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Getting wiper arm off the motor shaft

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:42 am
by deising
Well, here we are, fixing things on the boat as we move from place to place, otherwise known as cruising.

The latest problem is the stbd windshield wiper stopped working. The plastic motor housing is deformed to where it looks like it could have excessive heat and been melted from the inside. In any event, I am trying to get the wiper arm off in order to remove the motor assembly and having no luck.

I removed 2 set screws and am 99.99% certain there are no others lurking underneath. I have liberally used PB Blaster where the arm's hub attached to the shaft. I have placed an open-end wrench against the hub and used the shaft lock nut to push the wrench against the hub. I can get it very tight, and have been tapping the hub to setup some vibration, with no luck.

I do not have a torch aboard, but with a lot of care to avoid scorching the fiberglass, that would probably be the next step. Since the motor assembly is almost certainly unserviceable, I suppose I could hacksaw the shaft and then get a new arm, too. It is only money. ;-)

Any other advice? Thanks.

Re: Getting wiper arm off the motor shaft

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 1:09 pm
by deising
OK, all it took was a lot more time for the PB Blaster to work and then using the nut as a crew jack worked fine. As expected, the finely knurled end of the shaft was somewhat corroded.

Now, it appears obvious that the motor assembly is bad with a burned up motor. Yes, I could consider trying to find just the motor, but I will go for the whole unit.