Wiper motor for 1983 944
01-15-2011, 12:39 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Wiper motor for 1983 944
The wipers on the car move painfully slow. I cleaned all the ground wires and they are still running really slow.
I am having a hard time finding a wiper-motor other than the real expensive OEMs.
I am assuming that I need a new motor....any leads on where to look?
Thanks.
I am having a hard time finding a wiper-motor other than the real expensive OEMs.
I am assuming that I need a new motor....any leads on where to look?
Thanks.
01-15-2011, 02:01 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
i would first check your grounds and ensure they are clean and tight. next, it may be a good idea to pull the wiper rack out and clean and regrease the linkages and rotational points.
01-15-2011, 08:00 PM
#3
Racer
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Easton, MD
Posts: 302
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What he said on the cleaning and greasing of the rack and joints. Plus, I've had luck taking the motors apart and cleaning the contact points and greasing the motor bearings. It depends on how many cycles the motor has been through. Be realistic. These wipers will probably never be as nice as the modern cars, even if you were to buy NOS parts. We're still dealing with dated motor technology. Try "rebuilding" everything before dropping heavy cash.
01-15-2011, 08:11 PM
#4
Pro
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Redmond, Oregon
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah running slowly is definitely something from the friction.
There are 2 screws that hold it together on the side, take the cover off and you can use a soft wheeled dremel wire bit to get any rust off of the covers where it rotates within the magnet. After it's nice and clear and good surfaces there, clean out the cap and any crap inside the cover.
You'll need to remove the flathead screws off the top of the cover to access the pinion gear inside. Take the gear out (it'll literally just pop out) and clean the crap out of it. If you need to spray use something without water inside like brake clean, or carb clean.
Use some nice grease, I used some nice wheel bearing grease in mine.
Clean off all the wire ends and any grounds, I also hacked off the ends for the ground on mine and put new connectors on the end to refresh the wiring.
Put it back together, plug it in and enjoy.
The issue is that because of their location they are exposed to water and moisture, rust up with time, grease gets old, crappy, heavy and you've got friction in the zone.
With time if it stays that way and strains, it will chew up the plastic gear inside and your wipers will stop working altogether.
On the early motors the good news is that you can go find a crapped out 924 in the junk yard and use the SAME MOTOR, SAME RELAY, and SAME PARTS. I put 2 motors together to make a "like new" one and my wipers are quick, quiet and happy as can be.
There are 2 screws that hold it together on the side, take the cover off and you can use a soft wheeled dremel wire bit to get any rust off of the covers where it rotates within the magnet. After it's nice and clear and good surfaces there, clean out the cap and any crap inside the cover.
You'll need to remove the flathead screws off the top of the cover to access the pinion gear inside. Take the gear out (it'll literally just pop out) and clean the crap out of it. If you need to spray use something without water inside like brake clean, or carb clean.
Use some nice grease, I used some nice wheel bearing grease in mine.
Clean off all the wire ends and any grounds, I also hacked off the ends for the ground on mine and put new connectors on the end to refresh the wiring.
Put it back together, plug it in and enjoy.
The issue is that because of their location they are exposed to water and moisture, rust up with time, grease gets old, crappy, heavy and you've got friction in the zone.
With time if it stays that way and strains, it will chew up the plastic gear inside and your wipers will stop working altogether.
On the early motors the good news is that you can go find a crapped out 924 in the junk yard and use the SAME MOTOR, SAME RELAY, and SAME PARTS. I put 2 motors together to make a "like new" one and my wipers are quick, quiet and happy as can be.
01-15-2011, 08:14 PM
#5
Pro
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Redmond, Oregon
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here is a verbatim writeup i wrote on 944online about this:
I have pics but I will add them later tonight. I did this on one of my days off and always heard about other members "just tearing it apart and cleaning it and putting it back together" so I figured I'd try it. It wasn't that hard, so I figured "Hey lets do a tutorial so others know what they're getting into" since I could not find one!
Fixing your wiper motor on your 944/924S.
