coupekid Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) hi all ..i have correctly replaced all wiper hoses to my 50s buick wiper system & i am getting good vacuum to the trico motor enough to suck my finger on end of tube but the wipers only want to move ever so slightly ..how easy should the motor arm on the rear turn ? mine has some friction with suction sounds but is there a common problem that stop these units from working as they should ? truly appreciate any help .. Edited May 19, 2015 by coupekid (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 First thing to do is make sure the window is wet when testing the wipers. Makes a difference in terms of drag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictator27 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 The lubricant in the wiper motor has probably gone hard. Get some glycerine (drug store) and a syringe. Turn the motor to one end of its travel and put about 1 cc of glycerine in the wiper motor through the vacuum port. Cycle the paddle back and forth through its travel three/four times. With motor at the other end of its travel repeat the above. Leave it alone for a minimum of 24 hours.Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 If your engine is in good condition (i.e., has good manifold vacuum) the wiper should be very effective and go like gangbusters wide open. If Terry's advice doesn't work just send it to Rob Ficken (Trico wiper service) for an inexpensive rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Don't think I have heard of using glycerine before, is it better than oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictator27 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Don't think I have heard of using glycerine before, is it better than oil?I've been warned against using any oil product in vacuum wiper motors because it may affect any rubber parts in the motor, particularly older ones. Glycerine has been the "weapon of choice" here.Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Thanks for those answers ..today i cleaned & re- greased up the wiper motor components ..i then re- connected the vacuum hoses to wiper motor but did not mount it to firewall ..i started the engine & the swing arm on rear was working well .. it seems the wiper base arm seated on firewall was a little difficult to turn by hand ...I have to use alot of force by hand to make the wipers move qtr of the way up winshield.. so i then move the drivers side wiper by hand up the winshield the passenger wiper simoultaineously also goes up the winshield...but when i do the same to passenger wiper the drivers side wiper does not lift up at the same time ..i decided to look under dash at the pulley system & noticed that the 2 working cables on drivers side were not very tight as are on the left side .....could these loose pulley cables be reason wipers work with one wiper lagging slowly behind ? ....my Question now is ...should the wiper pulley cables under dash be tight ??? & if so is there a way of adjusting the cable pulleys to tighten them up ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I can't speak for Buick but all the cable-operated Trico systems I've seen have cable tensioners - if you have them perhaps one or more is broken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictator27 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I can't speak for Buick but all the cable-operated Trico systems I've seen have cable tensioners - if you have them perhaps one or more is broken?That is correct. The wiper pivots have tensioners on them. To release the tension and service the cables the tensioner needs to be pried over and a cotter pin dropped through two holes which are lined up. This permits servicing the cables. To the best of my knowledge thd cables are not adjustable - replace only.Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 how does one adjust the tensioners on the wiper pivots ? have a pic ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 so if the cable has some slack..... thats normal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictator27 Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 I don't believe there is any way to adjust tension and the cables must be taut.Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coley Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Try pushing on the wiper arm at the wiper transmission end.There is a spring loaded hub on the wiper trans and if they are good, the cable will tighten up.When you push gently on the trans shaft (base of wiper arm), you should feel some spring pressure. If this doesn't help tighten the cables, go under the dash and pull gently on the cables while someonepushes on the base of the arm.If you don't feel any extra slack, the wiper transmissions may need to be removed and freed up. Get a shop manual for your car and use it to see how to remove and service the transmissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted May 21, 2015 Author Share Posted May 21, 2015 ...i have 3 of the 4 cables set around the spindle & seated in their seats.. trying to seat the 4th cable in its seating is difficult & is only half inch from its boss ..im guessing i have to seat the cable head then try pry cable over & onto spindle somehow ..are you saying that by pressing down on the transmission swing arm it will allow me to freely turn spindle under the dash to seat the 4th cable easily ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupekid Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 ok i got it on ..i had no idea GM had hidden innovation even in their wiper systems ..thankyou all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 i had no idea GM had hidden innovation even in their wiper systems Other than selecting Trico as the vendor for the system, GM had nothing to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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