Greetings to all,
Bringing the car back from the garage yesterday in horrendous rain with loads of standing water, the wipers stopped after 10 mins. Then about a mile from home they started again. The motor which is pretty old has only one speed of very slow so thought it may be time to renew. Has anyone tried the kit from CMC ? How much of the dash will I need to remove to fit a new kit from either CMC or elsewhere ?
Also can the car be run safely with the vacumm advance removed ?? Thats the way it has been returned form the garage, I will contact them tomorrow to ask why.

Thanks .

 

The motor can be removed easily from under the bonnet but getting to the track means removing half the dash as it is behind the dash top. You can just make out the track in this photo. The track is highlighted in the yellow circles.


I drive my S Type in all weathers and was out only yesterday in the rain. My wipers work OK, they are not like modern wipers, they are slow but both my speeds work. The worst thing about them is the design of the rubber blade that just does not clear the screen as well as a modern blade. If there was a modern replacement for the rubber blade I would jump at it. Might loose a point at a concours show but I am never going to get invited to Pebble Beach anyway.

 

The engine should run safely enough without the vac advance. However, your fuel consumption will suffer significantly and the car may feel less lively. Also, keep an eye on the coolant temperature as it may rise faster when crawling in traffic.

 

It is a Lucas DR3 wiper motor
These can be rebuilt and are surprisingly reliable.
Old ones suffer from electrical lead decaying. They also suffer from corrosion in the bullet connectors.
They do have brushes in the motor which can wear out
They are often poorly lubricated especially in the gearbox which is typically coated with dried out grease. The motor bearings are sintered metal and need re-lubricating.
I suggest getting the wiper motor overhauled or finding an exchange/overhauled unit.
This all takes place under the engine bonnet, and you don't need to go near the dash panel. unless you suspect the wiper switch.
I have overhauled over a dozen for myself and friends.