Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

That was a very good explanation. I now know much more. Thanks, guys.

HH's replumbing advice was spot-on. I now have working water.

Now, if I could only get faster blade movement. Owen mentioned something about rebuilding the motor. How can I diagnose whether it's a poor vacuum or a worn motor?

Incidentally, the hose attached to the nipple on the left side of the motor is just sitting there unused as HH suggested. Do I need to cap the end of it? It would seem not, because from what I've learned so far, I would have zero wiper movement if its being left uncapped affected the vacuum in the system.

Also, since doing what I've done, I notice at the onset of turning on the wipers, the first open stroke is very good. It's slow after that, until I turn them off. When I turn them off, the close much, much better now. In other words, starting and stopping is good, but cycling during operation is weak.

Good to hear things working.

You can do as you wish with the hose--cap it if you want to keep dirt or critters from setting up house but won't hurt anything if left open.

Owen's suggestion of a vacuum gauge would be a good start. Maybe you can borrow, rent or buy an inexpensive one and check to see how much vacuum you actually have. If you have good vacuum, then it will indicate wiper motor needs rebuilding or something is really dragging things down such as a bad or binding wiper mechanism. If the vacuum is low, then that needs to be corrected by replacing hoses, looking for leaks, tune up etc etc.

Thanks. Just out of curiosity, is there a real-time way to request a member to go to chat? I went there yesterday and noticed it went very fast.

You can send someone a PM, or post a time in the forum you would like folks to show up in chat.

Vacuum measures 19. All hoses appear good. I see no cracks anywhere. Does this leave motor only? Thanks.

19 inches of vacuum is very good, if the reading is fairly steady it indicates valves and rings in good condition. At this point I'd say that your wiper motor most likely needs rebuilding (use Ficken Wiper Service over on Long Island, NY, it's a former Trico service center), but there is also a remote chance the problem could be excess friction or problems in the cable pulley system. But that's a BEAR to work on, I'd recommend getting motor rebuilt first.

Yep. Thanks for the lead. BTW, just wondering, what goes bad in the motor? Seals and pistons?

There isn't a piston as such, as previously noted it's a flapper, kind of oblong plate with rounded ends that match the rounded bottom of the motor, affixed to the shaft. It oscillates back and forth in nearly a 180 degree sweep. The seal between it and the housing is made of leather and that either dries out (age) or is worn out (living in a rainy climate). It's also possible that the valves get crudded up with old oxidized lubricant and need cleaning. Over the years I've had many of these repaired by Ficken and never been dissapointed - after reinstalling they work like gangbusters. Hope you have the same results.

Check out Wiperman (Ficken Wiper Service) rebuilding. An article on motor rebuilding with pictures gives an idea of what is inside and also a few hints on the washer.

wiperman.com/