Re: Don’s 1937 (120) 138CD Deluxe Touring Limo
Posted by Don B On 2025/3/23 15:44:07
I have a wiper motor update...
I called Ficken's Wiper Service. He said the version of wiper motor I have isn’t worth rebuilding. He said he could likely get it working, but it wouldn’t last. To his credit, he just told me that he won't rebuild a motor if he can't stand behind it. He offers a 3 year warranty on the motors he does rebuild.
According to Rob Ficken, Trico simply came out with a better design. He said the body of the older versions like mine, all warped and will never seal right. For reference, he had me take a look at the area on the motor where the patent numbers are listed. He said that if the patents are enclosed in a circle, there is almost no chance of a successful rebuild. He also said that motors with the patents in any other shape field are good candidates for rebuilding.
Before I could even ask, he mentioned the regulator/switch. He said not to bother with rebuilding it and just bypass the it. He went on to say that few other car manufactures used regulators like this and only the higher end cars did so. He was mostly worried about having a constant vacuum leak, but since Packard used a separate vacuum pump as part of the fuel pump, that really isn't a concern. I'll give the regulator portion of the switch a try. If it works, great. If not, I'll bypass it, at least for now.
As for the wiper motor, I put in a call to the Dallas Zone Office and was able to get a newer version of the wiper motor. I went ahead and sent it to Rob Ficken who already has it on its way back to me. He said that it mostly just needed some clean up and lubrication, but he did replace a couple of small parts. From there, he said the motor is running strong and he wouldn't recommend a full rebuild as he would spend more time and I would spend more $$ and end up with it running about the same. So, in the end, it was $37 (including the shipping) to have Rob look at it and get it in good working order. Works for me!
Here is a picture of my original (circular patent field) followed by the "new" motor showing the patent field.
I called Ficken's Wiper Service. He said the version of wiper motor I have isn’t worth rebuilding. He said he could likely get it working, but it wouldn’t last. To his credit, he just told me that he won't rebuild a motor if he can't stand behind it. He offers a 3 year warranty on the motors he does rebuild.
According to Rob Ficken, Trico simply came out with a better design. He said the body of the older versions like mine, all warped and will never seal right. For reference, he had me take a look at the area on the motor where the patent numbers are listed. He said that if the patents are enclosed in a circle, there is almost no chance of a successful rebuild. He also said that motors with the patents in any other shape field are good candidates for rebuilding.
Before I could even ask, he mentioned the regulator/switch. He said not to bother with rebuilding it and just bypass the it. He went on to say that few other car manufactures used regulators like this and only the higher end cars did so. He was mostly worried about having a constant vacuum leak, but since Packard used a separate vacuum pump as part of the fuel pump, that really isn't a concern. I'll give the regulator portion of the switch a try. If it works, great. If not, I'll bypass it, at least for now.
As for the wiper motor, I put in a call to the Dallas Zone Office and was able to get a newer version of the wiper motor. I went ahead and sent it to Rob Ficken who already has it on its way back to me. He said that it mostly just needed some clean up and lubrication, but he did replace a couple of small parts. From there, he said the motor is running strong and he wouldn't recommend a full rebuild as he would spend more time and I would spend more $$ and end up with it running about the same. So, in the end, it was $37 (including the shipping) to have Rob look at it and get it in good working order. Works for me!
Here is a picture of my original (circular patent field) followed by the "new" motor showing the patent field.
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