Windhield wiper problems

[kerrye]

They aren't working right. Left one not at all. Right one turns about a quarter of a turn when I turn the switch on. I think they worked when I got the boat. PO had disconnected a wire on left one because it stayed on all the time. I reconnected it. But nothing. When I was checking voltage on the right one today, all of a sudden it started working correctly. But when I turnedoff the switch it went back to its old quarter turn mode. Anyone got any ideas? Feels like the switch has two positions. I assume slow and fast.

[Beta Don]

Could be slow and fast or if it's a single speed motor, it could be run and park - Most motors have a wire which stops the blade in the same position every time . . . . a 'Park' wire which shuts itself off when the blade reaches the correct position. If it's already 'Parked' then putting 12 volts on that wire doesn't do anything

You need to find out what you have and then make a schematic of how it's wired. If you can find a model number on the motor, you could maybe Google that and see what it actually is and you'll also find how it's supposed to be wired

Don

[DesertAlbin736]

I have constant problems with mine (single wiper in front of the helm). Motor works fine, but screws that hold the motor assembly together keep working loose & the drive pin (or cog if you will) inside the housing jumps out of the eccentric/cam that makes the blade oscillate back and forth. I can hear the motor turning, but blade doesn't move. I took it apart & fixed it once, but it keeps coming loose. It's a low priority item, so I haven't really paid much attention to it lately, since it hasn't rained here in about 2 months & none expected in the near future forecasts.

[kerrye]

New motors are available for about $40 I think.

[kerrye]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VV ... ge_o00_s00

[kerrye]

After some troubleshooting I decided to replace both wiper motors. I think there were bad connections but once they got power, the motors were oscillating so quickly that they weren't turning long enough to turn the main shaft more than a very small fraction of an inch. I removed the covers and see the gears working but the main final gear was only moving about one tooth in each direction. Not sure what was causing that symptom but I decided that perhaps it was best just to replace the motors. Too bad I had recently bought two new arms and blades since the new motors come with arms and blades.

[DesertAlbin736]

After some troubleshooting I decided to replace both wiper motors.

Those ones on Amazon you referenced above? And they were a match to fit the existing mounting holes from inside to outside in the structure above the windshield?

By the way, know this guy over on the Trailersailor forum?

When you mentioned the name Kerry, from the Denver area, I immediately thought of the Kerry who was with us on the North Channel cruise last year on their F-24. Apparently, that would be the same Kerry per his post over on the Albin group forum.

We also live near Ithaca NY and have spent a bit of time on the canals here back in our power boat days. Most of our canal time is spent on bicycles now, as sailing them isn't really an option (with the mast up, at least).

[kerrye]

That's Scott. He ran into some shaft problems last summer. Yes, I ordered the Amazon ones. Not sure on the fit. Visually they appear very similar. But now that I've thought about it some more, I'm beginning to suspect some funky wiring issue.

[kerrye]

Did some more troubleshooting today. With both motors connected, both motors just oscillate. If I disconnect the + wire from the starboard motor the port motor runs fine. If I reconnect the starboard + wire with the port motor running sometimes they both revert to oscillating, sometimes they both will run fine. If I turn it off with both running fine, they will both oscillate when I turn them back on. So, at the moment I am working on the theory that the starboard motor is drawing too much amperage on start up causing both motors to just oscillate. When my new motors arrive, I'll try replacing the starboard motor first and see if both run fine with a new starboard motor.

[Beta Don]

Methinks you have wiring problems, which you should probably sort out before you connect new motors to questionable circuitry

Don

[kerrye]

Voltage at motors checked out ok.

[kerrye]

This post is just to confirm that the motors I linked at Amazon above are the same dimensions as the originals (?) on my A25. You do have to cut down the shaft to the right dimensions since the motors are universal. I cut mine down with a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool.

I haven't finished the installation yet but with the old motor on the port side, I wired up the new motor on the starboard side and both seem to be working fine now.

[DesertAlbin736]

That's good to know. May put that on my project list. Right now am busy doing a bottom job (except for today & next few days while I recover from this lousy cold/flu bug that's been going around).

I'm very lucky that a friend from our sailing club who owns a paper recycling business in an industrial area of downtown Phoenix is letting me park La Dolce Vita there to work on repainting the bottom. It's open air with shade, concrete floor, a gantry crane & forklift that we can use to lift the boat off the trailer and set on blocks and boat stands along with access to power & a big high volume air compressor to run a pneumatic sanding tool. Am sanding down through 40 years worth of old peeling bottom paint before applying water based non-copper Pettit Hydrocoat ECO ablative anti fouling.

How would you like to be able to park your boat at a place like this to work on in the shade for free? Can you imagine what the labor charge would be at a boat yard? Weather has been fine here, 70s & 80s every day. Even with ideal working conditions it's still a nasty, dirty job. I suit up with spray painters' overalls with hood, cartridge respirator, googles, face shield, ear plugs & rubber gloves. Would not want to be working out in direct sun for this job.

Desolation Sound or bust!

Bruce shop.jpg

[sail149]

'Get rid of park wire'
Hi
! I don't know if this applies but in the 80's I worked on the fiberglass side of rebuilding the old post office right hand drive jeeps for rural carriers with new Diesel engines. Anyway The mechanical expert found almost every one of the old jeeps we got in for refurbishment had non work windshield wipers. They found cutting out the park wire function usually solved the problem and we did not have to buy new wiper motors. So all you had to do was time when you turned of the wipers and job done! If they fitted new motors they disconnected the park wire so the wipers would not fail in the future.
Warren
84 A27 fc