C Class wiper problem

[MarkyB-W202]

The V reg c220 cdi I've just bought has a problem with the way the screen is swept.
Instead of dipping down at the centre of the screen it just does a normal arc.
Some PO has fitted a shorter blade so it doesn't hit anywhere but the swept area too small.
Under the black cover at the base of the blade is awash with grease so I don't think that is the problem.
Having seen pictures of the back of the mechanism I can't work out where the up and down motion comes from.

Is this repairable?
If I have to replace the mechanism will any C Class be a suitable donor?
Thanks
Mark

 

[Dec]

Mark
See HERE on how to remove the black cover. The one pictured may look different from yours but the all work in much the same way.

As far as I know anything between 1994 and 2000 should fit yours but familiarize yourself with your own mechanism first before getting a replacement from a scrap yard.

Post #2 HERE will give you 3 solutions to the problem.
The original blade is 24 inches long. The can be got from Halfords.

See also HERE

Dec

 

[MarkyB-W202]

Thanks for the info, its exactly what I was looking for.
I thought I'd searched every Mercedes wiper thread on the internet

Still can't quite get my head round how the in-out action works but I'm sure it will be obvious once I get it apart.
I'll ask my mates in the engineering dept. about drilling and pinning the cog.They've got loads kit and like a challenge
Mark

 

[vijilants]

The V reg c220 cdi I've just bought has a problem with the way the screen is swept.
Instead of dipping down at the centre of the screen it just does a normal arc.
Some PO has fitted a shorter blade so it doesn't hit anywhere but the swept area too small.
Under the black cover at the base of the blade is awash with grease so I don't think that is the problem.
Having seen pictures of the back of the mechanism I can't work out where the up and down motion comes from.

Is this repairable?
If I have to replace the mechanism will any C Class be a suitable donor?
Thanks
Mark

Be careful if you are purchasing one from the breakers....I think there were modifications made along the way and i think there are differences.

Also if you want a wiper blade, try one of these. They are cheap and are the flatblade aero style that look good and also seem to perform a lot better than the OEM. I use one on my W202 and so far so good:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mercedes-C-Cl...ryZ45645QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Dec]

Before you start, be sure to turn on the wiper for a couple of sweeps of the (wet) windscreen, then turn off at the stalk so as to allow the motor to finish its cycle and park itself.

You will have to remove the mechanism and motor all in one piece from the car.

Remove Nut 1
Lever mechanism off shaft.
Pull off circlip washer (c shape washer)
Separate the “hub” section from the main part of the mechanism and watch out for 2 or 3 ? very thin washers on the shaft, note the order the come off, (for when you are reassembling), the are very difficult to see so be careful not to lose them.

You will now see, as in first picture in my previous link, the coged wheel, it is made of carbon fiber and easy to drill, the shaft however is quite hard, be careful not to break the bit halve way through.

When you are reassembling the “hub” section back into the main part of the mechanism, the sliding mechanism should be retracted (as in drawing). Be aware of the two alignment marks, as in pictures, if the are not aligned correctly, the wiper blade will not park exactly where it is supposed to and may cause the blade to hit the trim at the bottom of the windscreen.

To get your head round how the in-out action works, remove the cover completely and run the wipers on a wet windscreen. DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING while the wipers are turned on, wiper arm is very powerful.

Dec

 

[Neil Crook]

I had a similar problem with my 1993 190E last week and the repair is simple and in good MB fashion (for older models) the mechanism unscrewed into its component parts, surpprising given that they charge over 900gbp for the replacement mechanism. It looks like the problem is lubrication. In brief
1. Remove the wiper assembly, incl. motor from the car.
2. Undo the spindle nut on the rear of the arm hub. You may need some small pullers to prise off.
3. The hub cover is held on by four screws. Remove these and split the hub.
4. On the 190 the arm extension is driven off a cog driven crank. THe cog runs against a toothed semi circular ring attached to the motor side of the hub. Its this dismounting that writes the unit off.
5. The arm slides along two metal runners which look to be waxed on assembly. THis wax goes off and just needs regreasing. It is the friction on these runners that jams the cog.
6. Clean it up, regrease and reassemble. Make sure you put the rubber windscreen seal on the right way round if you get it wrong you have to split the hub again.
two hours, a couple of grams of grease vs a grand.

 

[MarkyB-W202]

Thanks to the great info from you guys I managed to sort this out over the weekend with some help from my BIL who has a pillar drill.
We used a solid pin in the end because none of the roll pins he had were long enough.
It made a good interference fit in the hole so I think it should be OK.
The wiper that is fitted is only 21 inches so I've ordered the aero blade from Ebay as suggested.
I made a movie of the mechanism in action but its too big to attach which is a shame as its a clever bit of engineering.

 

[Dec]

Good, glad you got it sorted, that movie would be well worth putting on U Tube, if you could manage it, you could put a link on here, it would be very useful, wouldn’t have a clue how to do that myself, I’m no good with that tec stuff.

Dec

 

[MarkyB-W202]

No sooner said than done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57e-Em8hOOw

The new wiper arrived today. I've fitted it and its luverly, nice and quiet, cleans really well.

Sorry about the quality of the video I wasn't really thinking about uploading it when I took it and would have gone for more of a close up if I had.
The hand that appears at the end is my brother in laws, I don't mind giving him a break into the movies as it was his pillar drill and pin we used for the fix

 

[ibrar]

Would you recommend changing to the flat aerostyle blade?

What are the reasons for changing to it?

 

[C43AMG]

I changed last year to aero wiper blade. It's far more efficient, as mentioned make sure you get the 24" if you are getting one.

 

[ibrar]

Okey dokey. Where would one buy it from?

 

[MarkyB-W202]

I went for the aero blade because they seem to combine form and function.
They are very slim and low profile so should reduce drag.
Also I believe the use memory metal so count as a bit of a gadget
I bought mine from the Ebay seller recommended in a previous post.
Seems well made and was a doddle to fit.