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Last week I turned the wipers on one morning while there was some frost on and the passenger side wiper quit working. This afternoon I removed the panel over the wiper linkage and poped the linkage arm back on, Put the wiper arms on and tried it. The linkage poped back off in less than 30 seconds. there is a plastic socket on the linkage that pops over a ball on the wiper arm. I think it will need to be replaced. Is this a Ford only item or will any parts stores have aftermarket replacements. I don't want to half do this, I didn't enjoy removing the panel.
Cannon
Mine all have a metal clip on the end of the wiper motor shaft. It's a flat 'S' shaped clip that connects in a funky sort of way. I just changed mine this week from my parts truck and tossed the extra one in the toolbox tray. If you can't find one let me know and you can have this one.
Mil1ion
I found your illistration in my Chilton manual but it was listed for 77-79 models. Apparently that model did not have a servicable joint between the arm and linkage. My truck is an 82 F100, I should have included that in my orginal post.
Mtflat
Though that type of clip is shown in both my manuals ( Chilton and Haynes) my truck does not have them. The linkage arms have a round hole abou 5/8 dia. with 2 notches. The plastic ball socket ( looks like a stubby wire nut) snaps into the arm then over the ball on the pivot arm. Apparently I have an oddball set-up. I bought the truck new so I know it is the way it came from the factory.
Cannon
That does sound odd, but also familiar......I pulled the above setup off an 82 and used it on my 86. There is an 84 and and 85 sitting in the pasture and they're both the same.
That said, unlike the picture above, the arms on mine do have a larger hole in the end with a plastic bushing that slides over the motor shaft. You have to push fairly hard to set them in place - then the metal keeper goes on the end of the shaft.
The plastic ball socket you describe - are they drilled all the way thru or is it a cap that's closed?
Need new arms/pivots for wiper posts as well? I have two trucks where they're just flopping around in the cowl waiting to go for scrap.
Mtflat
The plastic part is only open on one end for the ball socket. Nothing holds it on other than the tightness of the plastis socket. I'am going to try my luck at a ford dealership one day this week. No big hurry since it's not my primary truck anymore.
Cannon
I seem to remember someone else having the same problem about a month and a half ago.Try doing a search on windsheild wiper linkage.
Hopefully that'll help ya.
My guess is that there should be some kind of clip inside the plastic ball that locks when snapped in place. Look inside the plastic ball socket and see if there is a groove for a metal clip. That maybe missing or the groove wore too deep and the clip isn't catching.