Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

[AndrewKB]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

Rather than remove the wheel box, why not try to get the shaft moving with some penetrating oil. Leave it to soak overnight and then give it a good "waggle " with the wiper arm attached. I'd be surprised if it didn't free up and then you can get some grease in from below. Much easier than removing it and worth trying first.

Peter - I'd tried that and now, even with the wheel box off the car, it's still seized solid. I've no idea why this should have happened so suddenly. The car hasn't left the garage for over a year; one day the wipers were working and the next time I tried them they weren't.

[T_Branson]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

Hello Andrew
An examination of the Branson Marlin stable reveals that HSN has long shaft wheel boxes that can be easily removed and SRT (ex JJ Toulmin) has short shaft ones like yours. I have changed the screens on both cars and the taking the clamp off is a lot easier than getting the glass out of the frame so your screen should not move with the clamp off.
The goo to seal it all is Sikaflex 221. It goes everywhere so judicious use of masking tape is advisable.
Good luck

Tony

[dcunn]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

Tony - PM sent
Rgds DC

[AndrewKB]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

Hello Andrew
An examination of the Branson Marlin stable reveals that HSN has long shaft wheel boxes that can be easily removed and SRT (ex JJ Toulmin) has short shaft ones like yours. I have changed the screens on both cars and the taking the clamp off is a lot easier than getting the glass out of the frame so your screen should not move with the clamp off.
The goo to seal it all is Sikaflex 221. It goes everywhere so judicious use of masking tape is advisable.
Good luck

Tony

Tony. Many thanks. Sikaflex 221 is sold as an adhesive/sealant so ideal/essential for bonding the screen in place. As the screen has not moved since I've removed the base clamp, I'm minded to re-install the base clamp with either a silicone or a butyl rubber sealant (probably the latter). Then, if that doesn't work, it will at least be easier to remove the base clamp and start again. I'm also minded to put one large(ish) bead of sealant in the bottom of the clamp, fix everything back in place, then 'point' the visible clamp/glass gap with a second bead of sealant. This should, I hope, minimise the potential for mess ;-)

[AndrewKB]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

More advice please. I'm now ready to re-assemble everything, but thinking about lubrication, especially as this whole saga started because a wiper wheel box had seized. The Haynes Marina Manual says to grease the spiral rod with LM grease, but says nothing about the wheel box spindles. I've always relied on just a few drops of 3-in-1-type oil applied externally to the spindle, but should I be doing anything inside the wheel boxes before the internals become inaccessible again?

[T_Branson]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

Andrew. Someone told me, I'm not sure who that silicone sealer can react with the inner bit of a laminate windscreen and turn it cloudy. I have no idea if that is true but you might be better using butyl rubber sealant
Tony

[AndrewKB]

Re: Removing wiper wheel box - advice please!

OK, another related question ... the Marlin build manual says to use a silicone or nitrile rubber type sealant for fixing the windscreen, but most people on here say to use Sikaflex 221, which is a polyurethane sealant. Others have used silicone and say that it works OK, despite Tony's word of caution above. I have used a butyl rubber sealant but it seems to be taking a VERY long time to 'skin-over' and harden, so I'm thinking that I may have to clean-out the visible glass/clamp junction and re-point it using a sealant which hardens more quickly (at least within 24 hours). So ... could someone please confirm that Sikaflex 221 does harden within 24 hours (we'll ignore compatibility issues for now).