Advice re 56 vacuum wipers not working

[56 Buick]

Hi all

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to why the vacuum wiper unit is inoperative. All parts are there. Thanks

 

Drew

 

[NC-car-guy]

Did they just stop or havent worked in a ling time? Are all the lines in good shape? Not brittle? Is the vacuum pump operable? (Part of fuel pump)  If the vacuum motor had never been gone through, it should be opened, cleaned, and regreased.

[56 Buick]

I only just bought the car but I understand they have not been used for considerable time. All the lines look good.

 

To test the vacuum pump, would I just be looking for a vacuum in the line going to wiper unit?

 

I did just see a couple of YouTube videos where people were spraying a lanolin type lubricant and in another case brake fluid into the vacuum port of the wiper unit. That appeared to lubricate and start previously frozen units. That would appear to be a possible quick and easy fix - any comment/warning on this? Thanks

[avgwarhawk]

1 hour ago, 56 Buick said:

I only just bought the car but I understand they have not been used for considerable time. All the lines look good.

 

To test the vacuum pump, would I just be looking for a vacuum in the line going to wiper unit?

 

I did just see a couple of YouTube videos where people were spraying a lanolin type lubricant and in another case brake fluid into the vacuum port of the wiper unit. That appeared to lubricate and start previously frozen units. That would appear to be a possible quick and easy fix - any comment/warning on this? Thanks

 

 

I tried the sprays and such.  Helped some but the wiper motor did not work as efficiently as it should.   I had the unit rebuilt.  The dual purpose fuel/vacuum pump I replaced as well.     You may run temporary vacuum from a manifold port directly to the wiper motor as you attempt to get it working again.   My thoughts is a rebuild will be required.    

[JohnD1956]

Brake fluid will remove the original paint, quickly!

 

Do you have the cam-o-matic wipers? This is easily identified by your wiper switch if you just have an On-Off position, as opposed to an On-Off and Fast- Wide position.

 In both cases the connection to the wiper is via mechanical cable.  That cable may be rusted where you cannot see it.  If you have a helper, have them move the switch while you watch the wiper motor for movement at the cables connection.  If there is none, just pull gently on the motors switch to make sure it moves freely.  And if so you can start the engine and manually move the switch to see if the wipers work.  But make sure you have good rubber on the blades so you don't scratch your windshield.

 

Another thing,  mine are sluggish until the window is wet.  Then they work as anticipated.  So lubricate the windshield with some water.

 

In the case of the cam-o-matic , there are several vacuum hoses involved going to the switch.  A leak in any will impact the wipers ability, and these are not often changed due to the perceived difficulty of doing so.  You can remove these sources of leaks for testing purposes by using a piece of 5/16th hose directly from the end of the engine vacuum line to the wiper motor. 

 

If you discover the cable is rusted then I'd suggest trying to free it up first.  Put some carpet protection down and then spray the cable with some PB Blaster ( not wd 40)

This includes under the hood.  Once free lubricate it by a few drops of trans fluid.

[Beemon]

Clean Sweep Wiper Services in Terrebonne, OR. Its ran by Kent Jaquith. 541 923 4319. My wiper system has been flawless. I replaced it with an electronic kit and went back to it, the performance of a good working vacuum motor is unmatched. I've been driving up and down the mountain passes lately with it raining and snowing and they work just as good as a modern wiper system except in really heavy down pour. After I had my fuel pump replaced with a good one that didn't suck oil, the lowest the vacuum drops is to 10" which is kind of noticeable when accelerating and going up hill, but it hasn't hindered me from passing a semi at 75-80 mph on I90 in the rain. 

 

The old  paddle in the motor is made of leather and it wears out. The oil is meant to rejuvenate it but it can be difficult if the leather has pitted the casting. The place out East, Wiperman I believe, just replaces the unit with a good NOS or a fresh gasket kit. Kent goes the full extra mile and replaces the leather with a modern rubber and fixes casting pits so the motor you get back is the motor you sent in, pre-lubed and better than NOS.

 

The vacuum system is very unforgiving but once you figure it out, it works flawlessly. Every part has to work correctly, though. You're best investing in a vacuum gauge so you can confirm manifold vacuum is the factory 15-16", then go down the line. On my system, the vacuum with accessories drops about 1" due to losses in the switches and components. Anything more than that and you gotta probe the system by blocking off and isolating the different components. 

 

Best of luck. Speaking from experience, those who advertise that their electric system is engineered for your car need to go back and rework their designs. 

[Daves1940Buick56S]

I used Wiperman, it was fine. But I heard he retired or sold the business.

 

Cheers, Dave

[1956322]

I'm using the Newport electric conversion.. No complaints here...

[1956322]

I should add if your car came with the cam o matic  the arms aren't going to swipe as wide

[56 Buick]

Thanks all.

 

No cam-omatic. Yes, brake fluid is likely to ruin nearby paint but I guess another option may be transmission fluid. I think you would need to be careful as to which lubricant is used as some will thicken up and bind moving components. I have used lanolin before with success and that would assist with rejuvenation of leather noting it is essentially oil from sheep skins. I have looked at the electric units but perhaps that can be a fall back if the lube doesn't work.

[Buicknutty]

 I got mine from my '56 Roadmaster rebuilt for about $100, the name escapes me at the moment, but now the performance is excellent. As "Beemon" said above with the fuel pump booster working properly, lines good, you can drive all day up and down hill and dale, and have wipers you can trust.

 Actually, I kind of fought with them for a few years till I got the motor done. With a bit of use, they usually will work again, but not as designed, and when I did the restoration on my '41 Roadmaster, it got a rebuilt pump and motor, then I was converted!

 Keith

Edited February 23, 2018 by Buicknutty (see edit history)

[VickyBlue]

I just went through this... mine never worked since day one. Cam-o-matic. I had sent my motor to wiperman about 2 years ago, he went through it but I never got a chance to install it. I played with the idea of a Newport electric motor, but other than Mike, others had issues with parking and sweep. I took my dash apart for the 5th time so far to replaced all heater duct hoses and since I was there, turns out my switch was bad. The bowden cable inside the switch, is attached to a screw type coil. When you move the wiper switch, you actually push/pull the bowden cable, which in turns pulls/pushes the wiper motor arm the end cable is attached to. The center shaft the bowden cable rides on, was stripped. The 53 switch is a lot cheaper, but the center shaft is shorter, so it won't fit. I found out the hard way. I needed a 56 switch... Since I am running an electric fuel pump, I placed a small Jeg's generic vacuum reservoir by the radiator on the passenger side. Make sure the windshield is wet first. I turned mine on and I thought the wiper blades will fly off the arms! That's how fast they were going... Now I have vacuum wipers.

[56 Buick]

Many thanks for the heads up. Unless you know what issues you are looking for it can all be for and miss as,to whether you can locate the problem and be able to fix the problem.  I should be able to get the vacuum wipers working. 

 

BTW VickyBlue that looks like a nice 56 Century with paint similar to mine.

 

Thanks all

 

Drew