I had a question regarding wiper linkage! I ordered new linkage online since the last ones bushing or ball socket wasn’t staying on the crank arm.
This new one I’ve purchased won’t stay on either, it’s almost like it’s missing the bottom half of the bushing. The yellow/discolored is the old and the white is the new. The part I’ve ordered is supposed to fit, and it does, just the bushing won’t grip on there. Is it possible Amazon sent the wrong part? The packaging said the correct part number “602-223”
What should my next step be? The ball on the crank arm doesn’t seem worn… and every wiper linkage I’ve bought from the junkyard looks just like this old one and has fit fine. This new one that’s supposed to fit according to AutoZone and oriellys.
Gabe, I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking at, but are you sure the “missing” bottom half doesn’t come off the old one and get reused? And are you sure that ball is into the socket bushing far enough? It seems like it should press in under some pressure and snap into place.
I have the Factory Service Manual set for that 03 Impala. I’m looking at the illustrations and instructions for the wiper linkage, but it’s a bit confusing. The text doesn’t exactly describe the illustrations.
I’m thinking the part you are working on is the motor arm itself. Can you say whether or not the other joints on the linkage use a similar ball joint socket arrangement?
They show the use of a GM tool J39232 to separate those ball joints. It’s a pliers that fits between the socket and the linkage with the ball and when you squeeze the handles it spreads the two, popping the ball out of the joint.
They show a GM tool J39529 to press the two together for installation. It’s a pliers with a cap shaped end that fits over that white cap and the other “jaw” of the pliers goes under the linkage at the joint. Squeeze the handles and pressure is applied popping the ball into the socket.
Usually there’s a “work around” for these special tools. You basically pry and spread to remove and squeeze to install. Care must be taken when squeezing on that plastic cap. A spacer, padding, etcetera should probably be used.
Look inside the old “socket” that won’t stay on the ball and see if you can tell how far in the ball was. CSA
oh no it makes perfect sense! So on my wiper transmission there is an arm that connects to a crank-arm with a plastic pressure fitting/bushing.
That plastic part is all one piece and the only way I could get the bottom half is by breaking it into pieces lol. I thought I was just being a pansy and not pushing it on hard enough or something, but that picture you see is as far as it goes into the ball end
Confusing situation, autopart stores says it fits… but it doesn’t connect with the crank arm. I’ve never replaced the crank arm so it should be the original part…
I found another set of wiper linkage from A.C. Delco. Maybe I’ll try that instead?
In the second picture the link bushing is not installed on the ball, it needs to be pushed down about 1/2". Apply a dab of silicone lubricant to the parts and engage the ball completely into the bushing.
Yeah that’s like mine. I bought mine from Rockauto and fit fine. I think you just need to seat it. I just wired my old one up to last a couple days until I got the new one and then I save the old part that has the identical sockets that can be used for a repair again if need. I paid somewhere around $80 for the mechanism when it was only a $2 plastic socket that was bad-that you can’t buy anywhere.
80$ isn’t bad! So you looked around for the plastic socket too huh?? I found a few, but nothing that would fit my car. Even contacted Dorman and they said they don’t sell them for my linkage.
How hard should it be to seat the new linkage? I’m 6 foot and 240 pounds and even with all my weight that picture is as far as it goes. I measured the depth and it seems to be just about all the way in…
I feel like if I’m any more forceful I’ll break something hahahaha.
I don’t remember it being unusually hard but it doesn’t look like its popped in all the way. Its a ball and socket so the ball has to go in far enough so that bottom piece holds the ball in. Kind of a stupid design prone to failure. I saved the old ones but a chore to get them out without breaking them. That lower piece needs to spread a little so maybe check to make sure it can do that.
I wonder if you heated it up a little if it might be easier to fit over the ball. Maybe put it in some 170 degree water for a few minutes, a dab of silicon grease, presto-change-o, who knows, might work. Could put an ice pack over the ball too, to make it smaller.
This reminds me of a caller on Car Talk who said heating up a brake drum wouldn’t make it easier to remove, b/c he had done an experiment in his physics class (I may be getting this slightly incorrect) he said a metal sphere would fit through a metal ring at room temperature, but when the ring was heated the sphere wouldn’t fit through it. Something about all the dimensions expand is what causes that. Tom and Ray said the heating helped remove the rust bonds on the brake drum, and more or less side-stepped the caller’s theory. Me, I wouldn’t compare a ring to a brake drum. The brake drum is like a ring of metal with a hat on it, which I wouldn’t expect to behave the same as a thin ring.
