wipers vibrate, shake, generate excessive noise

[RobsDeville]

Hey guys, problem cropped up last summer but finally got fed up with it.

In my 94 concours the windshield wipers vibrate excessively while in use, especially on their way traveling back down.

here are some symptoms:

-only does this when the windshield is wet (how convenient!)

-when put on highest speed, they still go fast but the vibration is much less noticeable

-when i grab and wiggle both of the arms there is definitely a good amount of play in them

-when im driving fast on the highway, the vibrating isnt as harsh. when driving VERY fast the vibrating virtually vanishes and they work as they should.

my wipers have been a pain in the butt since last summer. the driver side wiper no longer wants to go up onto the little ramp when parked. ive tried adjusting many times before to get it so both can go up on the ramps but there is simply too much play in the arms.


any ideas?

what can i adjust? is it a motor problem?

the noise is unbearable! i dread the rain more than ever!


ALSO. yes, i have replaced the blades.

thanks for reading

[Ranger]

See where the play is. If there is a nut on the shaft, tighten it. If not, then maybe in the linkage somewhere.

[RobsDeville]

now im starting to feel stupid because after all these months im starting to think all that is vibrating/shaking are the wipers themselves, and subsequently cause the arms to vibrate a little bit too.

where the wiper connects to the peg on the arm, i can slide it up and down along that a couple millimeters. and when i have them on, every change in direction causes them to slide up and down on that peg too.

so thats where the play is. did i buy the wrong wipers or what? it's those blades with the plastic quick connect and release, and its like the clip is too small for the grove its supposed to attach too, so it allows it the ability to slide up and down and possibly vibrate.

is there supposed to be any play in that?

i never had a problem like this before. maybe i should just go buy some cheap wiper blades and test it out.

whats your favorite blade?

[Ranger]

No, there should be no play there. That's your problem. look closely at it. There should be a platic cover to get at the bolt. open it and tighten it down.

[RobsDeville]

ok so yeah you're right i did have to lift a plastic cover in order to tighten it on the bolt better. which seems familiar im not sure why i didnt remember that.

so that stopped the sliding of the wipers and lessened the foomp foomp sound made when they change direction for sure.


but the vibrating persists so im going back to my theory that its gotta be in the system somewhere.

dude the motor sounds and looks so old (cuz it is). with the hood up and watching it as its working, it shifts positions with each change in direction of the blades. i tightened the bolts connecting it up to the firewall before but it did nothing to stop that. don't know if thats normal.

i can see the linkage moving around through the vents but am not sure how to get at it.

i have the FSMs so that could help.

youre probably right, its gotta be in the linkage somewhere. it seems like one arm affects the other. but the play in them are not even. i have to move one arm about 1/4 inch before the other starts trying to move. if while the blades are in motion i put my hand on the arm and press down a little bit it seems like it makes both arms stop the vibrating.

which is probably why driving at high speeds, the wind has the same effect.

thanks a lot for the help so far. this is so annoying. and its gonna be rainy season real soon. even the sound system can't drown it out.

i find myself putting the wipers and the slowest intermittent even if i have to peer through thousands of little rain drops, just so i dont have to hear the godawful sound as often.

but my question now has to be. how "linked" should one arm be to the next? id think they should both be really tightly linked. not lazily linked like they seem to be now.

the funny thing is i can turn the wipers on when its dry, even use washer fluid and they work FLAWLESSLY but as soon as a little TINY bit of drizzle starts they start flippin' out. its like its on cue.

so im guessing it creates more drag on the windshield, neither arm really wants to move with that much friction, and the play in their linkage makes them kind of fight each other for which one is moving and which one gets to be lazy and not move for a few miliseconds.

thats some CRAZY shit! now to find where to tighten and tighten it!

thanks again.

[Ranger]

Alright, try this. Put a tiny drop of oil on each movable joint on the blade. Now clean the windshield REAL good. Use Bonami or even a razor to scrape it clean. Then put some Rain-X on it. See if that helps.

[RobsDeville]

thanks ranger. i did just that today and it def helped. underlying problem is still there.

im pretty much positive you are right about the linkage being loose somewhere. i spent HOURS today trying to get the driver side arm off. my god, that bolt is like double rusted on, and bent, gave up when the sun went down.

its so sad, im so close to fixing yet so far away... ive taken the arm off before no problem. just lift it off and done! but man, the old age is keeping it on. i managed to budge it enough so i can rotate the arm freely, but i cant get it clear off to save my life. sprayed some liquid wrench on it to try to loosen it up. may have to get at it with a hammer to unbend it tomorrow so i can lift 'er up and get at that linkage.

my whole wiper system is all sorts of messed up! you dont know what you got til its gone...

thanks. ill let you know what i find

[JJKizaddy]

I assume what you're hearing is the blades chattering, or jumping on the way down. I had this same problem on a '91 Ford Taurus.

What I did was put a towel (to protect the paint) over the wiper arm just below where the blade attaches to it, took a pair of pliers and twisted the arm forward. Doing this will bend it slightly. The angle adjustment will enable the wiper blade to "drag" across the windshield instead of "cut" into it, for lack of a better term. Be careful not to twist it too far or you'll have the same problem on the way up instead of down.

[Ranger]

When that starts happening, your blades have taken a "set" from being in the park poasition for a long time. It's time for new blades, not bending the arms. Sometimes taking them off and flipping them over will help.

[JJKizaddy]

I would have suggested he try that first, except he already did.

[JJKizaddy]

I didn't notice you said to also try flipping them over. That's a good idea!

[Ranger]

Flipping them has worked for me sometimes. Other times nothing works. Best solution I found is Rain-X. I never use my wipers. When I do, they glide effortlessly. Believe it or not, I traded my '92 at 125K and about 8 or 9 years old with the OEM blades on it, AND they didn't chatter or streak.

[AMENCADDY]

Originally Posted by RobsDeville

thanks ranger. i did just that today and it def helped. underlying problem is still there.

im pretty much positive you are right about the linkage being loose somewhere. i spent HOURS today trying to get the driver side arm off. my god, that bolt is like double rusted on, and bent, gave up when the sun went down.

its so sad, im so close to fixing yet so far away... ive taken the arm off before no problem. just lift it off and done! but man, the old age is keeping it on. i managed to budge it enough so i can rotate the arm freely, but i cant get it clear off to save my life. sprayed some liquid wrench on it to try to loosen it up. may have to get at it with a hammer to unbend it tomorrow so i can lift 'er up and get at that linkage.

my whole wiper system is all sorts of messed up! you dont know what you got til its gone...

thanks. ill let you know what i find

What u need is Gibbs oil, it goes way beyond all other liquid wrench, wd40 stuff.

[bigredmachine878]

RainX makes this happen with my bosch wipers, both on my 01 DHS and when I had my 77 CDV. Im not sure why but It is an inconvenience.

[submariner409]

Did the OP ever install the correct wiper blades on the car? There are 2 types: the ones with a single hole which snaps onto a grooved pin on the arm, and the ones with a plastic 'shoe' which slides and locks into a flat hook formed at the end of the arm.