GTS windshield wiper

The wiper on my GTS has never worked well. I thought maybe the motor was weak, and since it had a NAPA part number on it, I replaced it. While testing it out, the new (rebuilt) motor totally quit working, and troubleshooting it indicates that the armature brushes were not making good contact. I put the old motor back in because it still runs, but testing it with the windshield wetted down shows that it just doesn't seem to have enough torque to operate the wiper reliably.

My son races the car, and he does not think we need a wiper - that we should just use Rain-X on the windshield and that air movement will keep it clean enough on the outside. Once last year, he had to come in off the track due to fog on the inside of the windshield. I have mounted two Atwood turbo 3000 bilge blowers on the dash above the steering column to operate as a defroster, but haven't had a chance to see if that works well yet.

It sure looks to me like the small wiper motor in the GTS is just not capable of enough torque to reliably operate the big wiper blade that is on there. Does anyone feel that you need a wiper, and if yes, does yours work like it should?

I also have a single blower motor on the inside to clear the fog. It works great and I have tested it a couple of times. The wiper scratches the lexan so I try to use rain-x and limit the wiper use to only when I need it. So it was off and on during the races......the motor that I have is plenty strong....

the factory Panoz wiper motor is an old pinto wiper motor and a rear window motor off the ford mini van.....here are my notes for it....

Windshield wiper motor – F78Z*17V508*ABRM $67.47 with a $30 core return…I was told this is a old pinto part number and a windstar rear window wiper. That comes as a big assembly and costs $200 so don’t let them sell you that. It is sold as a motor only. I had to cut the old connector off and reuse it on the new motor. I also had to drill out and tap 2 cast aluminum sleeves on the housing. It was easy.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like we have the same motor, because I had to change the connector and tap the holes in the housing. NAPA says their part number (49-239) is for a 95-98 Windstar. I will check out your part number with my Ford dealer to see if I can buy a new motor, since NAPA only has rebuilt ones.

Any idea whether the wiper arm is from the same vehicle or not? Mine has been off and on so many times, and it has slipped a couple of times when I didn't put it on tight when I was just trying to test the motor, that the internal serrations in the arm are pretty much worn off.

I agree that minimal use of the wiper is a good idea, particularly since I just installed a new Lexan windshield. But it would be nice to have it operational for extreme situations.

One thing that I have been thinking about, is to disconnect the full-time power wire from the wiper motor, so it won't automatically park on the driver's side. In my testing, it did not park reliably in the same spot, and I'm thinking it might be better to let the driver manually park it by turning the switch off when it is on the other side of the windshield. Exact stopping position won't be so important on that side. This might also prevent motor burnout, or battery rundown, if someone turns the switch on and off with the windshield dry and the motor stalls when its trying to park.

My motor operates the wiper fine. You might want to exchange the NAPA one for a properly rebuilt one. If you use Rainx, it will greatly ease the friction on the blade as it sweeps. It will also reduce, but not prevent the streaking on the Lexan from the blade operation. Good idea to minimize wiper use. The dual blowers on the inside should work great. Only one is often used. Do a good job of sealing the windshield to the frame with silicone and seal the firewall seams and holes. A lot of water comes in through the windows and seems to get on the inside of the windshield and the engine heat creates steam that likes to collect there as mist. Can't reach it with your hands when strapped in, guess how I know! The inside wiper won't be useful with braces for the Lexan so the blowers are really the best option. Can't comment on the parking idea as mine seems to do fine. Many take off the wiper system completely and use the Rainx only. You might be able to pick up a motor from one of the other guys on this forum.

Thanks Brian for the specific part info, added to Tribal Wisdom.

Mike

The F78Z part number is a good Ford part number. Ford no longer provides it, but my local Ford dealer referred me to a dealer who had one in stock. Ordered it over the phone ($77 plus $30 core). When I received it, it came in an unopened Motorcraft box, but the motor was obviously used. Looked on the box and it was marked as a Motorcraft remanufactured part. The back cover on the gearbox is stamped Bosch, while the NAPA rebuilt unit was no-name. Installed the motor, and it does not seem to be any stronger than the original NAPA unit, but I did not have the engine running, so the battery voltage would be a little lower than when running. I did leave the full-time 12 volt wire disconnected, so that it doesn't try to park when you flip the swtitch off. I think this will be useful to let the driver park it on the right side of the windshield, out of the way. We will be running the car this weekend at a NASA event in Indiana, and rain is likely in the forecast, so we will probably get to try out the wiper and the defogger fans. Thanks for the replies.