Rear wash wipe

[dom_crompo]

My rear wiper runs but really slowly and sometimes doesn't have enough power to return to the park position, is it the motor or is it more likely to be that the linkage needs to be lubricated, I have had it a apart once and thought I'd fixed it .??

[CovKid]

Like you, we couldn't say unless we took it out and checked. The motors do go eventually. I removed mine completely and have never missed it. Much easier just to treat rear glass with rain-x occasionally - unless you go offroading where it might be worth having but the glass is so vertical, not much muck stays on it. After much thought I've concluded that its probably wiser to fit a rear wiper mech from something more cheaply and readily available as they seem to have moved into the abyss that is "not many around mate - £50?" - bit like dash clocks.

[dom_crompo]

Thanks for that its back to the workshop and the spanners then.

[CovKid]

This subject came up a while ago and I too spent some time (unsuccessfully) trying to find a new motor but I think most agree on here that the rear wiper was really a selling point for VW (or at least a way to describe a model as 'luxury') when in reality it doesn't serve a great deal of purpose because of the angle of the glass. If you have no joy sorting it. A short bolt and large rubber and metal washers will seal the hole ok. Certainly give rain-x a try as I find nothing sticks with a coating of that and as I say, I genuinely haven't missed my rear wiper.

That said, this could be a useful thread, particularly if someone finds a rear wiper from another vehicle that is easier/cheaper to obtain as I'm fairly sure thats the way to progress this one. There is a chance that a motor from another VW vehicle of the time may be an exact match but I never actually found one so it may be unique to that mechanism and as there aren't that many with rear wipers, they're likely to be in the 'hens teeth' bracket.

[tonytech]

Worth looking at the electrics too.
Run wires from the battery direct to the motor and see what hapens?
The wires run through the tailgate and can break where they flex, obviously a broken wire wont work at all, but damaged ones will restrict the current flow.

T

[bigfish]

my rear wiper was really slow and on the last occasion that i attempted to use it, it failed to move at all. then a few days later on the next trip i took in the van, after about 10 miles the back of the van filled with a foul smelling smoke, so i jumped out popped the tailgate to check if it was in the engine bay, maybe wiring on the block, coil??? no, the smoke was billowing out of the small slots in the bottom of the tailgate as the motor was burning out. i had to rip off the interior cover and disconnect the wire to the motor as it just carried on producing the smoke.. so back to the main point, if you press the rear wiper and nothing happens, double check that it has completed it's full cycle and not still activated and wanting to run the motor..

i agree that i haven't missed it since disconnecting it and won't be replacing it at £50ish.

[wasserleaker]

mine too ran very slowly, eventually burning out the motor, only solution is to dismantle the pivot mechanism, remove circlips etc, noting the order it came apart in, and clean up/regrease all parts and reassemble until it pivots freely again, finding a replacement motor is a bit more of a problem if you don't catch it early enough! despite what others say, i do miss having mine, as the rear window on something as 'aerodynamic' as a cardboard box does collect a lot of road spray and crap in winter weather!

[CovKid]

You do get some muck on rear screen when its slushy etc but in general the whole vehicle needs a regular clean anyway if the roads are throwing up that much muck and they're being salted - unless the rear wipe is a substitute for washing the van - in which case I'd agree

[wasserleaker]

yep a trip thru the carwash is a bit of a waste of time in this weather! 10 mins later the van is filthy again.

[NickyNine]

Apologies - I'm not new to the club. Forgot my old username so have registered again.

Thought I'd reply as bizarrely the same thing happened to my van yesterday! First run out of the season just me and my young un and this evil electrical burning smell arrived. Eventually found it pouring out of the tailgate. Ripped off the panel and insulation and the motor had nearly melted. The smoke took ages to stop and it took 40 mins to cool down.

Why didn't the fuse blow - its a 20A as it is shared with the Eberspacher I believe. The wiper is stuck mid position and I suspect the motor turned itself into a heater. Surely this shouldn't happen. No thermal cut out.

The smoke has permeated through the van. Bugger replacing the motor. How am I gonna get rid of the stench of smoke from my lovely van.

Vehicle electrics - never under estimate the potential for danger.