Driver's Side Wiper Arm Length

[Bethany533]

Hi. My driver's side wiper blade hits the center windshield frame. The blade is 20", which I believe is correct. The wiper arm is 27" center to center,
How to Measure Wiper Arm Length | AM Equipment | Wiper Systems and DC Motors
which seems a bit too long. I think a 25" or 26" should take care of it. I have the separate left and right wiper motors. Any advise?
Thanks,
Ray J

[bkahler]

Ray,

One way to solve the problem is to pull the wiper arm off the pivot and rotate it a few degrees and then push it back on. The wiper arm is pushed onto a conical sleeve that has a lot of fine splines on it. By pulling the arm off and rotating slightly in the opposite direction you can position the arm where you want it. Might take a few tries but it's not difficult to do, with one caveat

Take a look at the photo on this page and on the right end of the arm you'll see where the shaft sticks into the arm. Your arm likely doesn't like this but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Sometimes it can be difficult to pull the arm off the shaft initially so take care not to damage anything. You might need a small puller to get it off. In my case I had a cheap battery terminal puller that I used and it worked fine.

Brad

[dadstoy]

Mine did the same on my '82. As Brad stated, just remove the wiper and rotate it on the splines. Remove the nut/screw on the end of the shaft, lift up the end of the wiper to remove the tension on the spring, then pull the wiper off the shaft. As Brad said, you may need a puller, but try this first...replace the nut/screw (I don't remember exactly what it looks like on the end of the shaft), but don't tighten it. Use a small hammer and tap on the nut/screw, but don't damage anything. The reason to reinstall the nut/screw a few turns is so that you don't damage the splines on the shaft with the hammer.

The arc of the wipers isn't what I would have expected and mine were sitting so low that they stopped below eye level at the top of the arc. When off, mine are now sitting a few inches up on the bottom of the glass/windshield. I would have liked to have them "parked" lower, but now the top of the arc when on is above my eye sight.

[Bethany533]

Yep, that's where mine's hittin'. I already have the arm off to repair a broken pivot shaft spot weld. I know I can rotate the arm up on the splines, but I also like the look of the blades parked lower on the windshield. Thought a shorter arm would do the trick.
Are those the LED clearance lights? Mine just came in today from Fastenal.

[dadstoy]

Yup those are the LED clearance lights from Fastenal. They look great at night!

I wish my wipers would park lower as well, but like I mentioned the sweep of the arm is not enough. I would stick with the 20" blade or they will be too short to sweep above the eye level. Its a big windshield and those wipers aren't the best for coverage but I have driven in rain and you want more coverage at the top then you do at the bottom of the windshield.