Pic added! drivers side windshield wiper help please

i was driving on the highway back from work, it was raining and all of a sudden my windshield wipers hit together it seemed and flew up across my windshield. i immediatly turned them off. made it home, straightened them out and tryed turning them on. Only my passenger side windshield wiper works, the drivers side does nothing. I can take the windshield wiper that is broken and spin it around freely, whereas the passenger side is locked in and doesnt let me spin it. it seems something might of come disconnected? It is suppose to rain all night and i need to leave for work at 2am, could anybody help me with some tips on what i could try?? i need to get this working by tonight, or drive in the pouring rain at night with no wiper. Anything i could try would help, thank you.

possibly wiper motor? pop the hood and it will be up on the firewall right where all the big wire harnesses run.. look for broken stuffff

Sounds like it's either something stripped or boken in the linkage. For a temporary fix you could put some RainX or some similar windshield treatment on so you could at least see where you are going. Aquapel is (not to start an argument) in my opinion the very best product. I often don't turn my wipers on, it's that good.

Good luck.

wood1 said:

Sounds like it's either something stripped or boken in the linkage. For a temporary fix you could put some RainX or some similar windshield treatment on so you could at least see where you are going. Aquapel is (not to start an argument) in my opinion the very best product. I often don't turn my wipers on, it's that good.

Good luck.

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i never thought that stuff would ever work??? kinda like my view on snake oils but your seroius its THAT goood?

just went out and checked it again. i cant see anything under the hood, but i can hear something that sounds like its scraping across the truck and broken underneath the plastic peice at the bottom of the windshield. i dont know anything about windshield wipers or how they are set up on this truck. any ideas that i could try based on that?

I'm not sure about the '98, my '91 linkage can only be accessed by removing the motor and reaching inside I think.

But to answer the other question, yes it is that good. The water beads and rolls off, if you use it in the winter, you really cut down on the amount of windshield washer fluid you will use. Amazing stuff...

blackout881 said:

just went out and checked it again. i cant see anything under the hood, but i can hear something that sounds like its scraping across the truck and broken underneath the plastic peice at the bottom of the windshield. i dont know anything about windshield wipers or how they are set up on this truck. any ideas that i could try based on that?

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98s have a single screw in the center of the cowl (plastic part where windsheild squirters are) once you have the wiper arms off (little tab you pull out, pull up on wiper arm) you pull up on the cowl thats held on by clips BE CAREFUL BECAUSE YOU CAN BREAK THE WINDSHEILD SQUIRTERS and that exposes all the wiper linkages - now would be a good time to paint the cowl as well

the top cowl is plastic, it comes off , just don't remember off hand how,, and than the arm can be reattatched,, ,

i got the cowl off and it looks like the linkage is disconnected. im not trying to be lazy but how do i connect it? any special tools, its just pouring outside, dark, im soaked and have a ****ty flashlight. i cant really see too much. ugh this is annoying.

If the ball-pivot just became disconnected, all you may need is a pair of pliers to snap the two pieces together but if the pivot is too worn and it won't stay together, you may have to get creative with some mechanics wire.

i cant get to where its disconnected! its disconnected right from the wiper part itself, and on the drivers side its about 6 inches or more under the metal. hands are too big to get in there, cant get the angle with pliers. so out of anger and frustration i gave up for the night before i break something. Wish it was the passengers side that came off, as its RIGHT there in the open to reconnect. oh well, i have no windshield wiper on that side hah it looks funny, hope its not raining too hard in the morning.

would it hurt to take a dremel and cut out that peice of metal so i can get to the linkage? this is pissing me off so much, on top of this stupid problem my girlfriends car **** to bed this morning and i have to go drive 15 miles each way to pick her up from work right now and its still pouring, i dont know what the hell to do. im going to crash. ahhhhhh

Here is a picture of the ball. Looks like thats my problem to me. I think im going to hit up a junkyard and try to grab this part instead of bring it to the dealer. If i cant find it at the junkyard, would anyone know where i could order the part? Or, and suggestions on fixing this one? i was thinking of taking some good epoxy i have ( the putty kind) and working it in there and sanding it and shaping it right, but it will just fail again shortly i believe if i do that.

Obviously a lack of grease caused it to fail.

went to the junkyard, they pulled the entire wiper transmission from a '97, just to find out it had already been replaced with the wrong one. They wanted 50 bucks for the whole thing. So i called the ford dealer, and i can buy just the drivers side half that i need for $24.50. Not too bad.

Blackout im sure you have donre the job already but if you open the hood the left and right pivots have access plates makes the job a bit easier ...also had the same problem same week good thing we didnt drive on the same roads in new york...

Fix

Used it tonight on my '02 ford Exp Sport, was about to tap drill the metal bit and use bolt nuts and washers then came across this @ Advanced & found the same on Amazon Dorman 49447 HELP! Wiper Linkage Bushing


WORTH EVERY FRIGGIN PENNY OF THE $5 extras included!! lol

Good luck guys!