The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Wiper Motors: Vacuum or Electric

Do vacuum wiper motors ever work? Mine doesn't have enough mmmph to completely turn the wipers. I'd like to be a purist and keep a vacuum motor in the truck, but I'm tempted to replace it with an electric motor. AmericanClassic.com sells a refurbished vacuum motor, and even a vacuum motor repair kit if I'm adventurous enough to try and fix my own. Are vacuum wiper motors just a bad idea or is the root cause of lack of power due to my carberator? Any ideas/input on this one?

Several years ago I had a '48 Chevy pickup. The wipers were almost worthless. I blamed it on being vacuum wipers. One day I was watching an old 1940's movie. The actors were driving along in the rain in a 1940's Chevy car. Their wipers were working just fine. It gave me an idea. I found me a NOS wiper motor and it worked great. Maybe not as good as electric, but I could drive in the rain with no problems. I hope this will help you with your decision.

I still have the vacuum type in my 54. The electric works well and is consistent in motion were the vacuum type may slow down during acceleration. Mine was slow and I took it apart a couple of times to lube it prior to getting a state inspect so it would work. If you can get a repair kit and it is reasonable I would try it. I searched but couldn't find one. I eventually got a reconditioned motor from Jim Carter (www.oldchevytrucks.com) and it works great. With the new motor I did find out that I needed tighter arm springs when the blade shot across the garage. But taking it apart is a bit of a trick without the right tool. Get an old screwdriver and cut the tip off and then use a dremel tool or other small grinding blade to cut a slot in the end of the screwdriver shaft so that it fits over the top of those screw heads. Once opened there is not much to the inside, just watch the spring and rocker arm under the side plate so you don't lose them. Take it apart over a big white towel, preferably one that you wife won't miss. You may get lucky and all you need to do is clean or change the sponge filter in the unit.

Good Luck, have fun and don't rush it. Mine has been a 25-year project so far.

yes, well worth gettin vacuum motors rebuilt if you wanna stay w/ them - might check at the wiperman\'s for their price - they can work fine if you're not pullin hills alla time

Bill

Any truth to the old wives tale that you should lube them with brake fluid to preserve the rubber?

I had a 50 Plymouth that had those...they would go slower and slower as I accelerated, then speed up like crazy when I let off the throttle to shift gears.

doesn't brake fluid eat rubber? the only lube I've ever heard of usin is vaseline or white lithium grease, but just a thin skim

Bill

just had mine refurbised by flicken wiper service and they work fine now. i did put a new fuel pump with a vacumn pump so i have no slow down. ron

I wouldn't use any petroleum based product to lube up rubber. I use Crisco.

Rebuild your vacuum motor make sure all the joints in your wiper system are not binding add a vacuum accumalator can. The vacuum cans can be found on mid 80's land yatchs in range of sizes. Do this and your vacuum wipers won't suck.

Hi Scout,

Electric vs. vacuum wipers depends on how much rain, how hilly the terrain is, and how often you have to drive in the rain.

If are a purist, go vacuum and there is no discussion, so don't waste time reading the rest of this.

However, if you want to drive in the rain and also be able to see out, go electric.

I had quite a number of different stovebolt 6's when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA (rain + hills)and hated every them. (The wipers, not the stovebolts 'cause I was/am a Chevy Man).

Those were the early days when electric wipers were either unavailable or too expensive for me to convert. (Student + wife + 2 kids = Poverty)

So, when you went up a hill with the throttle floored (Hi gear & you didn't want to shift down to 2nd), the wipers would stop totally and you would have to let up the throttle for a second to get 1 wipe so you could sort of see again.

On the last stovebolt equipped with vacuum wipers I owned in that era, I replaced the wiper motor with a new one and changed the fuel pump to one with vacuum assist and re-plumbed the vacuum system to eliminate all leaks.

Total performance dissapointment, however, I have to admit that, THEN the wipers would crawl along instead of stopping altogether when the throttle was floored. Going up a hill, they still didn't operate fast enough to do any good, and I still had to lift the throttle up to get 1 wipe to see. They moved so slow that you couldn't tell which side of the blade was just wiped. (Also, the worst part was trying to justify the conversion expense to the afore mentioned poverty stricken wife.)

Therefore, my conclusion is;

1. (Vacuum wipers + rain + hills) = Can't see out the windshield (No Joy)
2. (Vacuum wipers + vacuum assist fuel pump + rain + hills) = Still can't see out the windshield, (Worse than No Joy 'cause you spent extra money).
3. (Electic wipers + rain) = See out the winshield (Joy)

My 2 cents

52 Ted

None of you people have heard of RainX? I drove my '56 sixty miles home in the rain yesterday. I only used the wipers when stopped at a light or stop sign. While moving the rain beads up and rolls right off. Amazing stuff.

Nothing wrong with vacuum wipers if they're in good shape. Usually send mine to Ficken in New York or Clean Sweep in Oregon. $65 to $75 and they work great. American Motors used vacuum wipers way up into the 70's maybe 80's and people didn't even realize they weren't electric. One thing that will affect these wipers is if you do away with the original gearing and go to highway gears in the rearend or an overdrive transmission, then the engine is under a pull more and vacuum will drop compared to the original deep geared free revving factory setup. American Motors combatted this by using a dual diaphram fuel pump where one side pumps fuel and the other vaccum so being under pull has little effect. This type pump used to be available for most engines.