Hi there,
I'm trying to fix up some little issues with my 1960 Ford F100. I have the original Vacuum wipers, the last owner put an extra canister in to help with the suction, but they are extremely slow. Is this normal, or should I be looking for an air leak somewhere? I know there are electric conversion kits out there, but the truck is in original condition and we want to keep it that way. Any advice?

 

If they speed up when you let off the gas pedal they are working fine. Check rubber lines for cracks if they dont speed up.

 

I love that kind of talk!

 

Does your engine have an original double diaphragm fuel pump that increases the vacuum signal?

Vacuum wiper motors have leather veins ( don't recall the proper name ) that dry out/crack and no longer seal. Have you tried lubricating all the linkage under the dash.

You could switch to electric and still be original, many had electric wipers, mine does..

 

Thanks for your help. They don't speed up at all, all the hoses look new, but perhaps I'm missing something. I'll check more carefully. Have a good weekend!

 

It looks like the hoses were replaced by the last owner. I think we may have to switch to an electric set. You can't always predict when it's going to rain and it's hard to drive without wipers. There is smoking of added on diaphragm that is supposed to help with the suction but I don't think it's working well. I'll double check all the connections...
Thanks!

 

And remember if you do switch over to a set of electrics offa another truck to grab the whole linkage(s) as the vacs & elecs use different.
there are places that rebuild vac wiper motors for purists, but with the availability
of electric set ups why would you. Mine are the Bosch type I pulled em' offa a 59 f350 like 29 yrs ago never let me down yet.
Mikie
near Ottawa Canada
58 m-100 panel & 64 econoline p/u

 

Cool, thanks, I'm stuck with what we've got for now as we are in Switzerland. If we change we'll probably have to buy a new kit from one of the auto suppliers like Mac's. Hopefully we'll pass inspection the way it is and hopefully it won't be raining the day of inspection. LOL, it's not like in the US here. You have to get the vehicle inspected the day the government chooses for you.

 

I would and have removed the vac motor.
dissembled it. Cleaned and lubed it and got
them to work very well. And all the linkage
as well.

 

What the Artic Y Block said: Clean and lubricate. Sometimes all they need is use. Rain X is your friend. I would ask how much vacuum the engine is pulling.

 

I had similar problem, except Mine would go up 1/2 way and stop

 

Was wondering about that. A worn out engine with a lot of blow by or maybe even one that isn't timed correctly - they wouldn't work as well would they?

My dad was old enough to have to use them when they were standard equipment and he didn't have anything good to say about them. Passing was a real adventure in the rain because flooring it means engine vac temporarily goes to nothing, and so do the wipers! I figure maybe it was another one of those sorta-works when everything is just so designs.

 

I have a complete stock electric set up from a '60 F350. Still in the parts truck. My son is always looking for a job, so I could have him pull it all. Send me a PM if you are interested.

 

On vacuum wipers, If they are not working here are a few things to try.


Trace the vacuum line from the wiper motor back, For me the systems that worked best the line went from the wiper motor to the auxiliary diaphragm on the fuel pump to the intake manifold.


To troubleshoot, take a new piece of vacuum hose and connect the wiper motor directly to a port on the intake manifold. With the truck idling turn the wiper **** to max. Make note of the speed of the wipers. Then slowly raise the engine speed to about 2500 to 3000 rpm. Then let the engine speed drop quickly to idle - the wipers should speed up, if not check for vacuum leaks. If no leaks, disassemble the wiper motor, clean and lube all parts, and reassemble and test again.


Old vacuum hoses can get soft and collapse or get hard and crack when under vacuum, so when doing any testing use a new piece. Good luck.

 

@ GB SISSON, Thanks for the offer, I would love to bring your son over here to Switzerland to work on our truck but unfortunately, I can't afford it at the moment. I'm going to see if my mechanic can get the wipers going better by lubing and checking for leaks. I just got the shop manual too, so I'll see if there is any info in there that is useful. Have a great day!