Heinze Model 1 Article

[Pilotdave]

I have a working Heinze Model 1 (6v) windshield wiper. It works but emits a low raspy/gowling sound when operating. I'm wondering if an article has been published that would describe how to take apart, clean, lube and reassemble it. I'm focused on the "gear box" rather than the motor itself. I'd like to determine whether this is something I could do myself or whether I should send this unit off to one of the experts!

Thanks!

Dave

[Gene F]

Well if ya send it off, they will wanna do the whole thing. Therefore, find a guy at your local A club, that is an old timer! Take it to him, and the two of you take it apart some Saturday afternoon. If you fix it great, if not you are no worse off. Cell phones are great for step by step pictures to review if you forget how something was.


The Heinze was a 1 year motor. Get ready to pay. Or, if you are like me, I have one off of what likely is a GM, which still give me electric motor, and only the die-hard knows the difference. Snyders has a replacement now that the windshield can still be operable.


Best to fix what you have, if you can.

[Pilotdave]

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I found an article in How to Restore Your Model A, Vol 6, p47 that was helpful. After studying the photos and thinking about the manner in which the wiper blade is driven, I decided that disassembling the gear case to clean and grease the gears was a fairly low risk effort - as long as I maintained the orientation of the wiper arm support and the gears when reassembling. The first two photos below show what I found when I removed the wiper assembly support bar to open the case. There was a fair amount of dried grease and some grit. The gears all seemed to be in good shape. The last photo was taken part-way through the cleaning process. I used some light grease that I use to lube speedo cables. End result it that the mechanism is quieter, though there's still gear noise. I guess these mechanisms were never silent!