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Windshield wiper thunk, thunk, thunk...

5 messages,  Last post on Apr 04, 2010 at 10:14 AM

You are in the Lexus LS 400/LS 430 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus LS 400, Lexus LS 430, Auto Body, Sedan

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#1 of 5 Windshield wiper thunk, thunk, thunk... by wwest

Mar 30, 2010 (7:39 pm)

'95 LS400 w/240,000 miles. Heavy rainfall on the way back from Portland yesterday with the wipers FULL ON and going THUNK..THUNK...THUNK......
 
3 hour drive....Irritating to say the least.
 
Driver side wiper linkage arm was striking the passenger side wiper arm just before travel reversal from the bottom/park position.
 
Solved some of the slop by removing the bronze bushings from the wiper motor gear reduction output shaft and reversed their position and rotated each 90 degrees.
 
Still have some slop in the two linkage arm's nylon ball/socket retainers and cannot find a replacement source for those. Two type of ball-retainer sockets.
 
Anyone know of a source..??

#2 of 5 Re: Windshield wiper thunk, thunk, thunk... [wwest] by vcheng

Mar 31, 2010 (5:05 am)

Replying to: wwest (Mar 30, 2010 7:39 pm)
I'd suggest looking for an auto recycling yard for the parts such as TAP recycling. (Their website is http://www.fresno-taprecycling.com/ ). Failing that, I'd be willing to consider parts from another Toyota of a similar time period since it is likely the sockets might be interchangeable. Good Luck.
 
PS: Their present Lexus LS inventory is at : http://www.fresno-taprecycling.com/inv-lexus/lexus_ls.html

#3 of 5 Re: Windshield wiper thunk, thunk, thunk... [vcheng] by wwest

Apr 01, 2010 (7:19 pm)

Replying to: vcheng (Mar 31, 2010 5:05 am)
Recycled parts might very well have the same wear pattern that's causing my problem.

#4 of 5 That was strange.. by wwest

Apr 03, 2010 (9:10 am)

After spending many hours over several days I happened to notice a strange, apparently purposeless aspect of the passenger side wiper arm. Very early on I concluded that the clunk/think sound was the result of the driver's side wiper arm striking the passenger side wiper arm. In a heavy rain, typical to the area, high speed operational inertia would carry it beyond the "park" position.
 
Spent much of the time trying to tighten up the slop in bushings and bearings to prevent teh over travel.
 
In the process of trying to position both wiper arms for least interference possibility I noticed that the passenger side arm had a strange indentation, design, just exactly where the driver's side arm was striking it. On a guess to the purpose, intended purpose, of the indentation I took a hacksaw and cut a section out of the passenger side wiper arm that exactly matched the otherwise needless indentation.
 
Viola...!!
 
It worked.
 
My guess is that someone screwed up a CAD file design aspect somewhere along the way.

#5 of 5 Re: That was strange.. [wwest] by vcheng

Apr 04, 2010 (10:14 am)

Replying to: wwest (Apr 03, 2010 9:10 am)
At least, your problem is fixed without any major monetary expense. That's great.

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