Wiper Problem

[gdub77]

Got to say thanks to Roy and ImprezaVA. You just saved me at least 40 bucks.

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[silversubie02WRX]

This works great!

Just installed the HELP! kit ball joint. I cut all the little clips off then put the piece through the hole and zip tied it. For extra support i used some JB Quik weld for extra strength over the entire backside of the ball joint. Reinstalled the system and it works great with very little play.

Thanks guys

[gsowrx]

I have a 2003 WRX and just started having the wiper slap problem about two weeks ago. They got stuck twice, with the driver side one hanging over the A-pillar. Boy was I glad to find this thread. Nice work ImprezaVA and Roy.

With the $5 wiper bushing set from AutoZone and the same bushing as shown in the photos above, I was able to make the repair in about 1.5 or 2 hours total. I'll let you know if it fails...

Here are some detailed steps to the procedure... These aren't too hard to figure out on your own if you're careful. For others that may want to try this I'll go ahead and spell it all out...

- The windshield wiper motor assembly is covered by a plastic cover. Open the hood of the car. Remove the weather stripping at the front of the cover by shoving a small socket over the end of the plastic fasteners to pop them loose. The last two at each end might require squeezing with needle nose pliers since there's not much clearance.
- Remove the wiper blades by popping off the little rubber covers and loosening and removing the nuts. Flex the wiper arm by hand to take the spring tension off the bolt end when removing the arms. It would be good just before removing the arms to mark the resting position of the wipers (e.g. with painters tape on the windshield).
- Carefully pop the fasteners that hold the cover to the body loose by gently pulling up on it, starting at the sides of the car and working toward the middle. Remove the cover from the car and you can see the motor assembly below.
- Detach the wiring harness connector.
- Loosen and remove the two bolts by the drivers side of the car that hold the motor assembly to the chassis/body.
- Carefully remove the nut holding the third and last bolt of the assembly to the firewall. This nut is inside the firewall right by a pressure line; the closed/angled end of a 10mm box-end wrench works well. Remove the motor assembly from the car.
- On my car the bushings at both ends of the connecting rod were cracked and falling out. The third bushing was fine. I removed the connecting rod and took it over to the bench. BEFORE removing the rod, take note of its position/orientation.

Here's what worked for me to put in the new bushings:
- I clamped a large pair of vice grip pliers close to the opening at one end to help stabilize the bar while it rested on the bench. Otherwise it tips around as you're working on it.
- The bushing goes in "from behind", so that you're pushing on its domed back. Working on the opening by the vice grips, I was able to push in the main tabs around the lip of the bushing using a small flat bladed screwdriver, doing one tab at a time and working my way around the bushing. Then the tabs on the back can stay in place. No heat required; just be careful not to over bend them.
- I removed the vice grips and put in a zip tie, similar to the suggestions above.

- Repeat for the other bushing.
- The bushings can be popped back onto the balls with channel lock pliers, and some grease helps, as noted above.
- Then just reassemble everything in reverse order and check operation (on the slowest intermittent setting first, perhaps).

[Roy]

gsowrx,

Glad i was able to help. Sharing knowledge has great rewards.

Thanks,
Roy

[mach5rider]

Another happy customer - thanks guys. Worked just like you said. Be careful popping the cowl off, it's easy to break those plasic connectors!!!
Man I love NASIOC!!!

[Philski]

Originally Posted by skaterx

Thanks to this forum my problem is fixed, I used a Nissan wiper bushing from Napa though. Heat up the bushing, vice it in and done. I dont believe it will come apart as it's designed like the oem one...

Thanks all!
Wayne

Thanks skaterx. Found the HELP! version of the Nissan wiper bushings #49449, warmed them up (very important) and installed. They really look like the OEM's. Makes sense. Alot of the interior switches are from Nissan also.

[fokai]

BAM! Fingers in the................

just did this. Only took about 45 minutes using the 49449 part. I waved a cigarette lighter over it and worked it in (being careful not to singe) along with a very thin screw driver. It fits perfect. There still feels like a millimeter or so of play, but hardly noticeable. Tested it out and my wipers work perfect!

