Windshield wipers don’t always malfunction in wipers. Sometimes, only one of them would stop working, while the other continues to work perfectly fine. Recently, I found that my car’s driver side windshield wiper not working.
As you can imagine, not having two functional wipers is a pretty big jam in these winter months. You would need your full wiping force to cope with blizzards and heavy snowfall. So, I decided to share what I did to bring my driver side windshield wiper back to life.
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How To Fix Driver Side Windshield Wiper Not Working?
When windshield wipers stop working, the wiper motor is one of the first places we look at. In this case, however, I was sure that the motor is working perfectly fine. Why is that? Because the passenger side windshield was working just fine.
Is It The Wiper Motor?
If it were the motor, both wipers would have stopped working or malfunctioned. A faulty wiper motor is impartial! It’ll make both your wipers miserable. So, we can write off the motor from the suspects’ list without hesitation.
Try Moving The Wipers With Your Hand
I grabbed the driver-side wiper and tried to move it with my arm, and I managed to do so effortlessly. If everything is alright, you will never be able to move the wiper freely across the windshield with your hand. It indicates that the wiper arm connection has been compromised. So, I needed to investigate accordingly.
Inspect The Wiper Arm Assembly
I decided to look at the wiper blade’s base, which is under the windshield cowl. There is a cap at the base of the blade, I wanted to undo that and take a look at the nut that sits underneath. I used a pick to undo the cap without damaging the cowl. The cap popped right out.
Is The Nut Loose?
Now, I checked whether or not the nut has loosened. If it did, just tightening it up could have solved the issue, but there was no easy way out for me! The nut seemed tight enough, so I decided to take off the entire wiper arm.
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Check The Grooves
You will see grooves in the wiper arm bracket. They have to match up to the groove in the regulator bolt. If the wiper arm grooves strip off, you will have to replace the wiper arm. If the regulator bolt grooves are stripped off, the windshield regulator needs to be replaced.
Remove The Cowl
You have to take off the windshield cowl to get to the windshield regulator. A handful of screws keep the cowl secured in place. You will usually find them along the corners. Some of them might even be within the grooves of the cowl. A quick, thorough inspection should give away the location of all screws.
Some of the screws could be located under the hood. After you are done checking above, pop up the hood and see if you can find any screws or push-up clips along the engine compartment. You will have to undo the washer fluid hose before taking off the cowl.
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Check The Driver Side Wiper Transmission
After removing the cowl, the full wiper arm regulator should be within your view. You will see the wiper transmissions connecting the wiper arm to the wiper motor. I found the driver-side transmission disconnected.
Repair The Transmission Or Replace It
I tried to put back the transmission into the socket by pressing it in. But, I noticed that it’s not having a tight fit. That means it would have come off again after a while. So, I decided to change the wiper arm regulator assembly. After I got the new transmission and socket, the wiper started to work just fine.
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Why Did My Driver Side Windshield Wiper Stop Working?
Your driver-side windshield wiper might have stopped working because the wiper arm grooves or the wiper arm regulator bolt grooves have stripped off. The wiper transmission linkage to the driver-side windshield wiper must also have been compromised.
How Do You Fix A Windshield Wiper That Won’t Move?
To fix an irresponsive windshield wiper, first, make sure that it’s properly connected to the windshield regulator. Also, make sure that the wiper transmission linkage is working properly.
Does Each Windshield Wiper Have A Fuse?
No, there is only one fuse to regulate the current flow between the wiper motor and the wiper switch. This fuse works for both wipers. If the fuse blows out, both wipers will stop working. If one is functional, the fuse should be okay.
Final Opinion
If your driver-side windshield wiper is not working, I suggest determining the cause of the issue first. This may require inspecting the wiper and checking for obstructions, corrosion, or damage. If nothing is found, then you should consider replacing the wiper blades, as they may be worn out.
If this does not rectify the issue, consider replacing the wiper motor or the larger wiper mechanism. I was not so fortunate, and I had to purchase a new wiring harness to get my driver-side windshield wiper in working order. With a thorough inspection, you can avoid replacing an entire wiring system to get your windshield wiper working again.