Why? Well, finding a replacement can sometimes be difficult. A lot of times, the motor itself is perfectly fine and needs a little refinishing. For those that are dead set on your original equipment, this tutorial will show you how to fix it.
Explanation
The wiper motor on the 944 has a design that is simple, but it is in a location that makes it prone to moisture and water. Over time this rusts the pieces of the electronic motor inside where it should be turning on magnets. The other issue is that the gear that turns the motor runs dry of grease and the plastic wears down. This causes the wipers to "hop" sporadically which eats up the plastic more, eventually rubbing the teeth down to a pulp.
What do I need?
- HIGHLY recommended: Dremel and stainless steel wire polishing wheel (to remove rust)
- Electrical contact cleaner
- Sandpaper of a fine grit
- Grease or something to lubricate the plastic gear inside
- Extra wire and solder just in case it's needed
- Philips and flathead screwdriver
- Cloth to clean off surface areas, make sure it doesn't leave residue or fibers behind! Cleanliness is next to godliness on cars and electronics and motors and keeping things working longterm!
- Patience (remember, take your time, do it right!)
- 10mm socket
- A good mask (to protect your lungs from rust and flying particles)
Where do I start?
- Step one is to take the wiper motor OUT of your car. You will need to remove the top nut that holds where the motor turns the wipers off, and then the 3 small tiny bolts that hold it in place. Take the wire clip off where it plugs into power and carefully work the motor out of place.
- Step two is to get the wiper motor apart and see how bad the damage is. To do this there are 2 screws that hold the case of the motor together. Undo these screws and carefully pull it apart. There WILL be resistance, this is NORMAL, the magnets inside are very very strong.
- Step three - with the casing off the motor you will see the electronic motor exposed. If your motor is old and had moisture issues you are likely going to see RUST on all the flat surface areas where it would ride up near the magnets. Rust doesn't conduct all that great, so this gives it less force. You will need a stainless steel wire wheel and a dremel and wearing a very good mask (you don't want to breathe that crap in) you will want to wire wheel all the rust off till it is nice and shiny on all surface areas that ride along the magnets. Do not forget the corners and edges as well so the rust doesn't come back!
- Step four - The other issue is the wires, sometimes they are brittle and break. Inspect them! Look for cracks, see if they are soft or hard. If you have good wiring skills don't be afraid to replace and resolder wires to make it last! Now with some electrical contact spray take it out where you won't get the spray on anything and spray the motor down. Remember that you want the surface areas where the motor are near the magnets CLEAN. So spray it at an angle so the dirt runs off the motor and cleans it off.
- Step five - once you have cleaned all the surface areas, cleaned up the wiring pieces, sprayed it off with cleaner and the motor is clean you need to clean out the casing. Spray it off with electric cleaner and get the dust and dirt and grime out of the casing, clean off the magnets, do not grind on them or hinder them in any way - simply clean them off. Remember that they will pick up and hold various metallic items, so make sure you pick them off the edges and really clean it off.
- Step six - once the motor is clean, casing is clean, everything looks good we need to continue onto the gear. The casing needs to be put back together and screwed back together. From here you should have some small flathead screws that hold the gear cover in place. Go ahead and pull this off and you should see the gear exposed. Inside you will see a plastic gear, contacts, teeth, and a small spindle that moves the teeth. Pull the gear out and clean it off entirely.
- Step seven - inspect the teeth on the gear for wear. They should not be super sharp, or worn down. If your wipers randomly stopped working and you hear the motor spinning you'll likely see why since some teeth would be completely worn to a pulp. If this happens you will need a new gear, or just get a new wiper motor.
- Step eight - with the gear cleaned off, clean the contact surface area on the top and also the contacts that sit on the cover. Use a small 600 or finer sandpaper to clean them and clean off all around them. Make sure to re-grease the gear area. This is simple to do, grease the plastic areas (NOT the contact surface) where the gears will touch anything. Wheel grease will work fine or just a generic grease. I recommend something that won't be super thick, just a normal grease. If you prefer a silicone grease you can use that as well. Make sure it lubricates well.
Step nine - Put the cover back on, clean the plug where the wire plug goes back into the motor, sand if necessary to refresh all connections.