Subaru was telling me I was going to have to order a whole new assembly because they don't sell the bushings seperately anymore. They quoted me somewhere > $100.

You stay classy, NASIOC.

[gthing]

Thanks everyone who contributed to this fix and gsowrx for the information specific to the 03 WRX.

I was able to pick up part #: 49447 (The Nissan wiper bushing) for $5 at my local autozone. Switching out the part took about 45 minutes. I heated the bushing with a lighter, put it in place, then stepped on the arm with my foot to pop it in.

Vice grips would work, but you'd need something on the other side of the arm to push against to give the bushing enough clearance to pop through. You could probably put a large socket around where the bushing pops through and then use the vice grips to push on the bushing on one side and the socket on the other. Hope that makes sense. Just take it slow like others have said and you should be fine.

My part came with 2 bushings, so if I broke one it wouldn't have been a huge deal.

[dwmoss_68]

I so need to do this!!

[Chunks]

Thank god for this thread... My car just started to have this problem last week. My left wiper has scuffed the hell out of my A-pillar, though.

[RiverHouse]

Thanks for the info guys! I just replaced two bushings (part #49449) and they seem to be holding up well. I needed to replace two bushings: the one connected to the motor and then the furthest bushing from the motor. The middle two were sound.

First, I put a socket around the hub of the bushing so it was held tightly. Then, I heated it with a lighter slightly to soften it up. I then had another large socket (1'') on the back side of the linkage arm so the bushing could pop through but it held the linkage arm around the edge (I hope this makes sense). When the bushing was heated enough I put the socket w/ bushing in the hole and I gave the socket a swift rap with a rubber mallet. I broke the first bushing but the next two popped right in!!! It worked perfectly!!

It only cost me $10! Thanks for saving me the $$$ everybody!

[udelslayer]

Guys!

Check this out

http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/prt,42,49448

I got a set of these "HELP!" bushings from Advance. They look MUCH closer to the stock thing. You may not have to trim, I will fit them this week and report!

[udelslayer]

I did NOT find these, but after looking through their parts, I think this may be the correct ones. The ones I listed the 49448 are for toyotas and may work just fine, but check out these pics!!!!!
http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/prt,42,49449

[rogue]

I just got done using 49447 on a 2001 RS.

It was a pain. I blew apart two of the bushings and made ONE fit. Trimmed, heated, pushed, swore.

But it's in, and the wipers are re-assembled, and they don't have any play.

[udelslayer]

After looking at 49447 and having 49448 (alnd 49447) in hand, I will try 49448 instead. They're all Dorman parts. Check against one number differences, there can only be so many manufacturers. It doesnt look like 49448 will require any trim or heat or anything.

[rogue]

Oh, and this may be obvious to some... make note of the position of all this stuff when you're taking it apart.

It's easy to get things switched around backwards once the whole thing is out of the car. The linkages swing around pretty freely.

I had to unbolt the little metal arm from the wiper motor once it was out of the car, then later hooked the wiper motor back up to power and cycled it once to get it back into position (with the arm still unbolted and not touching the motor).

THEN had to bolt the arm back to the motor with everything in the car (need a 12mm wrench and some dexterity). Then bolted the motor back up and cycled it a few times WITH THE WIPERS STILL OFF THE CAR, to make certain that everything was rotating the proper direction, before finally bolting the wipers back on.

[Spool_up]

I just did the repair, and here's what I'd add:

• Use longnose pliers to compress the snaps holding on the rubber gasket near the front of the wiper motor cover. I didn't break or lose any doing it this way.
• I used the 49447 kit, actually two of them. DO NOT trim the four tabs off. Bend them up at a 90º angle and and put in the bushings from the bottom (not from the "cap" side.
• The material is soft nylon, so it's pretty workable. Just use a screwdriver/vise/vise-grips to push it through. It took me about 10 minutes for the first cap and a bit less for the second.
• Once the caps are in, bend the tabs down toward their original position and try and seat them within the metal opening for the bushing. Mine are rock-solid.
• It should take a decent amount of force to snap the rod back into place. Remember that rod is being held in by the bushing tension only, and it's upside-down, hanging from the bushings. They need to be tight (and have some lithium grease in the cups as well).

