Got a call this AM from the wife. She was washing the windshield on our MY01 Outback and there was a leaf stuck under the blade.

 

She reached out to snap the arm up a little to disloge the ofending tree by-product as the arm reached it's apex and it stopped moving. She physically moved it back down (no resistance) and now it just jerks slightly while the passenger side works fine.

 

Anybody knwo if this is a possible minor fix?

 

I hope it's just a pivot ball or something similar that needs reattaching and not a broken mechanisum, and if so, would I be looking under the dashboard on in the engine compartment? I'm really not familiar with the mechanics of the setup.

Wiper motor is in the engine compartment on the firewall.

The arm is held to the tapered shaft via a nut.

The shaft is tapered and serated to mate with the wiper

arm.

 

Lift the cover at the bottom of the arm and see if

the nut is loose or wants tightening.

 

If you operate the wipers with the cover raised

if this is the problem you will see the shaft (nut)

rotate and the arm not moving.

 

Hope this is the problem.

this is such an easy line but ill be nice.

 

Check for a loose nut ......

 

in front of the windsheild, at the base of the wiper arm

 

 

IF somone who operates the car is one of those people who dont clear off all the snow/ice before turning on the wipers, its possible that the wiper arm is stripped. The arm is soft aluminum while the shaft is hard steel for this reason.

 

 

nipper

Thanks Skip & Nipper,

 

Hope it is that easy, otherwise I'm thinking I'll be under the dashboard looking for something else broken.

 

Seem like it didn't take much to have this happen. I've had wipers frozen to the whindshield that took more force to break loose than what she did by snapping it while they are in motion.

this is such an easy line but ill be nice.

 

Check for a loose nut ......

 

in front of the windsheild, at the base of the wiper arm

 

 

IF somone who operates the car is one of those people who dont clear off all the snow/ice before turning on the wipers, its possible that the wiper arm is stripped. The arm is soft aluminum while the shaft is hard steel for this reason.

 

 

nipper

 

I have this problem, getting ready to go check and see if it is the loose nut or worse.... if it is stripped, what is the best place to start with fixing it? New wiper arm from junk yard? New part altogether? What exactly is the part I should be looking for?

 

Thanks! You guys rock as always!

Never mind... loose nut! Thanks again for saving me some money!

 

Jim

if it is stripped, what is the best place to start with fixing it?

Throw some teflon tape on the shaft and crank it down. Done it many times.

Wife created same condition by operating wipers w/o clearing snow. Tightened nut, kissed wife. All is good.

So I presume that the teflon tape method would also work on a rear wiper?

 

A sheet of ice slowly departed my roof, pushing my rear wiper down so that it points...down. The motor works, but there is no life to the wiper...it's just kind of hanging around.

So I presume that the teflon tape method would also work on a rear wiper?

 

A sheet of ice slowly departed my roof, pushing my rear wiper down so that it points...down. The motor works, but there is no life to the wiper...it's just kind of hanging around.

Have you checked to see if the nut was loosened?

Step 1. unloosen nut

if that fails,

Step 2. apply teflon tape then unloosen nut:dead: