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Better defrost, wipers?

dhcomp

dhcomp

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Hey All,

Driving my suburban in the rain/weather sucks. The wipers blades are new, but the wipers are so slow and small they really suck. Also, front/rear windows fog up bad. Front defrost doesn't work very well, rear barely at all. I'm guessing the fact that my A/C doesnt' work is hindering the front defrost though.

Has anyone upgraded anything to help with this? Is there a better wiper motor that will bolt in?


Thanks!
 
While the engine is cold the lack of AC is going to hurt defrost. When the motor is warmed up though, it doesn't matter as much...is defrost bad when the motor is warm too?

When you select the appropriate setting on the heater controls, does air ONLY come out the correct vents, or not?

You can get longer wiper blades, just have to make sure they don't hit the gasket on the windshield. Slow, something else is going on. Your system voltage good when all this is going on? (it will affect defrost and wiper speed if system voltage is low)
 
Defrost sucks all the time. When defrost is on, is air only supposed to come out of the top of the dash vents? I think its kinda leaking out more places that that. Where is the module that controls the air exit location?

Slow wipers are in comparison to a 94 chevy, nothing exotic. System voltage is fine all the time, healthy charging system with additional grounds to the frame/body. Are the wiper connections suspect at this point? Where does this motor ground out?
 
The wiper motor is self grounding at one of the mounting points via a metal strap to one of the mounting pads. Pull the motor off, clean up the mounting surfaces ,i.e scrape the paint/rust off, and stick some dielectric grease on there, and it "should" cure the slow wipers.
 
I'm not an AC expert...defrost on yours I believe is controlled via vacuum. There is a rotary piece on the back of the heater control head, which moves the vacuum source to each line to change the blend door position, which diverts the airflow.

The other issue is decayed foam seals on the blend doors, but that's not likely to cause a MAJOR problem. It will cause air "leaks" out other vents, but nothing like a blend door in the wrong position. Theoretically, the volume of air coming out the defrost vents should be exactly the same as what comes out of the heater position on the floor (when set there on the control head), assuming AC can be set to do floor heat only. I don't believe GM set defrost up to come out anywhere but the windshield on this vintage of vehicle. I know it doesn't on non-AC vehicles, but non-AC vehicles don't use vacuum to change the air divert doors, thankfully. :)
 
Old wiper motors do wear out, I've had to change them out on most of the trucks I've owned. Make sure you take the wiper linkages apart and clean them right up, you'd be amazed how junked up / stiff the links can get in there.
 
breifly, where do they come apart? I've done the newer style with the removable cowl, but not the older style. About as difficult?

EDIT:

hm, if they wear out, and this body has 208K+ on it, maybe i should replace before i head up to the snow this weekend.

The reman unit from kragen is $62........and for the amount i drive it, probably not worth upgrading to the more $$$ brand.
 
These trucks really have good defrosters when things are working right. The location of the wipers right over the defroster vents is also ideal for keeping the ice off. What is the problem you're having - air not hot? Not enough air? Air not blowing from the right location? Because they each have seperate solutions.

EDIT: ah, you're in CA, so your problem is with wet weather, not snow and ice. Yes, a working A/C is the key to clearing the windows.
 
The linkages are in the same place as the newer trucks, just gotta undo the link at the wiper pump, then loosen the bolts that hold the wiper arm connectors on and slide it out through the side.

I like to clean them up with brake fluid till all the old grease / dirt is gone, then re-install them using a VERY thin layer of sprayed on white lithium grease on re-assembly. Too much grease attracts dirt / dust and clogs them right back up again.

After cleaning them up & greasing them combined with a new wiper pump makes for a nice quick and quiet wiper system.
 
This is a little off the subject, but I've always wanted to put in an electric heater to warm/defrost the vehicle while the engine warms up. Just use the electric heat until the engine is warm enought to provide real heat. I've heard they are in newer vehicles, but hadn't really researched it. Anyone ever seen something like that?
 
Ok, didn't realize the wiper cowl is removable like the newer ones are.

Replaced the motor, the new one seems to only ground through the wiring harness though. Lubed the linkages, everything seems to be a little better now.

We'll give it a try this weekend, and see how it works. Thanks guys!
 
I will have a review up on my site later today that might help you. Rain-x makes some fine products that can help you with the fogging of windows. There is a 12v cigarette plug in defroster sold that will also work. My truck had a 110 heater setup from North Dakota State patrol to keep windows clear and clean.

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield_Treatment/Original.aspx

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Windshield_Treatment/Anti-Fog.aspx

http://www.rainx.com/Products/Wiper_Blades/Latitude.aspx

Here is what the 12 volt defroster looks like.
6000b.jpg

Check with Pep boys Autozombies NAPA or any other Big car store. I paid around $22.00 for the ex wifes one at Murray's
 
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