wipers stop in upright position

I have a 2000 regal and the wipers stop in a upright postion. They work fine but stop in a upright position.
It snowed the other night and I think snow got under the wipers. How do I correct this problem?

hello if the problem started after the snow its possible wipers were froozen to windshield.when they went to move it bent the wiper linkage.if the problem was there before the snow then it sounds like they were misaligned.ck linkage for being bent.if all is ok take wipers off,turn wipers on/off so they are in park position,install wipers so they are down where they are supossed to be good luck hope this helps

The problem started after there was snow.How do I fix the linkage?

A common problem with the wipers stopping straight up not at the park position is a metal tab at the wiper motor assembly that gets bent out of shape due to the weight of the snow. Acts as part of a wiper park sensor. It should be a 90 degree or square form. You'll have to remove the wipers and the plastic trim to get at it.

A common problem with the wipers stopping straight up not at the park position is a metal tab at the wiper motor assembly that gets bent out of shape due to the weight of the snow. Acts as part of a wiper park sensor. It should be a 90 degree or square form. You'll have to remove the wipers and the plastic trim to get at it.

Do you have any pictures so I know what I am looking for?

sorry no picks but if you open hood look up at firewall there will be a cover between wipers.remove cover(usually plastic with 6 screws & push clips)then you will see linkage ck for being bent good luck
BTW wiper arms have a nut holding them. remove & carefully wiggle (DONT PRY ON WSHIELD!!

Next time, use your scraper and brush to clear the windshield, NOT the wipers.

Raise the hood. Remove the wiper arms. If the plastic cowl trim is assembled in two pieces (some models are) you will only have to remove the left (driver side) wiper arm. Remove the rubber cowl seal, then the screws and/or push pin fasteners holding the cowl cover. Remove the cowl trim/cover. You should then be able to see the wiper motor cover:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperMotorCover.jpg

Remove the push pin fastener holding the cover, then remove the cover. This should reveal the wiper motor, linkage, and plastic wiper stop cam cover:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperCamCover.jpg

Lift off the black plastic stop cam cover to reveal the stop mechanism and cam. You will probably see the metal stop tab in a condition similar to that pointed out by the arrow:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperStopTabRevealed.jpg

Closer inspection should reveal something like this (the blue piece is the stop tab):

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperStopTabBent.jpg

Using chain nosed pliers (most people errantly call them "needle-nosed", but true needle nosed pliers are actually quite different) straighten the stop tab so that it is perpendicular to the wiper cam:

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperStopTabStraight.jpg

Make sure the area is clear of obstructions, turn on the ignition, and operate the wiper motor and allow it to park while observing the mechanism. Once the wiper motor reverses to park the wipers, you'll see the action of the cam and stop tab. If you bent the tab too far, it will probably clear itself when the motor begins to run. If the motor parks and stops correctly, apply some lubricant (white lithium grease) to the cam and mechanism and test them again.

http://mysite.verizon.net/strey/files/WiperCamGreased.jpg

Install the plastic cover, and reassemble the motor cover, cowl cover, and wiper arm. Remember to install the rubber cowl seal.

Lastly, find your ice scraper and snow brush, or acquire new ones. Instruct all the drivers of the vehicle to use them, or start saving your money for parts. The tab can be bent and straightened two or three times before it finally breaks off, which will involve a lot more repair work.

Does this apply to pontiac grand prix also? Or is it different? Original message states it's for 2000 regal.

Yes! They are identical in their operation and components.

Thanks, just got done fixing it. Was an easy fix! And spent $0!!!

is this repair something that is easy to do? i don't have any experience repairing anything on my car. bulb replacements, wipers, etc. not sure how easy it will be to screw something up.

Yes it is an easy fix. Just look at the pictures in the post and then remove the cowling at the base of the windshield to reach the wiper motor area. Bend the tab back into place and replace what you removed. The hardest thing will be to get the wiper blade arm on the driver's side.

that's good to know.

will there be any adjustments that i need to make considering i have a 98 regal?

No! The same procedure will work on your car! They are the same design.

BTW wiper arms have a nut holding them. remove & carefully wiggle (DONT PRY ON WSHIELD!!

tried to take advantage of the warmer temperature yesterday, and tackle this wiper problem, but i didn't get too far. got the little black cap that covers the nut for the wipers. got the nuts off, and tried wiggling the wipers off, but was unsuccessful. i didn't want to wiggle with too much force. had no luck. however, it almost looked like there was not enough room to pull the wipers off. like part of the actual wiper arm metal was too snug against the threading, and was preventing me from getting it off. i took a pic with my camera phone, and will try to upload shortly. anyway, having had no luck, i put the wipers back into the down position, and screwed the nuts back on. now, the wipers are in the right position, but, when i try to turn them on, they start to move, but then stop. any ideas as to what's happening?

i also tried spraying wd40 on the nut threads, thinking the wiper arm was rusted on but, that didn't help either.

i also tried spraying wd40 on the nut threads, thinking the wiper arm was rusted on but, that didn't help either.

