Got my '68 F100 windshield wipers working with a paperclip and some heat shrink

My old Ford's wipers kept dying mid sweep, drove me nuts every time it rained. Took the wiper motor apart and found the copper contact strip had worn down by maybe 1/8 inch. Instead of buying a whole new motor for $150, I bent a paperclip into shape and wrapped it in heat shrink tubing to build up the contact point. Solder a little wire to it and bam, they've been working perfect for 3 months now. Did I totally ghetto rig it? Yeah probably, but it saved me a ton and the junkyard wanted just as much for a used one. Any of you guys ever fix a wiper motor with random junk from your toolbox?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellac973d ago

The heat shrink is smart for building up the contact, but bending a paperclip that thin might not hold up long term if the motor draws more current than it should. Paperclips are usually just steel wire with no real amp rating, so it could get hot and fail on you mid rainstorm. A better option would be to find a brass or copper shim stock from a hardware store, cut it to the right shape, and solder that in place instead. How thick was the wire you used to bridge the connection?

ryanf663d ago

That whole paperclip thing reminds me of how people use random stuff as fuses in old cars and then wonder why stuff catches fire lol. It's the same pattern everywhere, we just grab whatever metal is lying around and hope for the best.