The weekend we receive over two inches of rain is of course the weekend where my windshield wipers decided to die. It didn't happen during the snow fall or during the mini-heat wave in March. No, but during the heavy downpours when I'm out of groceries. Just my luck. The motor crapped out.

I got in the car with the intention of buying some waffles. I was craving waffles. But when I pressed the stalk on the steering column towards the windshield, nothing happened. I immediately knew what failed, too. For months, the windshield wiper motor had been acting up, making some odd groans and getting slower with every use. I had been driving the car less and less as I now bike (or carpool) to work five days a week. The only place I ever drive is to the store. I haven't had to use the wipers much to be honest. And since I had the wipers apart for adjustment a while back, I took on the project after the weather changed.

I spent an hour or so removing the motor from beneath the windshield, being careful not to tap the edge of the glass. If you remember, this is what caused the second windshield replacement in the car's restoration. Once out, what I found was what I expected.

The motor was gunked up with rust, dirt, crud, grime, grit, and slop. It spun still, but undoubtedly not as smoothly as it should have. I took some sandpaper to the magnets, and removed as much debris as I could. The motor needs to spin with as little friction as possible.

I even greased up the worm gear to ensure the best performance.

And the cap was also mucked up with rust and grime. Pieces of the magnet had chipped off and become free-floating death pebbles even.

After cleaning it up, I used some transmission gear oil to lubricate the centre of the mechanism. The bearings felt smooth and had no grooves or wear points that I could see. I slapped it all back together and reattached it to the car.

After the cleaning, the wipers worked pretty well. They don't seem to have as 'fast' of a motion as I think they should. Perhaps it's just my imagination, but I remember the wipers being faster than they are on the high setting. The motor is 24 years old at this point so expecting it to perform up to par is a long shot. But at least now, when I press UP on the stalk, the wipers turn on and move smoothly, and quietly, up the window.