wiper blade tension

[Jerold Geisenheimer]

One really silly question: how do you increase tension on windshiekd wiper blade on R29? The blade barely touches windshield. Thanks. Jerry Geisenheimer

 

[j&lgray]

On the Laurie Ann, an R-25, we had the same issue but the cause was not the tension on the wiper blade. Rather, it was a combination of salt and corrosion in the hinge mechanism and the tension spring needing some exercise. The fix is to put a touch of oil on the hinge and exercise the the tension spring by extending the blade out and away from the glass. Do this a bunch of times and the wiper arm will loosen up and spring back to press against the glass. The preventive tactic is to always flush the wiper arms with fresh water.

 

[bbrh842]

Option number two is, replace the aluminum wipers with stainless wipers from West Marine.

 

[Lobo]

Best idea is to apply "Rain-X" on your windows. I've used this stuff for a couple of years and over 3,500 miles and I just don't use my wipers at all. Never!! Wal-Mart or auto supply stores sell it. Heck of a lot cheaper than blade replacements. A small bottle will last close to a year.

Dave
"Lobo"

 

[bbrh842]

I agree with Lobo about the Rain-X. Works great. Get the original recipie in the yellow bottle. Don't get the stuff that is mixed with window cleaner.

 

[JerryE]

While the Rain-X is a good idea, your problem is with the tension from the wiper spring not being strong enough to overcome the corrosion in the hinge from exposure. John's post tells you how to fix it. I spray WD-40 into and around the hinge mechanism and then work it back and forth by hand as the hinge is fitted tight. Eventually, the light spring will start to pull it towards the glass.

BTW, WD-40 is interesting stuff. Its a fairly long lasting light mineral oil in the presence of a solvent and propellants. Wikipdedia has a kind of a cool article about it. It was first used to coat the skin of the Atlas missle to protect it from rust and corrosion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40. Rain-X is also interesting as it started its life in military applications. It is second only to Windex in brand awareness, more info on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain-X.

 

[RProffer]

WD-40 was outlawed by the Navy many years ago because it actually caused corrosion. That is what I was told anyway. When I retired from the Navy, we were starting to use Break-Free - amazing stuff. It is a cleaner, lubricator, and preserver. Many of our corrosion problems went away with Break-Free. It is like 3-in-1 Oil on steroids.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

WD-40 was developed in San Diego for the Navy to assist with drying out sensitive equipment ( both electrical and mechanical) that had become water soaked (especially with salt water)...the WD stands for Water Dispersant. It just happened to be fairly effective at many other tasks like removing sticky residue and freeing stuck things. While it can be used for tasks other than drying out a distributer, there are other more specialized products that are more effective as penetrants for rusted parts or removing/preventing rust...but they may be too corrosive or conductive for spraying on electrical components. WD won't cause corrosion, it won't prevent it either.
It is still sold to the Navy in large quantities for it's original purpose, not for a rust remover or inhibitor... although it will help in a pinch, it doesn't have the required film thickness or durability for a long term protective coating.

 

[RProffer]

In 1978, when I was medically retired from the Navy, we used a lot of WD-40. When I returned to the Navy in 1980, I found WD-40 had been outlawed in Naval Aviation, and we were starting to use Break-Free. IMHO, Break-Free is a far superior product. We used it on our hand guns, bomb racks, missile launchers, M61 guns, etc. where we usually had lots of corrosion problems at sea, and all our corrosion problems went away. It does not gum up like WD-40. I have seen it lift corrosion off an item, and then lay down a protective teflon coating. You can use it on door locks and padlocks and not worry about it gumming up and or freezing in the winter time like WD-40 will do. Squeaking hinges won't squeak and more. You can generally find it in the sporting goods section of your store around gun cleaning equipment. Lowes also carries it.

 

[scubabob]

Jerry E. Thanks for the WD-40 solution. It worked on my 2012 Cutwater 26. You saved me $65+ from buying a new pantograph armature.

 

[4umfreak]

Has anyone tried these add on springs?
I have a set kicking around but haven't tried them yet.

 

[rheimb1]

The best penetrating solution is a product called Aero Kroil or just Kroil. It’s expensive but it just takes a drop or two. A can should last 20 years. It is the best stuff for freeing up stuck rusted parts. You have to let it soak, even up to a week, but it always comes off. I’ve used it farming, fertilizer equipment, old motorcycles, my Model A and those packing nuts. But as far those windshield wiper blades. Work the heck out of them, and then when you think you’ve got it…work the heck out of them. And use RainX.