E34: Taking off wiper arm

[ktteoh]

folks, i have a bit of struggle with this. my plan was to adjust them since it's a bit off and right-most arm hits the windscreen trim when switched on.

i have taken the cover and the nut off. i lift the arm up and try to pull it away (while bent like an elbow). however the thing won't budge. i have also soaked in WD40 penetrating spray overnite.

it should be just a simple spline joint right?

btw is there a correct technique to take it off (and putting it back on) since i'm afraid if i use brute force, it may hit the windscreen and cracked it.

[Dave M]

Yes, the arm should pop of with a bit of pressure. The two materials tend to freeze together a bit so any type of gentle prying you can accomplish would be an asset. However, there has been much debate over the best remedy for this particular problem. Read further below.

Check this old thread out (http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=32999&highlight=wiper+arm+fix). It includes a link to another thread which further discussed the problem and potential fixes. It also akins the 'fault' to Marylin Monroe's mole.

Good luck with it,

Dave

[Jon K]

if you had to i bet you could use a gear puller

[repenttokyo]

mine is actually starting to hit the hoot in the middle, right at the base of the passenger side wiper arm :(

[Ross]

Yes, it pulls off the spline. Yours is just a bit stuck like most and needs some persuasion. Rocking it a bit and some prying will help. Put the nut back on a couple of turns to prevent any accidents when it lets go.

[Gearhead]

Mine is doing the same (hitting the hood). Is that an adjustment to the hood or do I need to "tweak" the wiper somehow to correct this?

Thanks!

[Paul in NZ]

you may have to prise the "clamp" open a bit by tapping in a screw driver or similar into the gap

[karl1171]

Maybe this wouldn't happen on a proper car like an e34, but recently had the same problem on my partner's Renault Scenic.

Best advice is don't try to lever it unless you are very careful how you do it: I cracked the windscreen and still couldn't remove it!

In the end I got them off by pulling them past their normal travel. It broke the remaining linkage in doing so but as this was the part i was replacing it wasn't such a problem

[Rory535i]

while we're on the subject, does anyone have a fix for wiper blade chatter? i put a longer hex key grub screw in so i could tighten the spring more. that helped a bit but it still chatters

[repenttokyo]

i changed my wipers until i got one that didn't chatter - some brand new ones chattered, i just kept returning them until i got good ones.

[Paul in NZ]

i think you need to adjust the wiper blade angle to suppress the chatter.If Shogun reads this he wil post the method.BMW even have a special tool for it.