The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Bare wire touching wiper motor case

The OE 6v wiper motor in my '54 3100 runs, but the wire is cracked and bare where it enters the motor case. How can I repair the wire?

If I can repair the wire, what lube should I put in the transmission? The gear is nylon.

Thanks for your help,

- Lonnie

I've not had one of those apart but I'd think you just need to remove the two screws & split the case then replace the wire. A white lithium grease should work ok in the transmission. If someone has experience with this operation and I'm wrong please educate us both.

You may be able to get a piece of heat shrink to slide over the wire and into the motor. Keep shoving it in there until it stops. You can also put some flexible sleeving over the heat shrink to provide chafe protection. That is the kwikndirty way - best is to crack the motor apart but I think I would try kwik n dirty first and then hope.

Dan Bentler

Thanks guys.

The old fabric wire cover fills the opening on the case, so I can't stuff heat shrink into the hole. Are wires attached to each of these buttons on the case? If so, they prevent the case from being fully opened without damaging the motor. At least that's what I found when I tried to open my 6v heater motor.

I'm a novice at working on the innards of a motor. Not afraid to try, but I sure need your guidence!

Thanks,

- Lonnie

I honestly don't know Lonnie. It was put together so there about has to be a way to get it apart. Hopefully someone with a bit more experience will read the thread and chime in.

there'll only be the one wire, the other nubs on the case end are likely rivets holding something in that end, maybe the bushing plate and/or a cardboard insulator .... to replace the wire you have to loosen the 2 screws visible there which go all the way to the other end, probably threaded into the gear head, although you should open that first to see if there's nuts on that end, because the shaft will be hooked to something

the larger part of the case will probably want to come off the rotor, in which case the brushes [on that end] will pop loose, and they're not particularly easy to get back in place - can be disassembled with care, but yes, some of the small DC motors are a struggle to open because everything is tightly interwoven and sometimes the bearing on the spindle end is really tight

if you can slip some insulation on the wire as suggested it'll save deleting a few expletives and grinding yer teeth to nubs also there's "liquid electrical tape" that applied into the hole should do fine to prevent it shorting to the case

Bill

Lonnie,

Did you you remove the wiper from under the dash by unscrewing two screws that went through to top of the dash ( above the "E" and the "R" in CHEVROLET)?

The two 54/55 truck 6v wiper motors that I have seen have a black plastic-coated wire (plastic coated wires were used for most 54 wiring).

Can you post a photo of the other side of the motor; and/or, of the location on the case where the two control cables can be attached to the case?

Bill - Thanks for the heads up re: brushes. I'll try to insulate the wire without opening up the motor case. At least half of the copper strands are stress broken, I will need to secure the wire so that it doesn't bend and break more strands. Too close to the case to soldier a new wire.

Tim - Yes, I removed the two screws on the top of the dash. There is a second bracket under the dash that also secures the mechanism.

Click here to see more photos in my PhotoBucket album. Only one control cable on the wiper motor.

On closer inspection, what I thought was cloth covered wire at the hole in the case may be broken strands of wire. The cracked wire exiting the case is tan. Dunno if it originally had a black plastic covering.

Did you replace the black power lead in your wiper photos? Looks new.

- Lonnie

Lonnie,

Yes, it is quite possible that the lead was changed on both of my 6v 2-speed truck wipers. It is also possible that other parts were changed when it was rebuilt (by others).

Here are few other photos of where the two control cables attached to the units:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

One cable is for controller that mounts in the top/middle of the dash. The other cable is for the 1954 truck accessory foot-pedal operated windshield washer.

Here is one side of the unit.

Here is the other side of the unit.

The edge where the mounting grommet(s) go has been slightly bent.

Does your wiper mount out of the way of the original radio and it's top-of-case-mounted speaker?

There is no question that your part number, 5047765, is correct.

The part number on mine is 5047525.

I have not mounted mine - I cannot get up the courage to drill the holes in the dash.

Thanks for the additional photos.

Tim,

I understand your reluctance to drill your dash!

The wiper mechanism mounts close to the top of the dash. I don't have a 6v radio, but I'm sure that the wiper will clear it.

The mounting plate that attaches to the top of the dash is missing in your photos. The plate is black in this pic and this pic of my motor. The other tabs on the motor attach to a bracket that is welded under the dash ... maybe for the radio(?) Looks like your tabs are bent toward the arm side and mine are bent toward the switch side.

My motor has a stamped bracket for attaching the switch cable instead of the cast bracket on your motor. The cable is secured in a valley of the bracket with a washer and a speed nut. Although a there is a second hole for a screw and speed nut, I don't see where the washer cable would rest. Here are some closeups of my cable bracket:
Pic A
Pic B
Pic C
Pic D with speednut

"Zoom out" views of the closeups are in my Photobucket wiper album.

I really hope that I can get my motor working safely. I'll need a voltage dropping resistor since my truck has been converted to 12v.

