Windshield wipers

[Ranana_Zess]

Anyone know what would cause windshield wipers to "stutter" before they go all the way back down? The wipers on my girlfriends car, when you shut them off, go down then up/down/up a few inches then go all the way down. Any ideas what would cause this?

I believe they also dont go all the way up either...not quite sure.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Is this only while driving or at rest as well?

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

I've seen cars where they have a lower park position than the area they sweep while working...

[GasSavers_BEEF]

mine have a lower "rest" position as mentioned.

when they are wiping they move up about an inch or so and they wipe. they don't come all the way down when on. once I cut them completely off, they stop at the higher position, hesitate for a second or so, then settle back down in the lower position.

I don't know if this is what you (RZ) are experiencing but that is a regular thing on my car.

[Jay2TheRescue]

A lot of GM cars did that back then. My Buick has the hidden wipers, my 1980 Pontiac did, and my 74 Chevy did. My 86 Chevy and my 98 GMC do not. I think GM was doing it more for aesthetic reasons than aerodynamic. To hide the "ugly" wipers.

-Jay

[bobc455]

Originally Posted by Ranana_Zess

Anyone know what would cause windshield wipers to "stutter" before they go all the way back down? The wipers on my girlfriends car, when you shut them off, go down then up/down/up a few inches then go all the way down. Any ideas what would cause this?

I believe they also dont go all the way up either...not quite sure.

I assume you aren't talking about "recessed" wipers.

Frequently a stuttering wiper is caused by age & usage- over time, some of the things that hold the wiper in place (arms, linkages, etc.) begin to wear (by only microns), and these extra gaps will allow the wiper to stutter during movement. On my 40-year old Buick, this happens too much but new wiper assemblies aren't available from the dealer...

-Bob C.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Ranana_Zess

The wipers on my girlfriends car, when you shut them off, go down then up/down/up a few inches then go all the way down.

What kind of car is it?

I hate the way wipers are programmed to operate way too intelligently for their own good. So many have complicated startup/parking sequences like that (I also hate when printers do the same sort of thing), squirters that don't squirt until after the wiper has already smeared and scratched the glass and then the wiper continues smearing for 10 strokes after you quit squirting, wipers that come back for one last swipe 30 seconds after you've turned them off, etc.

Some day I'm going to put together my own wiper control system and fit it to every vehicle I own.

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

A lot of GM cars did that back then. My Buick has the hidden wipers, my 1980 Pontiac did, and my 74 Chevy did. My 86 Chevy and my 98 GMC do not. I think GM was doing it more for aesthetic reasons than aerodynamic. To hide the "ugly" wipers.

-Jay

yea our 86 celebrity did this. would raise an inch or two then go normal wipers then when u turned em off they went back down kinda lol. i say kinda cuz the blades hid but the arm and pivot point was way up there where you could see it very easily

[GasSavers_Shrek]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

A lot of GM cars did that back then. My Buick has the hidden wipers, my 1980 Pontiac did, and my 74 Chevy did. My 86 Chevy and my 98 GMC do not. I think GM was doing it more for aesthetic reasons than aerodynamic. To hide the "ugly" wipers.

-Jay

I know my dad's 04 Impala's were hidden in the hood

[theholycow]

I got an idea for wipers. What about just lowering their parking position?

After getting my windshield replaced (hooray!), my drivers side wiper was a little too high. I adjusted it down but didn't tighten the wiper arm nut enough and it crept up. So last night in blowing wet snow I hurriedly did it again, and in my haste I put it way too low.

Now my drivers side wiper is almost like it's hidden. I doubt it will ever have a measurable effect on fuel economy, but it's free, it doesn't attract attention, and I like having less of it in my view. The only downside is that its stroke ends that much earlier, so in snow I now have 3 inches of snow bunching up at the edge instead of 2.