sd1 wipers

[bones]

Hi all, well anyone whos had a rover sd1 will know the wipers are rubbish, they are really slow. Is there away off getting the wiper motor to go quicker as they did when new?? all advice welcome rich

[Redliner]

Apparently putting 1" shorter blades on makes a world of difference to the struggling motor
Never tried it on mine.

[DaveEFI]

Hi all, well anyone whos had a rover sd1 will know the wipers are rubbish, they are really slow. Is there away off getting the wiper motor to go quicker as they did when new?? all advice welcome rich

Voltage drop in the delay unit, switch and the various plugs won't help on a 25 year old car. Cleaning the relay contacts inside the delay unit makes the biggest difference.

[bones]

thanks for he replies. i will give them a clean up and see how it goes, rich

[ramon alban]

Further to Redliner and Dave's suggestions, there are some other issues. The SD1 wiper bearings (as designed and fitted) are attrocious, eventually seizing completely. Since Rimmers imported new (sic) units from India, replacement has been a cheap solution but thats not all. Even the India stock are woefully under-lubricated and still suffer the original water entry design flaw.

Wise-up and Grease-up your New Windscreen Wiper Mechanism

# Purchased a new RH drive Windscreen Wiper Mechanism and Motor from Rimmer’s ex-India stock yet? If so, carry out some preventative maintenance before fitting.

# Most owners get around to it sooner or later as many mechanisms gave up the ghost or are grim with internal corrosion. I had several attempts at improvement on various cars and corrosionwas legion.

# No wonder? Inspected a new one to find all the bearings devoid of lubricant. Not a trace! If that's how Rover received them from the manufacturer, no surprise the original mechanisms wore out so badly.

# Pop off the C-Clips holding the pantograph mechanism together and slip the shafts out of their bearings. Pull off the rubber mounts and their inner steel sleeves. Coat all components and bearings liberally with quality general purpose grease and re-assemble.

# Remove gearbox cover, add a good blob of grease to the worm drive/gear wheel and spread around the innards.

# Take the nut and actuating arm off the drive shaft and mark the position of the main gear wheel to avoid losing the self parking position before sliding it out. Grease liberally behind, including self-parking mechanism.

# The gear grease already there hardly touches the working parts and if that's how they were originally fitted, longevity and smooth operation over the lifetime of the car was a remote possibility.

# When refitting, liberally apply copper grease under the Chromed Fixing Nut to dissuade water entry into the main wiper-shaft bearings. Wipe off excess.

# With a new/recon mechanism fitted, wiper juddering is minimised and the whole kit’n’kaboodle will run and last much longer than the original.

more here: http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pag ... per01.html

Then there is the condition of the wiper blades, wash facility and windscreen, to which several ideas can be applied.

For the Best Ever Clean Windscreen

# Use VAG wash fluid P/N G052164M2 specially formulated for fan spray jets.

# Blow crud from tired/dirty washer jets with compressed air.

# Use a spare SD1 washer nozzle fixed into the blanked hole on the N/S scuttle. Tee off extra feed tube for Twin Windscreen wash facilty.

# Use 16" Wiper Blades on front screen to reduce blade friction by 11%.

# Wrap extension feed tube around top radiator hose for Hot-Wash.

To reduce/eliminate juddering and smears:

# T-cut the screen - ie a really good polish - followed by:

# Use vinegar after the T-cut to clean screen and wipe the rubber blades.

# Clean all connectors and earth strap in windscreen wiper electrical circuit including the wiper delay unit and local earth.

# Remove Wiper Assembly, clean all moving parts, reassemble with fresh grease.

more here: http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pag ... een01.html

[bones]

Thanks Ramon, that explains everything another job to be done. thanks again rich

[Ian Anderson]

Hi

Another way to stop smearing on your windscreen

Slice a potato in half and run the cut end on the screen - when dirty remove a slither and continue to rub over the screen.
Rinse off with water


Sounds crazy but I guarantee it works and is really cheap way to get better vision.

Ian

[kiwicar]

Hi Ian
same trick works for demisting the inside of a motorcycle visor.
Mike

[DaveEFI]

Hi

Another way to stop smearing on your windscreen

Slice a potato in half and run the cut end on the screen - when dirty remove a slither and continue to rub over the screen.
Rinse off with water


Sounds crazy but I guarantee it works and is really cheap way to get better vision.

Ian

Tried this with some roasties left over from Sunday lunch and the screen is all smeary now.

[Ian Anderson]

Hi

Another way to stop smearing on your windscreen

Slice a potato in half and run the cut end on the screen - when dirty remove a slither and continue to rub over the screen.
Rinse off with water


Sounds crazy but I guarantee it works and is really cheap way to get better vision.

Ian

Tried this with some roasties left over from Sunday lunch and the screen is all smeary now.