Try some PB Blaster. After the nut is removed the wiper arm will pull off. There is nothing else holding them on except in your case possible rust or corrosion.

okay, i'll give it a shot. if not, should i just throw in the towel and head to the dealer? or do you think that i'd be better off at a firestone/car-x/etc?

any idea why it is that i can't get the wipers to work at all now?

The shafts that the wiper arms attached to are tapered. To remove the arm, you need to lift the wiper off the windshield to relieve the spring tension, then gently rock and lift the arm straight up to get it off the shaft. You may even have to gently pry them up using something between the pry bar/screwdriver and the cowl/windshield pry against (protecting the windshield and plastic cowl from damage). To fix the parking up issue, you cannot just remove the arms and manually move them down the windshield. This will throw off the wiper timing and make them jam up.

thanks for the info guys! saved my sanity and my wallet...took about 10 minutes to fix...

I have an 04 Impala and I have the same wiper problem. I while ago, my wife had it looked at. They mentioned this problem with a "bent tab" and said that their fix was temporary. They said that if it happened again, we would have to replace the entire wiper motor... ?
I haven't actually looked at it yet, and this is my first time on this forum, but what if the tab is not just bent, but actually snapped off - could that be replaced?
I'm not sure why the wiper motor would need to be replaced when they actually work fine, they just don't park correctly.

My tab is so bent I can not do anything with it. Is there some kind of cover I can put on that will work?

hey EJ the tab they bent catches the parking mech.if they work ok they should be fine.when you keep bending tab back into place that causes the tab to brake off.THEN YOU NEED TO REPLACE hope this makes cence.Good LUCK

do you mean that
1. if that tab is broken off, you can replace the tab
or
2. if that tab is broken off, then I need to replace the whole motor

thanks a lot for your help!!!

EJ200, If the tab is broken off, you will have to replace the wiper motor bracket it's attached to (GM#12368639 for your 04 Impala) .

Thanks for the photos! You made it so easy to repair with them. EXCELLENT!:smokin:






Next time, use your scraper and brush to clear the windshield, NOT the wipers.

Raise the hood. Remove the wiper arms. If the plastic cowl trim is assembled in two pieces (some models are) you will only have to remove the left (driver side) wiper arm. Remove the rubber cowl seal, then the screws and/or push pin fasteners holding the cowl cover. Remove the cowl trim/cover. You should then be able to see the wiper motor cover:

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperMotorCover.jpg

Remove the push pin fastener holding the cover, then remove the cover. This should reveal the wiper motor, linkage, and plastic wiper stop cam cover:

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperCamCover.jpg

Lift off the black plastic stop cam cover to reveal the stop mechanism and cam. You will probably see the metal stop tab in a condition similar to that pointed out by the arrow:

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperStopTabRevealed.jpg

Closer inspection should reveal something like this (the blue piece is the stop tab):

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperStopTabBent.jpg

Using chain nosed pliers (most people errantly call them "needle-nosed", but true needle nosed pliers are actually quite different) straighten the stop tab so that it is perpendicular to the wiper cam:

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperStopTabStraight.jpg

Make sure the area is clear of obstructions, turn on the ignition,and operate the wiper motor and allow it to park while observing the mechanism. Once the wiper motor reverses to park the wipers, you'll see the action of the cam and stop tab. If you bent the tab too far, it will probably clear itself when the motor begins to run. If the motor parks and stops correctly, apply some lubricant (white lithium grease) to the cam and mechanism and test them again.

http://72.19.213.157/files/WiperCamGreased.jpg

Install the plastic cover, and reassemble the motor cover, cowl cover, and wiper arm. Remember to install the rubber cowl seal.

Lastly, find your ice scraper and snow brush, or acquire new ones. Instruct all the drivers of the vehicle to use them, or start saving your money for parts. The tab can be bent and straightened two or three times before it finally breaks off, which will involve a lot more repair work.

EJ200, If the tab is broken off, you will have to replace the wiper motor bracket it's attached to (GM#12368639 for your 04 Impala) .


How do I replace the wiper motor bracket?

For the poster that could not get the Wiper arm off the car

I bought a tool from Princess Auto here in Ontario Canada (not sure if this chain is in the States) it is made by Power Fist I think.

anyways very easy tool to use (see picture) of course take the nut off the arm first (I did not because I was just taking a picture of how it is done)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f245/oshawalogo/various/WiperArmRemovalTool.jpg

The tool only costs about $10.00 and you just turn the knob until it pops off the arm from the shaft (like a pully puller) otherwise I have also done it by using waterpump pliers, one jaw under the arm the other on top of the post.

as far as that tab, it looks like it is flimsy and would just bend out of shape again later, I would suggest putting a brace on it either by welding or using JB Weld and a piece of metal

so that it looks something like this
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f245/oshawalogo/various/WiperStopTabStraight1b.jpg

My daughter may be buying a 97 Grand Prix from her Uncle and it has this problem too, so I am glad I found this thread and will be able to fix it :)

VERY GOOD FIX!! GOLD STAR FOR AN EXCELLENT POST!! Entire fix took about 15 minutes. Thank you!

I just repaired my 02'GT coupe. I manually swung the drivers side wiper cam for clearance and then straightened the tab with large visegrips. Now they work great. Would like to see pictures of reinforcements that have been mentioned elsewhere.