Wiper Arm Removal Ideas

[Chris & Dale]

After much research here I decided to replace my wipers with the pantographic by Marinco, which I received the other day. So begins the process of removing the old ones that appear to be the original 13 year old ones never removed. So far, after 3 days of applying PB Blaster, I've only been able to remove 1 set screw and 0 wipers. I believe this is the 1st time PB Blaster hasn't come thru. The other 2 set screws have stripped out so I'm going to have to drill those out (that should be fun). I'm very concerned about damaging the gelcoat and/or window or frame.

Getting to that point, does anyone have any clever method they've used to remove the arm off the shaft in this rather confined space?

Thanks in advance for your assistance as always!!!

[sweetwater]

I have not tried to remove mine yet, but I would think the careful application of heat would help draw in the lube. Can you post some pictures and part numbers when the job is done?
Good luck!

[halfmoon]

Dremel tool with reinforced cutting wheel along the axis of the drive shaft, then use large screwdriver to widen the cut slot. Did manage to get one wiper arm off intact, but why expend the effort if it is to be disposed?

[Serenity]

I had to do the same thing with a dremmel tool with the saw blade. We really would not be having these issues if we kept the Albins indoors, no exposure to rough weather, salt water and bring our ladies to a drive thru "boat wash" after every time we left the dock. Other than that, have a great holiday weekend.

[Chris & Dale]

Halfmoon & Serenity,
Gentlemen, my new best friend is Dremmel w/the cutting blade! 1/2 can of PB Blaster over 4 days, wood blocks, prybars, etc. and nothing. 30 seconds per arm and the whole deal was done. Heck, the clean up took longer.

So, now on to the task of installing the new pantographic's. Regretfully, no instructions came with them, and Marinco customer service sent me 1 page sheets, one with half-a***d hand drawn illustration, and no pictures of the finished product. So, I'll piecemeal the 2 sets of instructions, experiment, finalize it, take pictures, and post here for all future users. The biggest challenge will be drilling a hole up under the top to secure the bracket. Hopefully, I'll be done by the middle of next week. More to come.

[Russell]

I upgraded to a pantographic arm last year and the side arm bracket installed right on the same shaft as the main blade. Just tighten the nut down on the bracket and no hole for a screw is needed. The hardest part was getting the old blade off as you have already found out. The next most difficult is taking the wiper motor off from inside so you can adjust the arc to take advantage of the extended sweep you can get with the pantographic arm. You can also set where your wiper stops which previously on my boat was on the side for two windshields and in the middle for one.

[Chris & Dale]

Russ,
Like you, my center wiper's park position is in the middle. Having never messed with the wiper motors before, how did you adjust park position so it came to rest to one side? Thanks

[Russell]

I did a search and found the post I used as a guide. Not sure how to direct you to the post so here is a copy/paste:


Here is how to adjust the sweep.

Lift the plastic covering up were the wiper arm fits over the shaft. losen the set screw to remove the arms off the shaft. Good luck here if they have not been off for a while. I had to soak mine with penetrating oil before I could remove them. A light tap to get some vibration going and then I was able to pull them. Remove the retaining nut, washer and gasket from the shaft.

On the inside of the cabin remove the screw holding the wiper motor on. Pull the wiper motor back away form the windows. Be careful too note the order your wires are connected so you can put them back the same way. If you don’t it is a little tricky figuring it out. Two live wires so motor stops in a certain position. It is easy to mix the two power wires up.

Remove the screws on the back side to release the cover of the wiper motor and one more lock nut for the shaft. On the inside you will see the way the arm for driving the shaft is connected to the gear. You will see other threaded holes with degrees marked next to them. Remove the screw to switch it to any of the other holes that give you the angle you want.

Cycle your motor a few times to see were it comes to a stop and the direction your wiper will be going when it starts up. This is so you can install your wiper Arm back on in the right position. Other wise it might go the other way off your window. If so just move it to the other side of the window and you should be fine.

I installed horizontal wipers on mine this spring and increased my wipe area a lot. I went with 20 inch blades. I really like how they work and the added visibility is nice to have. I have to say though; I had to fiddle with them a lot to get them to working the way I wanted to. Then I could not find wipers that would fit that would stay on without breaking them self’s off. Ended up making my own mounting bracket for the wiper blades out of aluminum.
If you were going to do this yourself it would have to be a whole other discussion I will guess there is a better manufacture making a kit than the one I used.
Terry & Karen
28 TE
Maye Marie


Final comments: It was not as hard as I thought it would be. Once you get the motor open the adjustments to the gear are easy to figure out. I do not remember how I changed the stop position but it was easy once the motor was open. I found that the 20 inch wiper blade was too long, the upper portion hit the windshield frame and quickly damaged the rubber blade. This will depend on the length of the wipe arm of course so maybe mine is shorter. Getting the old wiper arm off was 90% of the problem, so you are well ahead.