How to adjust rear wiper

[JDLCA]

Hey everyone,

This is a small issue but it's just been bugging me since I bought the Explorer back in January.

The rear wiper doesn't sit in it's seat properly when it's in its rest position, when I just want to open the glass it gets in the way and when I need to close the glass I have (god forbid ) hold down the wiper and then shut the glass.. I know it's not a biggie but it's just annoying. I was thinking there would be a cover where the wiper arm meets the body, I could life it up and unscrew a bolt and adjust, but it doesn't seem like the case with this wiper.

I'm hoping I don't have to take that panel off the tailgate but I don't see any other way to adjust it.. When I was looking at the setup at the junkyard, even with the cover off I didn't see a direct route to be bale to adjust it.. Am I just overlooking or is there a process to this??

 

[Anime]

You may want to to "adjust" the wiper arm itself, it may be that the previous owner bent the wiper arm and so it hits the bracket rather than resting in it. It may not even be bent, I had issues where the wiper arm wouldn't sit in the bracket, and I had to keep putting it in the bracket manually for a while, then one day it was fine and sat in the bracket normally ever since.

I don't think there's any kind of adjustment of the wiper arm position at the motor, unless perhaps a replacement motor was installed at the wrong angle, and that's what's keeping the wiper arm up and out of the bracket. If it won't go into the bracket or stay there on it's own without being held down, it might be a motor position issue, but you may find the motor is stock and mounted correctly, then it may be something internal, inside the motor, keeping the wiper arm from going farther clockwise to the rest position.

If the wiper motor works and it goes to the left without going to far, that's pretty good. I would say take it easy and check for a bent arm and try to keep nudging it into the bracket, hopefully whatever is binding or holding it will relent. You don't want to be too rough with it since a new rear wiper motor isn't cheap, nor are they fun to remove and install.

 

[cogs]

mine was bent in, at the middle of the arm. i carefully bent it out until it felt like it was where it was before. the end still hits the glass when i close it, but i haven't tried to stop that yet.

 

[Wolfie_85]

The only way I found to adjust without bending (if yours isn't currently bent) is to remove and reposition the arm. Now I can open and close my glass without it getting in the way!

 

[MAS Tequila]

Wolfie hit the nail on the head.

When I changed mine, it took a couple attempts to get it correct.

Just a spline off will keep it from being correct.

MT

 

[JDLCA]

Thanks for all the replies!

Going to try and remove the arm and maybe see if I can get it to seat right if it's not bent, doesn't look bent but who knows...

Thanks again everyone

 

[mezrein]

Wolfie hit the nail on the head.

When I changed mine, it took a couple attempts to get it correct.

Just a spline off will keep it from being correct.

MT

Do you know if its possible to replace the splined wheel? My wiper arm has this same issue, I readjust it all the time but after one or two swipes it skips off the correct spline and wont go back into the seat. Motor itself still works great, just think the splined wheel may be stripped a bit.

 

[Wolfie_85]

The easiest thing would be to replace the whole motor. Not hard. To remove the trim panel on the gate, remove clips and screws, and the pull-down strap (held in by two screws), slide the panel upward (toward top of liftgate), and it's off! Make sure to remove the wiper arm, if that wasn't obvious. The motor itself is held on by a bracket with two bolts. I got my replacement motor at a salvage yard for $15. New ones are a lot more.

And be careful not to crack the panel!