how to change wiper motor? 71 Suburban

[igrout]

Hello,

Looks like I'm going to be changing the wiper motor in my 71 GMC Suburban 2500, as the original is dead. How do you access the motor and remove it? Do you get at it from under the dash, or by removing the dash pad or cowl? Any advice? Thanks!

-Ian

[rsavage]

You have to take the wiper arms off and remove the cowl to disconnect the motor arm from the wiper transmission arms. You then remove the wiper motor from under the dash. Not bad with a non AC truck, but more challenging with an AC dash. Remember how the linkage is positioned and connected. Do not put the wipers back on the truck until you are sure that the wiper motor is in the park position. When you remove your wiper arms notice that there is a little clip that has to be held back so that the arms will pry up off the serrated trunion.

[igrout]

Thanks! I'm going to jump into it this week, it's a non-AC truck, so hopefully it won't be too bad, thanks again -Ian

[vectorit]

Be sure to prove out that the wiper arms under the cowl are not frozen, before you dig into the dash and remove the wiper motor.

Just disconnect them by un bolting them from the wiper motor, and then see if you can freely actuate the wiper pivots.

[igrout]

How many bolts hold down the cowl? I spotted the two under the hood, are there any other fasterners? Any trips to it, or just unbolt and lift it off?

[igrout]

Another thing I'd love to get some tips on is the truck has been repainted so there is a "paint seal" at the base of all the screws along the top of cowl. Any tips on how to get the screws off without cracking paint? Should I use an X-Acto knife to cut the paint around the base of the screw, or just unscrew and hope for the best Thanks! -Ian

[vectorit]

There are about 4 bolts on the top, and one in each door jam if I remember correctly.
Then there are philips head screws in the grill area, and those I like to replace with a rust proof screw.

As for the paint thing.
For me, there is no way around not making it look bad.
I would just go for it, then I would replace the bolts with a nice cad plated or stainless bolt with a larger washer to cover the paint issue.

When you are removing the wipers, I like to wrap them in a t-shirt with masking tape. Since they like to pop off and land on the hood, and if you have nice paint they could cause a chip.

[jbwolfe]

When I bought my 71 C/20, the wiper motor had been replaced, but had actually come un-bolted from under the dash, which in turn wrenched the wiper arm linkage apart. I was able to access the wiper motor by laying on my back under the drivers side dash. At the time I didn't have a radio in the truck, which gave me a much better view of the wiper motor.

While I had mine apart, I oiled all the wiper arm linkages which made things a lot quieter.

Good luck.