1970 Cuda Windshield Wiper Arm Installation

[loco340cuda]

I finally got the wiper arms restored and I need to install them back on the Cuda.  Looking at the components it looks like the wiper arms are not keyed as well as the wiper motor does not go back to set state when turned off like modern cars do.  My car has a variable speed wiper motor on it.

Can someone outline the correct procedure for putting these wiper arms back on.  I can see this being a real pain in the butt so I'm hoping someone here on the board has a good procedure for putting these back on and getting it right the first time.  I really don't want to have to remove the wiper arms multiple times for adjustment as I don't have the tool for taking them off.

-Thanks

[Beekeeper]

I haven't put my arms back on my E body yet but what I have done on other cars is install the whole set up but leave the actual arms off until the car is assembled. Then once the wiring and switch are in place, switch it on and off a few times to make sure everything is working the way you expect it to work. When it's in the off position, it should stop at the position where the arms are normally down. Then I put the arms on last.

If there is something unique about e bodies, hopefully someone chimes in and gives better advice.

[loco340cuda]

Thanks Beekeeper.  My car is all put back together and everything works (mechanically and electrically).  The issue I have is when I turn off the wiper motor it stops in wherever position it is in when the switch powers off the motor (it does not return back to a default position).  So I am trying to figure out how to find the lowest position so I can put the wiper arms back on in that position.  I hope that makes sense.

[Beekeeper]

That just doesn't sound right. My 70 b body car had three speed wipers and they stopped in the down position, not in mid swipe. My 70 Challenger also has three speed wipers and I seem to recall them being the same before I started taking it apart.

[anlauto]

Why don't you fix your problem with the wiper motor/switch first ?

[1 Wild R/T]

Why don't you fix your problem with the wiper motor/switch first ?

Apparently he doesn't realize he has a problem... But he does & it needs to be fixed before considering installing the wiper arms....

[Racer57]

Thanks Beekeeper.  My car is all put back together and everything works (mechanically and electrically).  The issue I have is when I turn off the wiper motor it stops in wherever position it is in when the switch powers off the motor (it does not return back to a default position).  So I am trying to figure out how to find the lowest position so I can put the wiper arms back on in that position.  I hope that makes sense.

If the metal unit that all the switches are mounted too is not grounded good enough that will cause the wipers to not return properly. Make sure all the screws that hold the switch panel in place are there.

[loco340cuda]

Racer57 thanks for the info on this.  As long as I have owned the car I never used the wipers, I live in AZ and it never rains here and on top of that I don't drive the car in the rain when it does.  This was the first time I turned them on after getting the car restored and I thought it was odd that they did not go back to a default state. 

I will check the ground as you have mentioned.  Is there anyway to trouble shoot to make sure the switch is okay?  The wiper motor was just restored so I don't think it is the motor but the switch is original to the car so if the grounds are good I'm looking to see what tests I can do on the switch to verify it is good or bad.

[loco340cuda]

Okay, I found a copy of the factory service manual and was able to check the continuity of the switch (switch is a variable switch).  From the continuity check I found that the switch was not getting good ground internally in the OFF mode.  I opened up the switch and cleaned all the contacts inside the switch (they were all dirty including the ground strap).  I re-assembled the switch and checked the continuity again and it passed.   I then tested it out in the car and the wipers would park when the switched was turned off. 

[Beekeeper]

Glad to hear it was something simple. I may need to do something like that on mine when I get to that point. How did you clean the switch? I cleaned a B body headlight switch by soaking it in white vinegar. It did a good job of removing all the corrosion without having to disassemble the whole thing. I have not opened up a variable e body switch yet so I'm not sure what method is best.

[loco340cuda]

I opened up the switch and cleaned all the contacts with a q-tip soaked in isopropyl alcohol.