1930 Buick wiper vacuum lines

[tly410]

I'm hoping someone out there in Buickland can help me with understanding the vacuum line system on a 1930 sedan.  My car has one vacuum line from the engine to the control valve which I believe supplies the vacuum to the system.  The control switch mounted in the dash, has three metal lines attached to it.   One is connected to the engine vacuum.  The other two travel, I suspect,  to the header above the windshield where the wiper motor is located.  On the outside of the car, on the header near the motor, there are two metal lines sticking out.   Neither of them have a hose attached and they are both open ended.  The wiper motor only has one vacuum pipe nipple coming out of it.  When vacuum is applied to this by sucking on it,  it seems to work fine, with the drive shaft rotating back and forth as it should.

 

My question is....... why are there two metal lines coming out of the valve, traveling up to the header, and how are the two lines supposed to be connected to the motor, which appears to be set up for only one line?   If anyone has a working wiper system, maybe they can help by telling me, if my system is correct and if so, how the motor is connected to the vacuum lines coming out of the header.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tim York

BCA #32988

[Mark Shaw]

I am just guessing, but perhaps the extra line feeds a passenger side wiper?  The larger series cars and limos may have had this option.

[superbuick]

I have a 30 Buick 60 coupe with the same set up. On other years of wipers the switch was on or linked to the motor to turn wipers on, then to turn off and park. On this type of wiper control one hose supplies vacuum to run the wiper, and then vacuum thru the other hose  to park the wiper motor when turned off. Mine has a bad switch in the dash and is not installed. I cant tell you exactly how and with hoses are hooked up.

Steve

[tly410]

Thanks to those of you who replied to my post.   My car has only one wiper motor  It is located on the driver's side.  The driver's side wiper arm attaches to the drive shaft on the motor.  The passenger side wiper arm is attached to a free turning or rotating pin on a bracket mounted on the passenger side of the header.  This allows the passenger side wiper arm to pivot freely.  It is connected to the driver's side arm with a small "U" channel, which keeps them operating in tandem with each other.   It all appears to be correct and original to the car.  I just don't know how the vacuum hooks up.

 

Tim 

[michaelod]

It would seem that your wiper motor is a replacement.  The original wiper motors in 1930 had two lines that are attached with rubber tubing.  Not sure exactly which line did which, but you should be able to simply plug one line and attach the other to your motor.  Finding a working version of an original will be a tall order to fill, as these are generally considered to be non-rebuildable due to warpage of the potmetal housing itself.   

[tly410]

Thanks Michael.  What you said makes sense to  me and explains why I have two lines going to the motor.  I'll do as you suggested and cap off one of the lines and call it good.

 

Tim