Step 10 - check your work, hook it up and turn the wipers on. Your motor should have a new kick to it and if regreased properly should be much quieter. Your "hopping" motions should not be there and the wiper should act as normal and far far far better.
Hope this helps! Pics to come tonight!
(EDIT AND UPDATE 8/20/2010)
Excellent news - I found that a 924 wiper motor is THE SAME as an early 944 motor. Doesn't have to be a 924S, it can be an average joe 924 wiper motor!
I took mine out and low and behold the rack and pinion gear in the wiper motor is THE SAME. The casing is THE SAME.
So - if you're needing to repair or replace yours... you DO NOT HAVE TO GO looking for a 944 in a yard, or used parts. 924 will work too!
*ADDITIONAL WARNING* Letting the wipers come down and slap the window could result in broken window glass. BE CAREFUL!
Fixing your wiper motor on your 944/924S.
Why? Well, finding a replacement can sometimes be difficult. A lot of times, the motor itself is perfectly fine and needs a little refinishing. For those that are dead set on your original equipment, this tutorial will show you how to fix it.
Explanation
The wiper motor on the 944 has a design that is simple, but it is in a location that makes it prone to moisture and water. Over time this rusts the pieces of the electronic motor inside where it should be turning on magnets. The other issue is that the gear that turns the motor runs dry of grease and the plastic wears down. This causes the wipers to "hop" sporadically which eats up the plastic more, eventually rubbing the teeth down to a pulp.
What do I need?
- HIGHLY recommended: Dremel and stainless steel wire polishing wheel (to remove rust)
- Electrical contact cleaner
- Sandpaper of a fine grit
- Grease or something to lubricate the plastic gear inside
- Extra wire and solder just in case it's needed
- Philips and flathead screwdriver
- Cloth to clean off surface areas, make sure it doesn't leave residue or fibers behind! Cleanliness is next to godliness on cars and electronics and motors and keeping things working longterm!
- Patience (remember, take your time, do it right!)
- 10mm socket
- A good mask (to protect your lungs from rust and flying particles)
Where do I start?
- Step one is to take the wiper motor OUT of your car. You will need to remove the top nut that holds where the motor turns the wipers off, and then the 3 small tiny bolts that hold it in place. Take the wire clip off where it plugs into power and carefully work the motor out of place.
- Step two is to get the wiper motor apart and see how bad the damage is. To do this there are 2 screws that hold the case of the motor together. Undo these screws and carefully pull it apart. There WILL be resistance, this is NORMAL, the magnets inside are very very strong.
- Step three - with the casing off the motor you will see the electronic motor exposed. If your motor is old and had moisture issues you are likely going to see RUST on all the flat surface areas where it would ride up near the magnets. Rust doesn't conduct all that great, so this gives it less force. You will need a stainless steel wire wheel and a dremel and wearing a very good mask (you don't want to breathe that crap in) you will want to wire wheel all the rust off till it is nice and shiny on all surface areas that ride along the magnets. Do not forget the corners and edges as well so the rust doesn't come back!
- Step four - The other issue is the wires, sometimes they are brittle and break. Inspect them! Look for cracks, see if they are soft or hard. If you have good wiring skills don't be afraid to replace and resolder wires to make it last! Now with some electrical contact spray take it out where you won't get the spray on anything and spray the motor down. Remember that you want the surface areas where the motor are near the magnets CLEAN. So spray it at an angle so the dirt runs off the motor and cleans it off.
- Step five - once you have cleaned all the surface areas, cleaned up the wiring pieces, sprayed it off with cleaner and the motor is clean you need to clean out the casing. Spray it off with electric cleaner and get the dust and dirt and grime out of the casing, clean off the magnets, do not grind on them or hinder them in any way - simply clean them off. Remember that they will pick up and hold various metallic items, so make sure you pick them off the edges and really clean it off.
- Step six - once the motor is clean, casing is clean, everything looks good we need to continue onto the gear. The casing needs to be put back together and screwed back together. From here you should have some small flathead screws that hold the gear cover in place. Go ahead and pull this off and you should see the gear exposed. Inside you will see a plastic gear, contacts, teeth, and a small spindle that moves the teeth. Pull the gear out and clean it off entirely.
