Hey all,

Ever since I bought my 84 T/A, I'd have a problem with the Windshield wipers not cleaning the center of the blade area when they're on. I've tried different blades, and even different wiper arms. It gets really annoying because I always have this dirty streak of dirt/water where the blades didn't clean right in front of my face. If it was an edge it wouldn't matter so much but it's right in front of me.

Is there an adustment or something else I can look at to make the arms push down in the center of the blade area more?

 

try new wiper blades and buy the good ones... not the cheap ones made in china
and don't use blade refills... buy new blades with the new brackets.

You can try to bend or straighten the wiper arms. The windshield is relatively "flat" so it may be the blades you are using are "bowed" and the arms arm not applying enough pressure to flatten the blade.

you can adjust the arm by just bending it towards the windshield. hard to explain by typing... but the arm should pivot from where it attaches to the cowl, so pivot it and then bend the arm towards the windshield... not to aggressive.. the arm is spring steel so it will not take much pressure to help contour it back into shape.

 

Yeah I have the same problem. Cheap blades. Thought it might even be the windshield being cracked/warped since it was the original windshield, but then I had the glass replaced and the blades did the same thing. Going to try some Bosch or something next.

 

I tried two sets of new blades. One bosh and one RainX and still the same problem. So I'm down $50 and it's still broke. GRRR! It's got to the the wiper arm or the geometry of it or something along those lines.

 

Hey! What happened with this?

 

I got the drivers side to clear with a new blade. However, the passenger side is another story.

I pulled the entire wiper arm free, re-seated it and put it back on. Worked well enough for about 3 weeks, and then started not cleaning the center of the window again.

So far I've tried 17" blade (1 inch shorter), the standard 18 inch bladed, and have reseated the arm on the pivot, all to no avail. Really kind of unhappy right now and not sure where to turn, unless the spring in the arm needs to be tightened some how. Maybe I got a bad wiper arm when I originally replaced it?

 

Complete other side of the coin here!!
Driver side has so much tension // pressure that I get rubber streaks on the ends!! :-(
Pass side is good.

 

Ozz, I've had this problem before and it was the tension, or lack of it. Dirt and corrosion at the hinging point of the arm. Try a little lube there and working the hinge back and forth. Possibly bending the flat part of the arm towards the windshield a little as formula88 suggested.

 

I'll give it a try, kind of at the end of what I know might work to fix it.

 

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, But I am having the EXACT same issue: My passenger side wiper does not make contact in the center, only on the edges, and I can't bend the arm in any way that makes a difference. Does anybody have a specific wiper blade they use to remedy this?

 

I had the very same problem and ended up curing it with a new set of wiper arms and blades . The springs in my original wiper arms didn't feel all that weak to me , till I felt the tension of the new arms , Wow what a difference . This was some time ago when "Genuine AC Delco" parts were still somewhat better than the crap that comes with the AC Delco branding today , so I have no suggestion to offer on which brand name to choose .

 

I always clean the outside on my windshield with Bon Ami, when I install new blades. Prepares the glass and cleans it well. Do NOT use any other brand of scouring powder!

 

I suppose it's possible the springs lose tension over time - can just the springs be replaced instead of a whole new arm?

 

I used to have this problem on my non-third gen. Switching to a one piece plastic beam type wiper instead of those janky old style multipiece wipers fixed it.

 

I hope you don't plan on using those one-piece blades on anything you intend to drive in winter. I know Joplin gets a little snow now and then, but you'll be searching for some of those "janky old" blades if you get caught in any real winter weather, as long as they are not the plastic variety.

 

I've not yet had a problem. First time I tried that style of blade was putting them on my winter beater when I lived in VT. YMMV

 

Hey! I'm one of the posters from the original thread. I ended up replacing both arms and blades and it's been perfect since. I didn't go all fancy with it or anything. Cant recall the brand but I usually just go middle grade for all car parts. The springs in the original arms had just become weak. Swap those out.

 

Every car I've had since 2010 has has beam style blades and they've always far exceeded the performance of anything I've had previously.

Why do you consider beam blades bad for Winter? I have had no issues on 3 difference cars. I've found they wipe cleaner than the older styles arms.

 

I actually did end up replacing the blade with a traditional style blade and it worked a LITTLE better, but per what everybody else is saying, I'm gonna need to replace the arms eventually since the tension isn't there. I think those beam blades just have such a strong curvature to them that if the tension is already weak, the arm can't overcome the natural resistance of the blade's curve, whereas older type blades typically just lay flat anyway.

 

I would next check the wiper motor and gear assembly. If the assembly is loose or worn it may cause the wiper arm geometry or tension to change.