Wash and wipe

It's been a long road, but I think we are nearly there and the MOT is nearly attainable.

I have installed an electric screen wash kit - a great idea this - it comes in a freezer bag with all the bits you need and a sheet of clear instructions, goes together easily and all for under £20 from T2 Customs - so we now have a posh centre off switch which provides a healthy whir and a constant stream of water onto the screen.

So far as the wiper motor is concerned there is some progress - so a synopsis:

The motor has failed twice due to the drive shaft breaking the plastic gear.

The problem seems to be that the mechanism jams and then the motor carries on working, chewing the point of least resistance - a plastic cog in an otherwise metal drive chain.

The mechanism is not seized and there is noapparentt problem under the dash - nothing snags the mechanism.

I think that part of the problem is that the fuse was too high a rating (16 amp rather than 8 amp) and should have blown much earlier than it did, possibly preventing the damage. I have rectified this!

After much ado I now have a working motor/mechanism combination which isn't quite right, I need to align the crank arm tomorrow to match the park position.

It now seems likely to me that the problems are being caused by the wiper arms having no splines left in the cone, allowing them to rotate around the drive shaft and then come into contact with the screen rubbers - thus allowing further rotation on the shaft.

More on this soon!