Progessive wiper arm failure

The passenger side wiper on my 456 is slowly but increasingly failing to travel in it's full arc. It started making about 90% and I couldn't tell if there was an issue. As I used the wipers this afternoon it kept covering less and less of that one side. I assume there's a gear in there that's not making contact when it should.

 

David, I would lift both wiper arms away from your windscreen and then see if that allows them to both travel the same distance, usally at the end of the wiper arm there is a nut under a cap that attaches the wiper arm to the wiper motor pivot shaft, look and see if that nut is loose, use a spanner to check as it has to be super tight for them to work as they should, let us know how they checked out

 

No such luck. The mechanism is underneath a ledge of steel that runs the length of the car. If I could lie across the top of the motor and look up at it, I'd probably be able to look at it better. A mirror would probably help. There is enough of the mechanism sticking up as the arm attaches to it and out that I can see it's not moving as the wiper arm moves. That seem not right. I note that the driver's side won't move without the mechanism running. The passenger's side does and comes to rest way too low.

 

Wiper motor is #1
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You have probably broken a bell crank, did you lift both wiper arms away from the windscreen and try that they both move?

 

Can you post a picture?

 

I know on my 308, the wiper spindle is not splined, like on most cars. It relies on a friction fit. Given enough slippage at this joint, the mating surface on the wiper arm will wear so that even significant tightning of the retaining net will not lock it. If this is the case the best solution is to replace the wiper arm and tighten securely.

Bill

 

I can't take a picture as my camera is temporarily on the fritz. I'm supposed to get it back from Sony on Friday. I'll try then.