VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood Trico wiper motor-1934

I had looked into mine to possibly overhaul it and found the reversing mechanism parts were all loose in their cover. A posting here had given me a go to place. I have sent him a photo of my motor asking for a quatation or a NOS motor. He more or less told me that opriginal '34 motors were almost always warped and weren't worth the effort.

So I found a diagram on the internet which allowed me to put the parts back the way they belong. Now I'd like some suggestions on how to clean all this. Soapy water, lacquer thinner, CLR, Oxy-Solv, brake cleaner or whatever? Is the sweep pad leather or rubber?

I have taken apart 41 wiper motors and think that the pad is leather. I don't think rubber would work for this application? I clean mine up with gas. A lot of guys use transmission fluid for lubricant. Trying to find or make new gaskets is my challenge. It seems a few companies have the market on rebuilding the motors and won't sell parts.

The leather pad is about the only think that can fail. I think that taking them apart should be the last resort. I inject transmission oil into the hose hookup and keep gently working the linkage until the motor sucks in air real good. Then I hook the motor up to my engine's vacuum hose and let it run for a while. If I can not hold the arm as it is moving then I know I have a good motor. Good luck, Mike

Thanks Mike,

I managed to save the gasket. I'll clean it up, add oil, (the drawing I found suggests sewing machine oil), but I can see a hydraulic fluid like ATF would work.

The trouble is the vacuum source. Are they readily available on modern engines? I have a 1998 Dodge Ram and a 2009 Dodge Avenger. Would a hand vacuum pump for brake bleeding activate a wiper motor?

Your source of vacumn on your newer cars is the power brake booster, its operated from engine vacumn.

Also your dash air / heat outlets ...floor position, defrost possition, bi-level ect, look at your cruise control might also be operated by engine vacumn.

mike lynch

On modern cars the vent/heater doors, etc. are operated by eletric motors.
A hand vacuum pump will not activate the motor and the paddle should be lubricated with grease as they were when new.
The grease also seals better. If you take a new motor apart that has sat around for 50 or 60 years you will find the grease has hardened and needs cleaning out and regreasing.

Pat,
The light lubricants like ATF and sewing machine oil help soften the solidified grease and should not be the lubricant used in cleaned motors. A water resistant grease should be used to lube reconditioned vacuum wiper motors.

How much grease? A good smear all around the pad? By the way I tried it with the truck's brake booster vacuum line. With the pull lever in the out position, I get a hissing sound at the tube end, near that dashpot looking thing that has the knurled rod that screws in and out. When the button is in....nothing.

I'll grease her up and try again.

Pat, good timely information on this thread as I just pulled a wiper motor off my a 37 Chevy PU. It appears that mine is in pretty rough shape - looks like it has been repaired with gobs of solder and the knurled rod is frozen. You mentioned that you found a diagram of the motor on the internet … can you send me the link? Also, can anyone tell me where I can get a rebuilt motor?

Thanks
Terry

Pat,
A light coating on the paddle, shaft, external parts and internal housing is all that is required.

Terry,

Here's the link: http://local.aaca.org/traaca/images/wiper_pic.gif

It doesn't have the thing with the knurled rod . As far as a source The Wiperman appears to be the main one.
http://www.wiperman.com/

However he didn't seem to be too interested in looking at mine. He does have some motors. You'd have to check.

Thanks for the grese instructions Chipper.

I have spoken to Robert? Ficken several times at Hershey and the '34 wiper motors can be problematic. I used to have a couple of the old ones that he could not repair and guarantee.
He also told me to bypass(remove) the old speed control and use the on/off instead. Apparently the later replacements were better. He said even nos ones can be bad on the inside from the paddle sitting in the same spot for years and pitting the casting.

That's pretty well what he told me as well, and that a lot of them tend to warp.

I put the grease in & went back to the truck It seems to work only in one direction. When I pull the on/off it goes about 1/4 turn and stops. When you push it back, it goes back to where it was. The hissing sound seems to come from that speed control.

Master Six, did he mean using the on/off switch as a push/pull to get it to change direction or just pull it partway to change the speed?

You can try a piece of crocus cloth to smooth out the casting. I have also used some epoxy repair (JB Weld) to fill pits and smooth out imperfections. Takes a bunch of time to get it reworked but I dote on challenges.

Mine's not pitted, and it looks quite straight although warpage may not be visible to the eye.

Just to change the speed.

Tried it without the speed control and it does the same thing. The hissing sound is still there and appears to come from the on/off control. Maybe some of those little galleries underneath the slider are plugged.

Could It be leaking around the on off control?

that's what I think. I wonder what can be done about that?

I believe it's David and when I sent him my 32 motor I got the same info regarding not being able to guarantee the work due to the motor condition. I had him go ahead as it was the only one I had and 11 years later it still works fine.

Pat: When you had It apart do you remember a seal, of any kind, around the push pull lever?

No. Is there one? All there was is some sort of soft pad under the plate that the spring rests on.

Sorry, I am not being alot of help, since It has been years since I had mine out and I can't recall. I was hopeful there was something In the form of a gasket that could be replaced. Do you think that the in/out lever runs thru the vacuum chamber or Is It leaking thru something else? I do have a spare, but I can't find It to check.

Are you sure that you have the switch parts properly assembled? The side of the plate with the holes goes down and the spring forces the plate down against the cover. Don't remember if the plate needs to be installed a specific way. If so try turning it around to see if it works better. You will get a swish sound from the valve if the motor is working well or if the switch plate is not installed correctly or a passage is blocked.

Holes are down, the other little plate rests on a soft pad and is hooked to the center of the bottom plate by tabs, then the spring, then the push/pull lever.

I'll try poking inside the little holes.

There is a complete rebuilt unit on e bay motors with a buy it now price of $89.00 if you are interested.