Wiper Arm Removal.

[ice745]

I have 94 Camry LE.

I want to remove my wiper arms because the paint is coming off of them, and I want to repaint them before they rust. I read the service manual about removal, and it says "Remove the 2 nuts, remove 2 wiper arms", I removed the two nuts no problem, but the wiper arms don't want to be removed. I tried pulling by hand, claw hammer, screw driver, pliers, and my last resort was to give Magneto a call, but he can't seem to get them off either. I sprayed the bolt that they are on with silicone to try to lube it off, but that hasn't worked either. I'm out of ideas. Has anyone removed them before or knows how to actually get them off?

Thanks

[ice745]

It looks like I need to use a gear puller. I'll pick a cheap one up and see how I do.

[DFBonnett]

I used a battery terminal puller on the wife's '93. Backed off the retaining bolt a couple of turns, squeezed the jaws closed with my fingers while cranking down on the puller. Once it popped it came off easily.
FWIW
YMMV

[Mike Gerber]

DFbonnett beat me to it. I did the same thing, used a battery terminal puller on my 94. Incidently, I had my wiper arms powder coated. It's been about 4 years and they still look great.

Mike

[ice745]

Thanks :-D

Now I'm just wondering, how do you put them back on safely, to avoid damaging the shaft and the wiper link. Since they are so hard to get off, I'm sure they will be hard to put back on. Should I tap it on with a socket covering the shaft, or will tightening the bolt force them back on without stripping threads?

[DFBonnett]

Just slip them on and tighten the bolts to 14 ft/lbs.

[jdmccright]

Remember to mark where the wipers sit on the windshield before you remove them (use tape, grease pencil, etc). Then lift them up into service position and remove the nut. Then you can usually pull them off using a gentle rocking motion. Some arms will be stuck though, necessitating a puller. When reinstalling, make sure you clean the holes and the shafts of any lubricant you may have sprayed on there. I've seen a few armholes get split from being cranked down onto a greased pivot shaft. Realign the arm with the marks on the windshield and tighten down to the torque specified. Hope this helps!