Here's a quick video of how things work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJk8-wf4i-c&hd=1

[kschubert]

just a little feedback... I bought the part 49449 and it worked great. I used 2 15mm sockets on either side of the bushing and linkage... put them in my vice. turned the handle.. and they just popped right in, no heating up, no bending, nothing.. worked like a charm... the 15mm sockets and vice is what I had at home... an arbor press would work too but I didn't want to drive into work to do it so I went with this plan.

Good luck to all who attempt and thanks to all who posted before me, made my life so much easier then taking them apart first and then ordering parts

[bobko]

The wipers on my 1995 Legacy started making a knocking noise in a downpour this past weekend, so I did some research, ended up here, and bought the Help 49449 part. It fit perfectly and the wipers are now smooth and silent again. Getting access to the linkage was not all that easy... I'd say it took two hours start to finish. One nut on one of the wiper mounts was frozen to the stud, so I had to cut it off and figure out a new fastener.

To install the 49449 wiper bushing in the linkage, I used a vise and a couple of sockets. Worked perfectly and made a real satisfying SNAP when the bushing popped into place. It was a three-handed operation, though... I had to hold everything in place as my wife tightened the vise.

After reading up here, this job was easier than I thought it would be. Thanks!

--Bob

[Hagwag02]

Wow. Serendipity!!

Wipers started doing this at the end of the winter. Thought maybe I had bent a rod because of ice, but this sounds much more plausible because of the variable range of the slop.

Will get the parts tomorrow and have a small project to do over Labor Day weekend.

Thanks!

[zumnwrx]

damn! i just installed the 49449 bushing and it keeps popping out!

FUUUUUUUUU!

so i went and ordered the 49448 bushings and hope thats a beter fit!

autozone: $8.00 - special order

[zumnwrx]

the 49449 and the 49448 bushings didnt work for me but

49447 bushing set did! i just followed ImprezaVA instructions (post 28) and all is good!

i choose to double up on the zip tie to eliminate any extra play... but it seems to be holding

[desiwrxpwr]

mine keeps popping out too, I'm gonna put in the 49447 set...the "nissan" bushings are just to loose on the ball joint.

[ChemicalLew]

This is a helpful thread, but I think it could use a little more information. Seems like different HELP parts work for different people - could this have to do with different models/ years? Some of the pictures look a lot different than mine.

49447 (for Jeeps, etc.):


49448 (for Toyotas):


49449 (for Nissans):


Trying to pull a list together of what works on what based on descriptions I found in the various posts:
49447 worked:
ImprezaVA - 99 Impreza L?
Roy - 98 Impreza L coupe?
cybin - 1997 Impreza OBS or 1995 Impreza L?
Beaverboy - 08 STi
Got Groceries - 03 WRX wagon
jmlmr2 - 03 WRX wagon
gdup77 - ???
silversubie02wrx - 02 wrx
ChemicalLew (me) - 03 WRX
49449 worked:
Philski - 98 OBX (?) or 07 Spec B?
Skaterx - 04 WRX wagon

Did anyone get 49448 to work? They did look like the closest ones.

For what its worth, my experience:
Used 49447's. The first set I trimmed the tabs off and installed with zip-ties. Went out at night in the rain to a concert, the wipers stopped completely so I had to limp home (with my wife sitting next to me, unpleased). When I took it apart the next day I found that the zip tie had fallen off and the arm had fallen off of the bushing (which was still on the ball).
The second set (also 49447's) I got to go in with the tabs still attached. I had to get out a jigsaw and notch out the metal on the arms in 4 spots (per hole) so that I could shove the bushing in without breaking the arms, and it is now in very tight. They are not going to move, but I am not so sure about the bushing staying attached to the ball. Hasn't rained yet so they have not really been tested. Think I'll invest in some Rain-x just in case.

[zumnwrx]

mine was on a 03 wrx sedan

but id say the 49447 kit is the only one that works!

just try not to cut off the tabs and use zip ties to hold it from slipping out... the others "seem" to work and look like the stock ones but they dont hold on to the arms ball correctly and end up popping off the ball