[BillNephew]

I've been driving this Spirit for almost 2 years, and the last time it rained, I discovered that my windshield wipers were dead. No change in position on the steering column switch did anything. I determined that the motor itself for the wipers was at fault and bought a new one to replace it. The first 2 days with the new motor, the wipers ran just fine, until they inexplicably went dead on the 3rd day with the new motor. I've cleaned all the gunk out of the connector with Deox-It and everything bolted in just fine. What should I look for to fix this issue?

 

[B10alia]

The ground would be my first bet. They really like to get flaky, especially being so exposed. That's the little clip with the wire going to it that goes under the head of one of the motor bolts. I would run 12V from a battery charger or equivalent across the motor terminals to see if it runs. If it does, and I think it will, the wires are your issue. Start with that ground, make sure it's tight, clean, and has dielectric grease on it.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Agree. The wiper motor ground went bad an many of these because the motor is isolated by rubber to the body. It was riveted to the case on one end and under a rubber grommet on the other. I have added my own body ground wire for a back-up ground connection.

 

[BillNephew]

Thanks for the help! I followed @ImperialCrown's suggestion and made a ground connection using ring terminals and an insulated wire from a screw on the gear box of the motor to one of the chassis bolts. It worked like a charm! Next up on this tank of a daily driver is the A/C conversion to R134a, which I'll do in due time.

 

[B10alia]

Be careful with that conversion, it's probably more in-depth than you think.

 

[BillNephew]

How would I go about doing it? I know that the R12 has to be flushed out first to be able to do anything. Would it be best to take it to a local shop to have them flush it out so I don't have to deal with that detail?

 

[B10alia]

Not only does the R12 have to be flushed, you need to pull a vacuum on the system to get all the moisture out. I also would change the filter drier.

 

[BillNephew]

I was planning on changing the accumulator anyways to make the system as fresh as possible for the new charge of R134a after I flush the system and pull a vacuum on it before recharging it.

 

[B10alia]

There are a number of articles out there, and a number of threads on this forum if you need help. Good luck!

 

[BillNephew]

Well, with the help of my state certified friend, I got my a/c blowing cold air again! The compressor was dry except for some very small amount we heard when rotating the clutch when it was out. The compressor was one hell of a hard part to remove, especially with the awkward angles I had to come in at to get the bolts to budge. I ended up having to use a small hammer on the end of my socket ratchet. It took us about 8 hours to get everything done, the compressor's removal the most time consuming part.