- Step seven - inspect the teeth on the gear for wear. They should not be super sharp, or worn down. If your wipers randomly stopped working and you hear the motor spinning you'll likely see why since some teeth would be completely worn to a pulp. If this happens you will need a new gear, or just get a new wiper motor.
- Step eight - with the gear cleaned off, clean the contact surface area on the top and also the contacts that sit on the cover. Use a small 600 or finer sandpaper to clean them and clean off all around them. Make sure to re-grease the gear area. This is simple to do, grease the plastic areas (NOT the contact surface) where the gears will touch anything. Wheel grease will work fine or just a generic grease. I recommend something that won't be super thick, just a normal grease. If you prefer a silicone grease you can use that as well. Make sure it lubricates well.
Step nine - Put the cover back on, clean the plug where the wire plug goes back into the motor, sand if necessary to refresh all connections.
Step 10 - check your work, hook it up and turn the wipers on. Your motor should have a new kick to it and if regreased properly should be much quieter. Your "hopping" motions should not be there and the wiper should act as normal and far far far better.
Hope this helps! Pics to come tonight!
(EDIT AND UPDATE 8/20/2010)
Excellent news - I found that a 924 wiper motor is THE SAME as an early 944 motor. Doesn't have to be a 924S, it can be an average joe 924 wiper motor!
I took mine out and low and behold the rack and pinion gear in the wiper motor is THE SAME. The casing is THE SAME.
So - if you're needing to repair or replace yours... you DO NOT HAVE TO GO looking for a 944 in a yard, or used parts. 924 will work too!
*ADDITIONAL WARNING* Letting the wipers come down and slap the window could result in broken window glass. BE CAREFUL!
01-17-2011, 10:08 AM
#7
Intermediate
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: san diego ca. '86 944T metallic grey ps3 name carbon_gecko
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
wow; bravo CorsePerVita
your reply was the best i have saved it under favorites and will be using it when i get back to my baby, i had the same issues and just replaced the wires and got a little improvement so i figured it was just old, know i see the truth! again bravo
your reply was the best i have saved it under favorites and will be using it when i get back to my baby, i had the same issues and just replaced the wires and got a little improvement so i figured it was just old, know i see the truth! again bravo
Trending Topics
01-17-2011, 01:30 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Nice write up CorsePerVita. I'm sure I could do this but am worried about step 1 (getting the motor out). How hard is that? How long will this take? I have an '83 also.
01-17-2011, 03:11 PM
#9
Pro
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Redmond, Oregon
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There is one large nut (i believe 13mm or 10mm) that holds it in place and then 3 smaller nuts that hold the rest of the assembly, it then unplugs and slides out from under the wipers. It'll be on the driver side of your car tucked underneath the big bar that moves back and forth connected to the wipers. There is usually a big plastic guard over it.
Literally polar opposite to the battery bay.
01-17-2011, 06:48 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Ok, thanks. I never really looked at is closely. I just know mine is in bad need of service.
Maybe I'll brave the cold sometime soon and get mine refurbished.
Maybe I'll brave the cold sometime soon and get mine refurbished.
01-17-2011, 08:07 PM
#11
The only thing possibly difficult in taking it out is where the crank arm bolts to the motor. The nut is easy to remove but there is a sort of tapered spline at the shaft/arm that doesn't want to just pull off in my experience. I tried prying it up with a screw driver but finally used a small 2 jaw puller to do it.
02-27-2011, 08:14 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
i finally got around to cleaning up my wiper motor this weekend. Wow, what a difference! It used to struggle with every wipe, but now does so effortlessly.
The other interesting thing was that the motor had "VW Rabbit" written on it in yellow paint. Maybe it was replaced at one time. So I guess Rabbit wiper motors are interchangeable with 944s.
The other interesting thing was that the motor had "VW Rabbit" written on it in yellow paint. Maybe it was replaced at one time. So I guess Rabbit wiper motors are interchangeable with 944s.
