Removing wiper arms

[notsofast]

I've had a go at trying to remove the wiper arms (so I could remove the plastic scuttle underneath and check the whole area is draining properly), but have had no joy - they show no signs of budging one iota. The Haynes manual says that "the wiper arms are a very tight fit on their spindles and it is likely that a puller will be needed to remove them safely and without damage" - but what is a "puller" and are they easy to buy and operate?

[oilyrag]

You can access & remove the N/S plastic trim with the wipers in place. A small 2 jaw puller, or even a 3 jaw will pull the wiper from the spindle. This was about the cheapest I could see - a bit rough and ready, but adequate. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323818247861?...Swzz9c609y

To use it place the two 'hooks' behind the wiper base, having slackened the nut a couple of turns. The centre pin of the puller sits on the end of the spindle and when you wind the puller bolt the arm is drawn off from its splines. Once it is on the move the puller can be removed and the wiper nut taken off, followed by some wriggling - easier with the wiper flexed fully back. It may take more than one go to get the wipers back to their correct park position.

[notsofast]

Thanks. I wondered if the N/S trim would come out without wiper removal - I'll give it a go.  Is there much difference in effectiveness between 2- and 3-jaw pullers?  I'm guessing it's straightforward how they operate?

[oilyrag]

They operate in the same way, but the three jaw needs more room and I wondered whether there'd be enough space for all 3 jaws as the arm itself gets in the way. They all work in the same way. I'll have a look in the morning to see if a 3 jaw will fit, but I know a 2 jaw one does.

[geoff]

I've never needed a puller for this job usually they come off with a bit of waggling about.

More stubborn ones can be helped with a squirt of release oil and some gentle tapping before more waggling.

Emphasis on gentle !

If needed and with a helper to apply some constant pulling force give the slackened shaft a tap with a hammer, hit the nut and not the shaft of course !

[Guanock]

Hi

Before you remove wiper, mark the screen position with masking tape or similar. It will be much easier to replace in same position.

Geoff

[Tomcat3]

I use one of these for stubborn wiper arms https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384081918513?...OSw~Hpfql9~
Sometimes on big fittings you have to hold it on the spindle as it wants to slide off but it has worked every time.

[oilyrag]

I use one of these for stubborn wiper arms https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384081918513?...OSw~Hpfql9~
Sometimes on big fittings you have to hold it on the spindle as it wants to slide off but it has worked every time.

When I saw 'Arm Removal Tool' I thought it might be something to do with the Taliban 

[notsofast]

To use it place the two 'hooks' behind the wiper base, having slackened the nut a couple of turns. The centre pin of the puller sits on the end of the spindle and when you wind the puller bolt the arm is drawn off from its splines. Once it is on the move the puller can be removed and the wiper nut taken off...

If needed and with a helper to apply some constant pulling force give the slackened shaft a tap with a hammer, hit the nut and not the shaft of course !

I'm wondering if there's an extra spindle nut that I hadn't removed? Haynes says, "remove the wiper arm spindle nut cover then slacken and remove the spindle nut", but I could only see one thing to remove on top of the arm - a nut. Where is the spindle nut cover? Unfortunately Haynes has no pics of this operation.

[notsofast]

Before you remove wiper, mark the screen position with masking tape or similar. It will be much easier to replace in same position.

Yes it mentions this in the Haynes manual. It also says there is "an alignment mark provided on the windscreen", though it was dirty and I couldn't see one (though the dirt had also left a nice tidemark around the wiperblade, so its position was marked by that!).