Freightrain Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Well, as I work on leaks on the ol B this winter I got to thinking about the wipers. They "work", but wondered if maybe over the years(and leaky air compressor) they might use some work. It turned out to be a very simple project and now they work better, faster and smoother. Hmmmm.Pulling the wiper motor requires two bolts and three air lines. Simple. Didn't have to really mark anything as most only fits one way.After getting the motor assy on the bench I did a quick clean up in the parts washer to get it done to metal(45 yrs of oil build up under the hood). I then proceeded to remove the two end caps(6 bolts each). The passenger side is simple, the drivers side is a bit more complex with an arm that latches the piston to the return valve on the end cap. Slip the arm off the pin and now you can dismantle it completely. Unbolt the four bolts on the center cap where the shaft output is. First note the position of output arm as it needs to be put back at this location to line up with wiper arm again. If you miss it, it's a simple adjustment that can be done while motor is on firewall again.The piston only comes out the passenger side of housing. Watch as you slip it apart as there is a felt seal on each end. My whole unit was sludge city after many years of a worn air compressor pumping oil into the system. I carefully cleaned all the pieces in parts washer, including the felt seals which one stayed on, the other slipped off. I carefully reinstalled it after drying piston. Using some WD40 on rubber seals(on each end also) I put piston back into housing. I carefully had pulled the paper gaskets off housing and was able to reuse them. I regreased the gear output assy and set it in place. At first I thought it was in right, but found that it's indexed with a hole and I had it 180 degrees out. I put it back in correctly and installed unit on truck. After hooking some air to truck I tested the unit. WOW....lickity split they woosh back and forth quite smoothly and a bit quicker at full speed then before. No doubt after removing all the sludge I knew it would improve some.With only 1.5 hours invested in this little project, I'm quite happy with the results. Granted I didn't "restore" it to showroom condition(no beadblasting or such), since the truck really doesn't warrant that. Anything cleaner then when taken off is a great improvement.If anyone has problems with their air wipers, I'd suggest a little time be spent and you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to improve the operation. I think alot of guys have wipers that don't return, and I think the little valve actuator on the end is probably the culprit and some simple cleaning will do wonders.Sorry I didn't get ANY pictures of this as I kinda just did it and once I got it back together figured it would make a neat little article. Have fun. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
theakerstwo Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Well, as I work on leaks on the ol B this winter I got to thinking about the wipers. They "work", but wondered if maybe over the years(and leaky air compressor) they might use some work. It turned out to be a very simple project and now they work better, faster and smoother. Hmmmm.Pulling the wiper motor requires two bolts and three air lines. Simple. Didn't have to really mark anything as most only fits one way.After getting the motor assy on the bench I did a quick clean up in the parts washer to get it done to metal(45 yrs of oil build up under the hood). I then proceeded to remove the two end caps(6 bolts each). The passenger side is simple, the drivers side is a bit more complex with an arm that latches the piston to the return valve on the end cap. Slip the arm off the pin and now you can dismantle it completely. Unbolt the four bolts on the center cap where the shaft output is. First note the position of output arm as it needs to be put back at this location to line up with wiper arm again. If you miss it, it's a simple adjustment that can be done while motor is on firewall again.The piston only comes out the passenger side of housing. Watch as you slip it apart as there is a felt seal on each end. My whole unit was sludge city after many years of a worn air compressor pumping oil into the system. I carefully cleaned all the pieces in parts washer, including the felt seals which one stayed on, the other slipped off. I carefully reinstalled it after drying piston. Using some WD40 on rubber seals(on each end also) I put piston back into housing. I carefully had pulled the paper gaskets off housing and was able to reuse them. I regreased the gear output assy and set it in place. At first I thought it was in right, but found that it's indexed with a hole and I had it 180 degrees out. I put it back in correctly and installed unit on truck. After hooking some air to truck I tested the unit. WOW....lickity split they woosh back and forth quite smoothly and a bit quicker at full speed then before. No doubt after removing all the sludge I knew it would improve some.With only 1.5 hours invested in this little project, I'm quite happy with the results. Granted I didn't "restore" it to showroom condition(no beadblasting or such), since the truck really doesn't warrant that. Anything cleaner then when taken off is a great improvement.If anyone has problems with their air wipers, I'd suggest a little time be spent and you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to improve the operation. I think alot of guys have wipers that don't return, and I think the little valve actuator on the end is probably the culprit and some simple cleaning will do wonders.Sorry I didn't get ANY pictures of this as I kinda just did it and once I got it back together figured it would make a neat little article. Have fun. Some times you can take the muffler out of the end and leve it out and it will run better. glenn Quote glenn akers Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16307 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Ya, I saw that too. I soaked it up and blew thru it with 120# of air so I know it's not clogged shut(the felt part). Didn't try to run without it, might just to see what happens. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16309 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanscottbuilders Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 This is good stuff !!Thanks,Paul Van Scott Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16338 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted January 18, 2008 Author Share Posted January 18, 2008 Maybe if I get bored the next week or so maybe I'll kinda pull the unit and take some pictures?It's a very simple device and I know alot of guys hate them but I think with some cleaning, especially that "return valve"(whatever it is called) that make it go back and forth is the real culprit for most guys. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16351 Share on other sites More sharing options...
OakRidgeMack Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Would you happen to know if that process would work for a R Model wiper motor also...are they the same? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16915 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 I can't think why it would work any different? What's wrong with yours?I've heard all kinds of horror stories about air wipers and how they don't work well, or stuck in one direction. Seems they are a pretty simple device and I can see if they get sludged up, the valve won't work thus rendering them useless.Should be THREE air lines going to it. Mark them if you can't keep them organized(mine stayed put and easy to figure where they went). Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-16958 Share on other sites More sharing options...
OakRidgeMack Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 The R that i have has been sitting a good 8 years being used for storage...i have recently gotten her out and been working on the various things that are wrong with it...i noticed that when you turn the wiper nob that all you here is air leaking out...its just something that i have to work on and i just was wondering if it was the same....thannks alot Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-17019 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 Depends on where the air leak is? On the Dash or out at motor?The dash control is a really simple little gadget too. A paper gasket and an o-ring. If the o-ring on the knob is dried, it will allow air to blow past.Pull it apart carefully and replace o-ring. It's been about 5 yrs, so can't recall the detail on it but just pay attention and you'll be fine. Mine leaked pretty bad at first and I put new o-ring in it and it's fine. Just be careful with paper gaskets. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-17039 Share on other sites More sharing options...
OakRidgeMack Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 When i get around to fixing the wipers ill be sure to be careful......thanks for the help Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-17152 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Just a little update.Have not had to use the wiper til last weekend. Then all of a sudden they started running really slow, had to bump the park side to get them to return after a short time of running. I couldn't believe they started this after working so well after going thru them. Hmmm. Well a little diagnosing I found that the main feed line to the motor itself was a bit old(like maybe 40+ yrs) and was oil soaked and brittle. After wiggling it around at the motor I could make the work fast again. So today I installed some new lines and WOW....they work GREAT again.So, I'd suggest that if you have wiper issues and they don't seem to run very well, to start looking at the lines and see if they are used up. I think this might have been more the issue with mine then the sludge in the motor. I also removed the little muffler from the output side and it really helped with the power/speed too. With the truck running(especially at highway speed), you CAN'T hear it anyway.After hearing the horror stories of air wipers....I'm pretty confident with mine now. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/3304-air-wiper-refurbishment/#findComment-19973 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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