Wipers were stuck up Buick - Century Lmtd 2002

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hi.



Hope someone can help. The wipers were stuck in the up position when off (This occured after an ice storm when the window wasn’t sufficiently warmed or scraped before they were used).



Thinking something had slipped, I removed the tightening nut on each blade where it is attached to the post and manually moved them into the correct position while off, then replaced the nuts. However now they do not work at all since the memory or something still says they need to “come down from the up position” to start working. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for any help that you may be able to provide!



PS. We are currently beyond broke with no credit… so I really hope and pray that there is some straightforward simple solution… Weak smile :slight_smile:

2

Remove the nuts from the wiper arms and remove the wiper arms off their posts. Look inside the wiper arms where they mount to the posts and see if the splines in wiper arms got stripped out. If they are the wiper arms need to be replaced.

Tester

3

Thank you very much for this quick reply Tester!! If I may impose…two quick follow-up questions.

1.Do I just force the arm up and off the post (i.e. with a screwdriver?) It seems to be on their very snugly.

And 2. are “splines” fairly obvious. Not quite sure what I would be looking for. Thank you!

4

Try giving the arms a slight twist on the posts. If the splines are stripped out they could be wedged on the posts.

Splines are groves machined on both the posts and the wiper arms. The splines prevent the wiper arms from slipping on the posts. The nuts just prevent the arms from coming off the posts.

Most people don’t realize this but the wiper arms are actually sort of a fuse for the wiper system. If the wipers are frozen to the windshield and are turned on, the splines in the wiper arms are supposed to strip out before bending the wiper linkage or burning up the wiper motor. That’s why the wiper arms are made from aluminum and the posts are made from a harder casted metal.

Tester

5

Wow! Thank you for this detailed and clear help! I really appreciate this tonight. Gives me hope for tomorrow. Blessings to you! :slight_smile: