For years now, I've had difficulties wiping my rear.
Of course, my girlfriend is able to wipe up-front, but I've never been able to wipe my rear. In my Jimmy, when I try to wipe my rear, I always hear a grinding sound.
Finally, I found a rear-wiper motor on EBAY for 20 BUCKS! Woohoo! Darn good price! Now, when my backside is dirty ... I'll be able to wash and wipe!
Here's how to replace your rear-wiper motor. It's not a difficult thing to do but perhaps this will give the less-then-mechanically-inclined person the knowledge and confidence that it's possible to do by themselves.
Here's the EBAY motor that will go in:
Here's the 97 Jimmy:
Here's the gaping rear:
Here's the tools you'll need. Phillips screwdriver, 4mm hex, 10mm and 13mm sockets or nutdrivers, 10mm wrench, large pliers:
STEP 1: Open the glass-hatch and remove this Phillips screw ...
STEP 2: Open the whole rear-hatch. Lift the inside hatch-handle. Remove the screw that is up in there. It is a torx, but my 4mm hex key worked perfectly.
STEP 3: with the whole rear-hatch open, remove trim. After removing the screw and bolt from STEP 1 and 2, the trim is only held in place by "friction clips" (sorry I don't know the technical name). Just tug on the plastic trim and it'll just pop right out. Be careful not to force anything too much. Work your way gently around the whole trim. I started here ...
Once the trim is out, it's a good opportunity to clean with soap and water.
STEP 4: remove these two Phillips screws. This will give you room to slide the motor out. Trust me, this makes it easier. Even though I didn't, this would be a good time to disconnect your negative battery cable just to be safe.
STEP 5: remove this electrical clip. Just this one, not both.
STEP 6: Now there are two 10mm bolts to remove. The first one is easy.
Here's how I go to the second one with the 10mm wrench. The rear-hatch is up. Takes some patience though ...
STEP 7: Now pull the rear-hatch down and remove this rubber boot with your fingers ...
STEP 8: simply pull on the rubber washer line to remove ...
It's a good idea here to double-check your plastic washer line. Trace it back as far as you can and make sure you don't find any wet leaks. In the past, mine had disconnected under the trim and was squirting fluid in between the trim and the body. The plastic line is in sections and had come apart. The line is taught and tolerances are tight but I managed to re-connect.
STEP 9: Remove the 13mm nut and the whole wiper. Then use pliers to remove the large plastic nut. Use your fingers and pry out the rubber pieces. Take note of how they go togther and their orientation.
STEP 10: The rear-wiper motor should now slide right out.
STEP 11: installation is the reverse of removal. To re-install the plastic trim, I'd recommend raising the rear-hatch and beginning pushing close to the latch. Simply push it into place. It will click when it catches. Work your way around slowly. Don't forget to replace the screw and bolt from STEP 1 and 2!
Watch that these wires are routed around the trim ...
STEP 12: SMILE AS YOU WASH-AND-WIPE YOUR REAR!
Other thread titles for this post include:
*Finally, I can wipe ...
*It's been difficult to wipe lately ...
*Trouble wiping
*20 bucks to wipe!
*wiping my backside ...