Wiper wheel box nightmare

[Jed_Sanders]

Chaps,

I have finally managed to get the old girl breathing again. It was a combination of HT leads, Rotor Arm, Ign switch, Spark plugs and a dead fuel pump!
So after giving her a clean for MoT I discovered the wiper doesn't move!
Mine is an 85' Excel, I checked the motor behind the glove box and it seems to be fine, It works and turns with no nasty noises but doesn't seem to be attached to the wheel box, the spindle looks to be stuck solid.
I hope someone here can tell me that the wheel box removal doesn't require the entire dash to be removed.
I cant even see it from the glove-box panel and cannot get to it from the foot wells due to the heater matrix.

I've looked at a few posts on here but they seem to differ from my 85'.

Any help greatly appreciated, it is so frustrating that after 6 months she is purring like a lion but cant go anywhere till the wiper is sorted.

[AndyC]

Thankfully I did't have to do anything with the wipe gearbox on my 84 but did on my SE.
I'd think that if you remove the metal plate that hold the switches and vents you'd be able to get a better view and then either access that route or access by arm up from football / steering column area and view from switch area.
5aking the speed etc plate out may also help if you need to get to the tube between the gearbox and motor.

Andy

[bash]

Its an easy job, the wiper spindle siezes up but if you drift the collar off it can be cleaned and lubricated. If you turn the wheel 180 degrees it takes some slop out as well.
Undo the screws that holds the wood in to the intrument binnacle.
Undo the centre piece of wood too to get at the screws for the left hand bank of switches. Undo the 4 screws for the metal instrument mounts.
get under the bonnet take hold of the speedo cable and push it into the bulkhead taking all of the slack out of the cable, you can then get your hand to the rear of the intruments and unscrew the speedo cable from the rear of the speedo.
The whole intrument panel will then lift out, its on a multiplug if you feel the need but there is enough cable to rest it on the top of the dash.
Take off the wiper blade by undoing the nut and undo the spindle nut allowing it to drop behind the dash.
Look thro the hole where the intruments were and you will see the wiper motor. remove the multiplug and undo the offside nut on the mount and bend the mount slightly towards you and remove the wiper assembly. It takes me about half an hour to get to this stage so its not a difficult job. The rack is short version of a classic mini one cut by wire cutters, the brushes for the motor are from the same source. Putting it back is an easy job but threading the spindle back behind the dash can be slightly frustrating, but in reality the whole job is a piece of p...

[Jed_Sanders]

Thanks Bash and Andy for the input.

I've been trying your suggestions, but I'm not sure my old 85' has quite the same build design.
My wiper motor is located behind the glove box, it also appears that the dash is one solid piece, from door-to-door, including the center console.
I have added some pics for clarity:


The black face to the switch panel seems to be glued in place:


I think its going to have to be a 'dash out' job, I might as well now I'm at this stage:

I'm not looking forward to that!

Wo- Pics are a little large.

[AndyC]

That black metal panel comes out, and when my memory returns I'll recall how. I think it's a couple of small nuts accessed via the vent appertures and then slotted tabs at the top so that it just slides down and out.

[Jed_Sanders]

Thanks, the vents remove by accessing the top retaining clip, through the dimmer dial hole, then remove the radio to access the bottom retainer clip and slide out. The switch panel is secured by 2 x wing-nuts beside the vents:


However the blower and heater matrix seem to block access to the wiper spindle:


If nothing else, hopefully these pics will be useful to someone someday.

[garyexcel]

Hi Jed
I many years ago had an elite with the same problem similar dash, in mid winter with snow on the ground tried everything to get to the wheelbox in the end called lotus to ask the price for the job they quoted £6.00 for the wheelbox and £800.00 fitting they said the word was lotus hung the wheelbox from the factory roof and built the car around it for proper access you needed to remove the whole dash and pedal box so I went back to the drawing board loosened the dash and used my wifes very small hand behind the dash to undo the 2 fixing screws job done. When asking around at the time I heard of people cutting holes in the body to gain access and then repairing afterwards. As I say this was on an elite but the dash looked very similar. So find yourself someone with small hands!!!!


Good luck

Gary

[mat grant]

Hi all,

The wiper wheelbox failed on my 1979 Eclat, I managed to swap it out for a replacement one with help from a friend. I did this with the dash in place, what I did was drop some string through the hole in the scuttle where the wiper wheelbox goes through through, then tied that round the wheel box and pulled it up, with one person underneath guiding it. Having stripped an excel SE, I think the Elite Eclat type is easier to work on as it protrudes further under the pasenger footwell.

Before I stripped the Eclat to fit the Excel chassis, I took it for one last spin, unfortunately this nearly ended up being an actual spin as it went into a massive slide going round a roundabout(!). In all the frantic wrestling with the wheel I knocked the wiper on, it then stopped working after that. So it's on the list of jobs to do as the car comes back together. Must remember to do the new wiper motor before I put the dash back!

Nb on the Elite/Eclat you dont have to remove the pedal box (imo). But taking the dash out makes it a lot easier.

Cheers, Mat.

[MikeC]

I replaced the wiper wheel box on mu '83 Excel a few years ago. To the best of my recollection once the two side binnacles and the centre console are out the heater unit can be moved enough to get behind and just reach the wheel box.

I do remember that it took two days, and Gerald Turner (then at Daytune) said it took them just as long, and that I'd done well.


Mike