Windscreen wiper on driver's side failing

[NorthernSky]

Hi all,

New to the forums after coming over from Pistonheads as need some more specific advice

So, i've got a 3.0i roadster and recently the driver's wiper blew off it's track and wedged itself behind the right wingmirror. Scared the crap out of me on my sleepy long distance commute... anyway... I pulled over to have a look and the usual stick control doesn't start it wiping, so had to resort to pouring rainx all over the glass just to get to work etc.

Don't suppose anyone here has had a similar problem. This happened to me in high winds and i'm hoping it's not a full motor replacement as the passenger side wiper works fine. The driver's one tries to on starting, then nothing.

Cheers in advance!

 

[Stuartt]

Hi
The two wiper arms are connected by a linkage to the one motor, so either a linkage ball joint has come off or the nut that holds the drivers side arm to the spindle is loose.

 

[mr nurburgring]

I agree, either the nut is loose or the ball has popped out of its mount. If the ball has come away from the arm all is not lost, the bush does wear and the joint can become baggy, you can tap the ball out and fit a bolt and washer to hold it on.
I had this problem last year.

 

[NorthernSky]

Thanks guys, that's really useful/reassuring it wasn't an electrical failure!

 

[123BillyB]

Had exactly the same problem when during heavy rain, the drivers side stopped working.

As other members have mentioned, the arm came away from the ball joint but a very quick ad permanent fix is "Wiper Ball Joint Clips" which can be found on eBay for about a fiver.

Take off the wipers then the plastic surround, push the arm back onto the linkage and pop the clip over it and job done. For a belt and braces repair, I also used a cable tie.

If you search YouTube for "Wiper Linkage Repair" you will see find vid's explaining exactly what has happened and how to fit the clip.

Had the clip on mine now for about 4 months and used wipers quite a bit with no issues.