97 Intrepid_ Wipers

Hi, Single mom here, trying to make a living. My otherwise dependable car let me down recently. Wipers quit. (Suddenly of course during a storm) The wiper motor still makes noise but nothing moves. Before the local sharks look at it and decide how gullible I am, what should I expect.? I just want to be informed and have a clue what could be wrong and what to expect. Anyone out there can help?

Reply to
JudithAnne
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JudithAnne - It may be that the mechanical connection from the motor output to the linkage assembly has come loose or that the internal gears have worn out - which would mean the wiper assembly has to be replaced - see below about

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Also, sometimes a single wiper arm will stop moving because the nut that secures the wiper arm to the oscillating shaft loosens, and the shaft moves (rotates) but the arm doesn't. However, if both arms quit moving, it is unlikely that both nuts came loose at exactly the same time. Just for grins, see if you can grab either arm with your hand in its normal rotation arc - if you can, then the nut has simply come loose and needs to be tightened.

If you have a trusted mechanic, he should be able to take a cursery glance (possibly for no charge) and possibly determine where the problem is - especially if the arms are simply loose on the shafts.

Worse case, if you can't determine the exact cause of the problem, or it becomes clear that you need a new assembly, go to

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and drill down for a complete wiper/motor assembly. When you type in the Make/year/model of your car and identify that you are looking for the wiper assembly (or however it's listed), you will see a listing only for the wiper assemblies that will fit your car - even if they are different models and years - IOW, if it's on the list, it will work for your car. Also, at the beginning of the drill down, you are able to restrict your search to junk yards in your state only, so the number of hits you have to look thru will be greatly reduced, and there will certainly be several listings of junk yards with the part near you that you can pick from - and they will most likely ship to your door for a nominal shipping fee, so even if they're halfway across the state, it won't be a big deal.

I replaced the wiper assembly on my '99 LH car (Concorde) for under $100

- and that was only because I got an assembly that was only 2 years old

- most of the ones listed for my car were $50-$75. Yours is the previous (older) generation LH car, so I don't know if it's the same wiper assembly - but I think you should be able to find a good one near you for $45-65. Probably an hour labor to swap it out. If it is actually something broken and not something simply loose that needs tightening, replacing the whole assembly should definitely fix the problem regardless of what it is.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Expect to have the wiper linkage replaced, as the vehicle ages the grommets wear out and the linkage falls off, Mopar parts at a guess around $40 Labor no more then 1.5hr

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Reply to
damnnickname

That sentence should have read "see if you can grab either arm with your hand **and rotate it** in its normal rotation arc - if you can, then the nut has simply come loose and needs to be re-tightened."

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Wow - $40 for the complete linkage? That's not bad.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Your thinking of the complete drive train assembly, What I said $40 was for is just the 2 pieces that snap on to the motor and pivots

Reply to
maxpower

You said for her to expect to have the wiper linkage replaced - I took that to mean the complete wiper drive assembly less motor and wiper arms.

But whatever - if a $40 new part fixes the problem, that's about as good as it gets these days.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Reply to
tim bur

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