[T3] Wipers

[Jim Adney]

On 14 Aug 2011 at 14:16, Gary Forsmo wrote:

> Since the subject came up about wipers ...
> I had to drive in "foggy" conditions last night and the wipers worked fine.
> However, when we got home I shut off the wipers before turning off the
> headlights, ignition, etc. the wipers DID NOT fully return to the "Park"
> position.  After several start and stop they still remain "parked" 2" to 3"
> from the bottom windshield seal.   ???

Automatic parking of the wipers only works when you turn the wiper 
switch off and leave the key on. Turning the key off removes all 
power from the wipers

> Is there an adjustment needed?  I don't believe BOTH wiper arms  have
> "slipped" on their shafts,  because both of them are slightly elevated.
> Could something in the under-dash linkage; motor shaft; etc. have slipped?
> Is it difficult to find if it has slipped?  Set Screw?

There are 3 possibilities here. If you run the wipers with the 
windshield not very wet, they tend to "stick" and not return fully 
home when they park. If you lift both of them gently from the glass, 
you may find that they want to go down farther.

It's vaguely possible that the arm on the motor has slipped, although 
I never hear of this happening. If the blades go below their parking 
position when they run, that's what has happened. If you want to fix 
this, check the Bentley for the proceedure, AND REMOVE THE BATTERY 
GROUND CABLE before you start. That may keep you from losing a 
finger.  

The final possibility is that both of them have slipped on their 
shafts. That's quite possible on wipers before 1970, where the wiper 
arms are held to the shaft by a set screw against a round shaft. That 
system just doesn't work very well. VW introduced modified arms later 
that involved a pinch clamp that worked MUCH better. You could try to 
find a pair of those, or you could try to file flats on the shafts, 
but that's hard to get just right.  

The revised arms for '68-9 must be 311 955 407B & 311 955 408. They 
would be your best solution.  

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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