My Honda Accord windshield wipers wont work

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi, so its been snowing like crazy in Texas where I am, and obviously im not used to it. Ever since it started I have been trying to defrost my car and get my windshield wipers to work. The windshield will be completely defrosted, but the area where the windshield wipers are, is still full of ice. I have trying to scrap and get most of that out but they still wont move. I was not aware that you can damage the motor/ blow a fuse until this morning and now I am worried. Do you think my wipers are still just frozen or did I damage them? They move a little every time I turn them on like they’re trying to wipe. Does this mean they’re just frozen and not broken?? Please respond

I have a 2019 Honda Accord Hybrid

2

If they move a little when you hit the switch, the fuse is okay, and the motor probably is too. But don’t keep trying to use them until the wipers are freed. You will have to clear away the ice. See if you can lift the wipers away from the windshield. Be gentle.

Stay safe. The reports coming out of Texas are pretty grim.

3

I can lift them away from the windshield fine. Should I poor Luke-warm water on the motor to melt that ice since its not on the windshield?

4

I had a problem like this one time and I just poured cold water over the iced area until I could scrap it out . I would not use hot water because that might crack the windshield.

5

No warm water. You risk cracking the windshield from thermal shock. Do the wipers move if you turn them on while they are up from the windshield?

6

If you turn on the windshield wipers when they’re frozen in place, it can wipe out the splines on the wiper arms.

Here’s what a wiper arm with stripped splines looks like compared to a new wiper arm.

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When this happens, the wiper arms need replacing.

Tester

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7

No they didnt, but theres ice on the arms. Is that bad?? And since I have freed them, should I leave them up, not touching the windshield, so they dont keep freezing?

8

Yes, leave them up for the time being. No movement at all when they are up and the switch is on?

9

no, but I can here them like whine almost, a little twitch but not much movement

10

That sounds like the the wiper arms are stripped where they attach or something is wrong with the linkage. Try moving the wipers gently by hand. Do you get any resistance?

11

My vote is that you stripped the splines. I’d take the arms off and check.

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12

how would I do that?

13

going to check now

14

image
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They’re very frozen but won’t move at all now

15

To check if the splines are stripped, try moving the wipers back and forth by hand.

If this can be done, the splines are stripped.

Tester

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