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MG TD TF 1500 - TF wiper problem

Just purchased my 1954 TF, driven until 63, stored until 6 years ago and then restored, driven 30 miles and then stored until this year. Wipers work, but VERY sluggishly. Motor and gear box are fine, but when I pull and push the drive cable back into its outer sleeve it binds somewhat and is very stiff. Is there an easy way to free up this cable and the gear boxes in the dash, without pulling the whole dash apart to get it? Can I just pull the cable out and relube it and slide it back in? Any help would be appreciated.
gbhrps

I had a similar problem with a TF I owned a few years ago and found the spindles had partially siezed in the housings that poke through the car body. They were made out of mazak and had corroded badly. I remember turning the cable through 180 deg and like wise with the gear wheels to provide new teeth. Unfortunately is a full dismantling job though


Jan T
Jan Targosz

I think you're going to have to remove it from the car. It's really not that bad a job, and it's the only way you'll get it all cleaned up and re-lubed correctly (IMHO).

The spindles are probably as gummed up as the cable. On my TF, the wiper motor gearbox, the cable, and the spindles were frozen with 48-year-old grease. I soaked the whole thing in gasoline overnight and the cable pulled out of the sheath with no effort whatsoever.

I re-lubed everything with white grease and now they work just fine (or at least as well as they ever did!).

Hope this helps.

BTW, what are your car and engine numbers?

Greg

TF 6846 XPEG 797
Greg Van Hook

If you remove your wiper arms you can take the motor lose taking the clamp off of the outside housing and pull the motor and inside of cable out as a unit. You can the work your knobs back and forth freeing it up with a little penetrating oil. You then can clean inner cable. When reinstalling the inner cable turn the shaft and help feed it through.
Hope this is clearer than mud.
Jay
{8^{
Jay Dyck

Suggest you try the motor armature. Often it gets dirty. Use fine emry paper and clean it and ensure that the grooves between the segments are clean - use a Stanley knife.
A bit of light oil works wonders on the mechanical bits.
Bob Marshall

Many thanks for all of the replies! You've covered just about all of the questions that I had, and in record time. My apologies for not getting back to the forum earlier, but computer problems reared their ugly heads. Greg, from Pennsylvannia.....How did you get the gear units for each wiper unit out of the dash? I've looked up in there and it scared the he-- out of me. My car was restored 6 years ago and hasn't been run 1 mile since, so I've never been under the dash. A quick look shows that I can't even get my hands onto the gear boxes. Do you drop the steering wheel and then pull the instrument panel off to get at them? How do you pull the panel, the Moss Parts catalogue really doesn't show much in its exploded diagram. Thanks!
P. Burgess

Access to the gear units of the wipers is easy once the glove boxes are removed. Once the three screws at the rear of each unit are removed and the wiper spindle removed, the "gears" can be withdrawn and then the cable can be pulled out as previously suggested.

Peter
Peter Falconer

P. Burgess

Could you please contact me.

Tnx.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Many thanks again for everyone's help! I'll pull the gloveboxes and get to the job when it slows down a bit here at the shop. By the way, even though I've attempted changing my profile for the BBS, it keeps saying that I'm from Quebec, rather than from Ontario. Sorry for any confusion.
P. Burgess

This thread was discussed between 19/11/2003 and 02/12/2003

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