Thanks for your help,

- Lonnie

I have good news and bad news about my wiper motor ...

The good news is that I insulated the frayed wire. I soldered the wire to strenghten the broken strands then surrounded the bare wire with three layers of heatshrink tubing.

The bad news is that old age and stress have taken their toll on the mechanism. I found a broken contact in the switch side of the motor. Here is the way it should be (the broken piece laying in position.) And I found a broken spring-lever in the transmission side.

I'll write a note on the motor so that the next owner doesn't run power to it. Then I'll reinstall, attach the wiper blades, and buy more Rain-X.

Thanks to all of you who gave me advice.

- Lonnie

My guess is that the broken parts are part of the "park mechanism" that makes sure that the wipers stop in the lowered position rather than just at random wherever they are when you turn the switch off. You might check with Jim Carter at www.oldchevytrucks.com He used to have a motor for sale. You may also call around electric motor rebuilders. Maybe that park mechanism isn't as irreplaceable as you think. I guess while they are at it, it might not be out of the question to have it converted to 12V.

Greg -

(Second time in just a few minutes that you have helped me!)

I'll probably buy a 12v aftermarket wiper machanism. It would be great to get the original 6v wipers working. I'll check with Jim Carter. Would also require a DC to DC voltage reducer for $75-$100.

For now, I'm just bolting it back together so I can show at the Daytona Spring car show this month.

Thanks again,

- Lonnie

The factor electric wipers has a dead give away with the bolt heads sticking thru the dash top. I don't think the aftermarket does. You may consider using the original bolts with nuts to hold them in place to both fill the holes, and also give the illusion of the rare optional electric wipers. I don't know what your radio plans are, but I think there are clearance issues between the aftermarket electric wipers and the factory radio. Good Luck with whatever you decide. I think a lot of people have benefitted from the pictures you have posted. I think they have answered many questions and raised others.

Thanks Greg -

I'll stir the pot with a little more info on factory electric wipers.

- Lonnie

Interesting info. I was studying the pictures throughout this thread and have the following questions. where does the extra black bracket bolt to? On the holes that you highlighted with arrows, do they by any chance line up with the commutator brushes? My thoughts were that they may have had something in them holding the brushes into a retracted position while the end bell was inserted onto the motor housing to be removed after it was all bolted together allowing the springs to push the brushes against the commutator. I would have to study the park mechanism to get a grasp on it. I saw in your article, a thermal switch which I would not have considered but it does make good sense. It looks like they use an internal resistor for speed control over some sort of transmission. I don't yet understand the pawl and gear mechanism. Maybe it is designed to give some sort of relief in case the wipers froze to the windshield. I really think that the spring loaded contact plate that you show broken and the other spring plate are not beyond being repaired/reproduced. Don't throw that thing away or give up on it yet.

Greg -

BLACK BRACKET: The black bracket holds the unit to the dash with two bolts through the top of the dash ... that you mentioned as a dead giveaway indicator of factory electric wipers. The two ears on the the motor/transmission housing bolt to the bracket under the dash that is used for vacuum wipers. A total of four bolts hold the motor and transmission to the dash.

BUTTONS: I didn't open the wiper motor case. However, I did open the case of my 6v heater motor just enough to look in. Wires were attached to each of the four dimples on the end of the motor. I don't about electric motors, but I got the impression that they were circuit wires. The 6v wiper motor, 6v heater motor, and 12v heater motor from a '60 Chevy each have four dimples.

WIPER ARTICLE: The wiper article was a few years after 1954. The '54 wiper may have been a little more primitave. It's interesting to see the mechanical switching circuits inside to park the wipers. There is a resistor attached to one leg of the two speed switch to produce the slower speed.

MY BROKEN PIECES: You betcha - I'm not gonna throw my wiper motor away! I'll keep my eye open for similar parts to use for repairs. My truck is not a daily driver. Driven in the rain only if I the weather man's forecast was wrong. So I can take my time looking for parts.

FWIW- I know this subject has been beaten around a lot, but I wish the truck had not been converted to 12v by a previous owner. My interest lies more in preservation, than in being a daily driver. I approach the preservation of our 100yr old house the with the same purpose.

I looked at the pics of your '54 in your album. The finned valve cover and dual carb manifold with two oil bath air cleaners is WAY COOL!

Thanks again for your interest in my wipers. Hope that I gave some insight.

- Lonnie

Lonnie

Send your 6V wiper motor to Bill Steinmetz in Lancaster OH. His telephone number is (740) 654-5448. He has just overhauled a 6V one, the same as the one in your pictures, for me and did a great job. I am sure that he will be able to advise you if the unit is fixable or not.

Walter

Walter -

That's great information. I have the motor mounted for now to attend some shows. I'll contact Bill when I remove it. The wiper motor is the last (I hope) major item to get working on the truck. I really want to retain the OE electric wipers. Thanks for your PM also.

- Lonnie