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Gen 1 Wiper motor

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by velosolex50, Oct 30, 2020.

  1. velosolex50

    velosolex50 Junior Member

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    NHW11 2001 UK spec
    I need to replace the windscreen wiper motor- it's no longer available from Toyota or the usual aftermarket places in UK.
    Anyone know if there is an easy substitute? I'd rather not be drilling mounting holes/rewiring plugs etc unless absolutely necessary.
    Yours hopefully......
     
    #1 velosolex50, Oct 30, 2020
  2. WHCSC

    WHCSC Member

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    #2 WHCSC, Oct 30, 2020
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    How has it failed?

    Sometimes, with cars of a certain age, one gets more likely to start popping things open and cleaning contacts, looking for replacements for carbon brushes, or whatever.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Oct 30, 2020
  4. velosolex50

    velosolex50 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the Cardone link, sometimes overseas shipping is the only answer.

    I took it all to bits and found that the magnets had come unglued from the motor casing and were clutching the armature like limpets.
    Everything else looked OK, no shorts or open citcuits in the armature so I cleaned it all up, and am now waiting for the epoxy to set before trying it out.

    Strange that there are so many variations in what one would think was pretty much a universal part, like the old round headlights. Progress?
     
    #4 velosolex50, Oct 31, 2020
    mroberds and Kadalora like this.
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Ok, that right there is a failure mode that would never have occurred to me.
     
    #5 ChapmanF, Oct 31, 2020
  6. velosolex50

    velosolex50 Junior Member

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    Rust gets everywhere in Britain!
    Epoxied the magnets back in the casing, taking care to put them in the original orientation, identified by looking at the "jigsaw puzzle" pattern in the glue remnants, and it works!
    Nice to be able to fix something so simply.
    A useful dodge for reassembly was to first fit the armature into the gear casing and engage the bearings & brushes with good access. Then hold the armature in place with a single loop of dental floss while putting on the casing, to prevent the magnets pulling the armature out & disengaging the brushes while sliding on the casing.
    Happy days. Now if I can just sort out the annoying warning lights on startup.......
     
    #6 velosolex50, Nov 1, 2020
    mroberds, Kadalora, Itsmeonprius and 1 other person like this.
  7. Kadalora

    Kadalora Junior Member

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    Oh boy I'm so thankful you made this post!!!! The EXACT same thing just happened with my Gen 1 NHW11 2002 Prius! I'm unfamiliar with wiper motors and quite possibly wouldn't have realised this was the problem without your post. Google suggested it's often an issue with the carbon brushes, so I took it to an auto electrician and he said the brushes were fine, then he went to turn the armature by hand and at first thought it was seized, but then suddenly the armature and magnets all turned together. His immediate response was to bin it and source a replacement... at this point I'd already read your post so knew there was a better way!

    I followed your reassembly method, I wasn't sure what you meant about 'good access' but assume you mean have the brushes pressing directly against the lower part of the armature. This particular step was incredibly difficult to do alone.. as there are 3 brushes you have to try and hold back to push the 'worm' back into the gear casing fully... by miracle my Dad turned up after much struggling the two of us were finally able to do it. And eventually I realised you meant hold the floss along the length of the armature to stop it pulling back via the magnets towards the housing.. this was a great idea indeed

    There was a light bit of rust on the glue side of the magnets and housing so while everything was apart I sanded it all off using a rough grit sandpaper so the new glue would adhere well. I made sure to mark with a vivid (on the rim) where the magnets had been glued so I could re-glue them in the same spot. After sanding, I wiped it all clean then treated everything except the magnets with rust proofing liquid product. I avoided treating the magnets as I was worried it may interfere with the glue adhesion and/or operation of the wiper motor

    Just thought I'd let you know I found it very useful anyway, thanks again!

    PS: So we can now reasonably assume whatever glue they used has a life expectancy of about 20 years.. not bad I suppose, here's to another 20 with the new stuff!
     
    #7 Kadalora, Dec 29, 2023
    mroberds likes this.
  8. ronlewis

    ronlewis Active Member

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    I have spare wiper motors if anyone needs one.
     
    #8 ronlewis, Jan 9, 2024
  9. ronlewis

    ronlewis Active Member

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    oopsssss
     
    #9 ronlewis, Jan 9, 2024
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2024
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Haven't had one of these apart, but often in brush holders one will find small holes, through which a pin or piece of wire can be stuck, to hold the brush back, and pulled out once the armature is in place.
     
    #10 ChapmanF, Jan 9, 2024
  11. Kadalora

    Kadalora Junior Member

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    Yeah I was thinking while doing it that would've been a great invention.. hah, no such luck. Here's the inside of it: (see pic)
     

    Attached Files:

    #11 Kadalora, Jun 27, 2024
  12. ronlewis

    ronlewis Active Member

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    Great work, guys. There's just so many used wiper motors out there. Seems like the easier solution.
     
    #12 ronlewis, Jun 28, 2024
  13. ronlewis

    ronlewis Active Member

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    Except to above statement granted for NZ residents, et al. I realize you gotta make it happen one way or the other.
     
    #13 ronlewis, Jun 28, 2024
    Kadalora likes this.
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