?
My wipers have about 2 inches of play. I have the same knocking problem. I thought at first it was the wiper hitting the trim piece/weather stripping thing but it wasn't. To be sure I unbolted the wiper arms anbd moved each wiper arm down a bit. That didn't seem to help and sometimes the smacking sound come and goes :?
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skid542
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Post by skid542 »

gearbox = wiper motor if the wiper motor doesn't have a gearbox between the wiper and the motor
Lee

93' SS, 5mt swapped, 182k, not stock...
96' N/A OBW 5sp, 212k, Couple mods... RIP
99' N/A OBW, 4eat, mostly stock.
evolutionmovement
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Post by evolutionmovement »

The tip of mine hits the trim and I have no play at all.

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Post by THAWA »

same here. I think that's just how they're designed.
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Post by BAC5.2 »

Mine don't hit at all from what I have noticed....
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skid542
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Post by skid542 »

I think I'm going to notch the passenger wiper arm and put some of that tool handle dip stuff on the edge of the notch to quiet down the knocking.
Lee

93' SS, 5mt swapped, 182k, not stock...
96' N/A OBW 5sp, 212k, Couple mods... RIP
99' N/A OBW, 4eat, mostly stock.
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Post by LaureltheQueen »

my 91's didnt. My rear wiper also sags
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evolutionmovement
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Post by evolutionmovement »

Yeah, the rear wiper is annoying - it just barely dips below horizontal and past the glass. It's not hugely noticeable, but it bothers me. The next notch up on the splines is too great a jump to just adjust it.

It seems my fronts only touch at highway speeds.

Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
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Re: The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

Post by biggreen96 »

Sooo has anybody replaced the motor to see if cures the slop and hitting the trim?
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Re: The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

Post by rallyak »

This is and old thread, but in my case the plastic clips that hold the wiper linkage together was badly worn. I was parting another car out and changed the all the wiper linkage with good clips and wipers are tight now.
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Re: The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

Post by biggreen96 »

Are these clips down under the cowl?
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Re: The wipers on my Soob go smack, smack smack...

Post by rallyak »

Yes
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