Hi again,

I am still working on my 53 Olds 98, at the moment I am looking for the reason of very weak wipers, they go up to 45° and stop.

to understand it better : they go up half the way they did on the video, then stop

Here the link to the video I got from the seller :

http://s1057.photobucket.com/user/ol...tml?sort=3&o=0


so they worked some months ago, after arriving here it seems they dont want any more

any ideas what I should check first ?

 

Try removing the linkage from the wiper motor and see if the motor turns normally, then go through the linkage looking for tight spots and free off any you can find.

Could well be the motor is dying of old age and needs overhauling.

Roger.

 

can you also tell me where is the way to see the wiper motor ?

Dashboard has to come out ?

 

Electric or vacuum powered?

Either way, the above applies perfectly.

find the problem area, rebuild as necessary.

 

I dont know yet

turning on and off doesnt really seem to be an electrical switch, a valve maybe ?

maybe this pic shows to you what it is ?

 

I'm pretty sure those were all vacuum units, and that is the failure mode for a vacuum unit with tired seals.
It may need to be rebuilt.

- Eric

 

I was going to guess vacuum powered as well...
that photo appears to show a large vacuum line heading up to the upper driver's side from behind the carb.

Start with verifying that the supply hoses- I assume they run thru a switch inside the car- are intact and not leaky. If the supply is ok, and the disconnected arm and pivot mechanism moves freely, that leaves a weak motor as the culprit.

I reckon there are folks who are expert in rebuilding those motors, so that would probably be the best route.

It should be accessible from outside the car, in the cowl area, but I am not the expert on 1956 models.

Well aha
I called dr. Oldmobile [no "S"] and he says the control CABLE runs to the dash, and the vacuum runs from your vacuum pump atop the fuel pump on the engine, to the wipers motor.

He also suggests that you can, for under $200, convert to electric wipers and avoid all that stuff like leaky vacuum motors...

tanson enterprises:

http://www.forwhatyouneed.com/windsh...onversions.htm

 

If stock you have a vacuum system and they can be cantankerous. First check all vacuum lines for cracks or just dried out connections. Also easy to check is take one wiper off, wet the windshield as though it was raining and see if the wiper motor will support one wiper. this will tell you that at least the motor is capable of a complete cycle and that it is either to weak or bound up in the transmission cables or pulleys to work. My guess is that the motor is weak and needs a rebuild after 50+ years. As I remember a 53 (could be remembering a 52) is a under the dash back in a hole pain in the *** to remove. If were mine I would replace it with a Newport electric motor which will still be a pain in the *** to install but will bolt up just like the original and never give you problems from that day on.If you go the original route don't be surprised if you don't still have marginal wipers........ Lost in the fifties..Tedd

 

This is important. Vacuum wipers tend to seem very slow compared to modern electric wipers, even when working properly.
They also slow down when you accelerate, even if you have a vacuum reservoir.

- Eric

 

Thanks for all the tips, yesterday was wiper's day ;o)

First I made the way free to see the wipers motor.

All Tubes seemed to be ok just one was a little weak, so I replaced it.

But this didnt really help. The system worked still too weak.

So I tried to move it with external vacuum or air from a pump. (Same time I sprayed in some oil to lubricate it a little, helped also because it didnt move for 6 months)

Both worked not too bad, but not as I wanted it.

There must be a spring inside that system that works aginst the vacuum, that spring is a little tired I think.

So I tried to help that invisible spring with an separate outside spring.

Now that system works really nice and I can move to another spot making that Olds streetlegal

 

From what I remember from years ago, no.
If I recall, the vacuum motor is double-acting, like a steam engine - a valve swaps the vacuum from on side to the other when the flapper gets there, and then the vacuum pulls it the other way.


A very ingenious solution.

Another old-time treatment for a weak vacuum motor is to suck brake fluid through it, as described here.

Here is a guy who will rebuild your vacuum motor for USD99.00 (he's got a German name, too ).

Good luck!

- Eric

 

Thank you, for the moment I am ok with that, will watch it for some weeks.

As I hate it to drive in rain with such an old car I will not need the wiper I hope for at least next ten years.

Next thing is that if I send that motor and it gets lost ...... I would have to kill someone.

I want to save as much as possible of the original parts, repairing most of them myself because its possible in 95 of 100 parts.

 

What goes bad in the motor is the neoprene gasket .This plus the fact that the sealing grease gets dried out and the flapper wears the aluminum body more than the gasket can take up. Often even after a rebuild the body is worn to the point it won't seal properly. I fought mine for years till I just got fed up and put a Newport unit in, no problems from that time on....Tedd

 

would be great if someone had a picture of this motor inside and function scheme ....

 

Here is one file with an exploded view.

Here is another exploded view:




Here is a page discussing repairs, and here is another.

- Eric

 

thank you very much !

I knew why I didnt take it out without knowing whats inside ....