If I flip the passenger-side wiper arm up, the squeeking stops...but I don't think it's in the arm. The linkage inside is noticibly loose when the blade is pulled left/right - but that stuff isn't visible from the engine room.
Any chance this is Yet Another Endemic Problem for Suburbans?
Sure it's not just the blade? There is ALLOT of linkage too all of the wiper stuff I have looked at - and it would all be designed with low tolerances so grime couldn't jam it up.
~KJ~
Dry bushing in the wiper transmission (part that goes through the cowl with the linkage on one side and the wiper on the other) shoot some white lithium grease into the gap between the shaft and the bushing. I recommend once a year at least to lube the entire linkage system, nothing like having the wipers fail in the middle of a heavy rain on a busy road to make you wish you did.
RE/
Been there when the wiper control board failed (twice!). Only thing worse I can think of is when the alternator has died, the driver didn't notice, and the battery got sucked dry causing total systmem failure at speed....no brake lights, no flashers, no power steering, no power brakes.... Geeze!...
Having vented that.. How do I get at the linkage? Under the dash?
Nope under the cowl covers. Should be held on by screws/clips. The entire cowl panel at the front of the windshield comes off on some, others have access panels under the hood. Yours is a cowl panel unit I believe, you need to remove about 8 screws and the wiper arms themselves and the panel will lift off and the linkage will be under it.
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