RandyA Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 The driver's side windshield wiper has always chattered against the glass at road speeds. The passenger side did not. Thinking the arm might be damaged, I bought a new arm at the Volvo dealership ($70.00) and put on a new set of blades. I still had chatter at road speeds, so I finally decided to take a closer look to see why. What I initially observed is what you see in the photos below: OK - why the heck did Volvo put the base for the wiper arm on the driver's side at an angle that would pull the arm away from the windshield? The passenger side is parallel and thus makes good contact with the windshield from the pressure applied by the wiper arm spring. The Volvo parts guy told me there is only one arm for both sides - not a different one for the driver's side. What you can see in the above photo shows how little pressure is applied when the base is angled as it is on the driver's side. The above photo shows how pressure is applied on the passenger side with the base angle parallel to the glass. It does not appear that the angle of the base can be changed on the driver's side. So, I need to find some way to realign the wiper arm so the arm's spring will apply proper pressure. Bending just the end of the arm inward did not solve the problem. So, I decided to modify the arm just after the spring - kind of a scary thing to blindly do on a $70 part. The orange "V" is where I used a hacksaw to cut a notch on both sides of the arm. You must remove the rubber windshield washer tubing before cutting (yellow arrow). You only cut to the inner piece of flat spring steel (red arrow) - You do not cut into the flat rod that attaches to the tension spring. The location of the "V" notch is shown by the blue arrow. Once the "V" notch is cut put the arm in a vice and bend the arm so that the "V" closes. Yes, you will need the vice - the flat inner rod is very stiff and hard to bend. Actually, no further work is required other than putting the washer hose back in place and applying a spot of black spray paint to the exposed metal from the cut. The inner flat rod is what supports the arm. I did close the ends of the "V" on my modified arm with a little filler metal from a coat hanger using my gas welding torch. I then I sanded down the fill to a smooth finish and sprayed on a couple of coats of black paint. No more chatter and a nice swipe when the wiper cross the windshield glass. Now, why didn't Volvo do this? Note: A couple of years ago at the Tampa RV Show I noticed that Jack had "helper springs" on the wiper arms of his then new Volvo. When I asked where he got them he could only say they came with the truck. I Googled, eBay'ed and searched every imaginable HDT accessory site off and on for about a year but could not find the helper springs that worked on the Volvo arms. I did order a couple of universal sets of helper springs I did find hoping they would fit but no luck - they are now on my LGT so no money wasted. I can't say that this is the best or only way to tighten up the arm pressure for the driver's side. All I can say is that this is what I did and it worked. Simple and effective fix! If you are experiencing the same issue, maybe this will help you to get rid of the chatter as well. Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Randy, That sounds like an easy enough fix! I have been fighting that same issue for 2 years now. A further issue of mine is that I can't get the arm off the wiper motor stud. I've soaked it with all the usual release agents, used a map gas torch carefully not to melt the plastic tray underneath where the arm attaches, pried, pulled, etc. My next plan is to buy a spare wiper motor first and then configure a gear puller to see if I can get enough pressure to pull it. (apply a ton of pressure, smack it with a hammer, hope windshield doesn't get cracked when parts fly). Buying the spare motor ensures success.... Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8r3400 Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 I'm in the windshield business (I own an auto glass shop). This is a problem on a daily basis (stuck wiper arms). Get a small two leg puller from your favorite auto parts store and use it to pull off the arm. Easy peasy. The spline on the shaft is tapered. IF the nut is tightened too much it will seize onto the shaft. Additionally the arm is usually corroded onto the shaft which makes them even harder to get off. Puller Example Loosen the wiper arm retaining nut but don't remove it. This will protect the threads on the stud. If you are careful just some light pulling with the puller is all that's needed to get the arm off. Always put a little dab of anti-seize on the spline of the motor stud when reinstalling. This will make it possible to remove them next time. I would also suggest that if you do this arm modification, a little tack weld on the closed up "V" notch will keep things together permanently. Without this, the arm will most likely open up again or even crack and fail at the bend. If it fails, the arm will smack into the windshield, possibly breaking or at the least scratching the glass. Av8r34002012 Volvo VNL 730 D13 iShift & 2021 Grand Design Momentum 397TH I'd rather die trying to live - Than live trying not to die. -Leonard Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 My recent experience is a bit different.. While it's true that there's a slightly different angle on the driver's side wiper post, my original wiper arm worked perfectly until it weakened from age. When I installed the new replacement from Volvo, it was so mismatched the blade didn't even contact the windshield! The parts counter guy and I went through several of their in-stock arms, and they were all the same. When you compare the original to the replacement, you can see the indentation that engages the stop post is mis-formed, so I took my Dremel and simply relieved it a bit.. Nothing fancy, but it works perfectly.. I'll attempt to attach a side by side view of the old and new arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyA Posted November 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Jay, looking forward to seeing those comparison pics as I do not believe my problem driver's arm was original. On my arm relieving the stop did not look like it would have helped - the tension spring wasn't applying enough pressure when on the stop as it was. Or, maybe it would have done just enough to stop the chatter? Don't know because I did not try it - you did and it apparently worked. Thanks! AV8R3400 - good info. Thanks. Before you posted your method I was going to suggest Jim use a Dremel Tool and a rotary cutting disc to split the side of the arm open where it bolts to the stud, put some PB blaster in the cut and try prying again, maybe spreading open the cut with a screwdriver blade. If it comes off, the cut can be closed with a small flame from a Oxy-Actylene torch using a 0 or 00 tip and some soft, thin coat hanger wire so one could re-use the arm. Also, we must protect the windshield washer hose attachment in the middle of the stud from damage. On welding the "V" closed. I am sure you noted I did that, but I did it only for cosmetic reasons. IMHO, the flat inner rod would not be bending back if the "V" was not welded closed. I am not good enough at welding thin metal with a MIG or TIG to close the "V" without making a bigger hole in the process. It is really hard to bend the flat (spring?) steel inner rod that runs from the tension spring to the wiper blade mounting hook even when clamped in a vice - the Volvo wiper arm is built like a little brick outhouse, unlike a lighter weight LGT arm. But, this stuff is your daily business, so I bow to your experience and say, "Tack weld the "V" closed". Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydrvr Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Clearly the spring in my new arm had tons of pressure, it was just stopped before it could be applied to the blade on the windshield. It was strong enough it took some force to move by hand when in the vice, so it seemed to me that just allowing it to apply that force to the blade against the windshield would solve the problem. The dealer's entire stock was made like that. It's not easy to see in my pic, but with the new arm in the front, you can see the old original arm in back stops about an inch further down, which would be closer to the windshield when installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billr Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Great info here! Don't drive in the rain is still best way to extend life of the wipers. ? Bill and Joan and 3 Collie pups 2001 Volvo VNL 770 "The Doghouse" Singled short, "ET" hItch VED12 465HP Gen 1 Autoshift 3.58 ratio 2005 Mobile Suite 38RL3 2011 Smart Passion loaded piggybacK Weigh-It Portable RV Scales http://www.weighitrv.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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