I know there has to be an archived thread on how to get your wiper door down if it is stuck up but cant seem to find it, like which Vacuum line is the culprit, that sort of thing.


Help :confused:

Tom

 

Assuming you have checked the override under the dash and that the linkage itself isn't bound up, if you remove the plug on the end of the actuator can, you should be able to push it down. The vacuum trouble shooting site is http://members.home.net/awsvette/vacuum.htm. If I remember correctly, it's more oriented toward headlights, but if you understand those, the wiper door is obvious.

 

There is little distinction between the vacuum system and Voodoo if you don't understand exactly how the system operates, Tom, and it's difficult to point you to a particular part so I better lay it out for you once over lightly.

1. There are two functional events for the system. A) The vacuum control side and; B) The vacuum operating side. The control side says what occurs when you do something. The operating side receives the command from the control side and applies the vacuum to the vacuum motors. A irregular function can be in either side, which makes it particularly critical that you understand exactly what's going on. It will take a vacuum gauge and/or pump to properly diagnose what's wrong.

2. The control side operates on this simple fail-safe principle. No vacuum on the control side means that the headlights or wiper door go to the open position. When you pull down on the override switchs on the bottom of the steering column, you are cutting off vacuum to the actuator valve(s) which causes the valve's spring to lower the access valve and open the operating system vacuum to the vacuum motor's chamber to pull the lever and open the door(s). The door(s) close when vacuum is applied to the actuator valve.

3. The wiper door is the most complex since there is a pause event that has to be cleared before the wipers will operate and most of the system's guts are hidden behind the dash. These are the wiper vacuum components: over ride switch, solenoid, wiper control valve, actuator valve, and the vacuum motor itself. If at any point in the system one of these malfunctions, you've got a problem to solve. Again, remember that no vacuum in the control side = wiperdoor open. This could be caused by a hose that is broken or disconnected or a malfunctioning part. This is where the vacuum gauge comes in handy. It's easiest to start with the actuator valve on the fender so here goes...

With the over-ride switch off (pushed up) pull off the vacuum line from the actuator valve's vacuum chamber and see if there is vacuum. Now pull the over ride switch down and see if there is any vacuum. You should have vacuum with the over ride switch off and no vacuum with the switch on. If it doesn't register that way you've got a problem in the control side. If it does work that way, your problem is in the operating side.

If your trouble shooting shows the problem is in the control side, you now have to work your way backward through the system to find out what component is not working properly. This gets difficult if the problem isn't in the wiper arm control valve since, again, the guts are well out of sight and easy access. I will tell you that the over ride switch and solenoid are not usually going to be the problem. It's almost always going to be the wiper arm control valve or a broken or unattached vacuum line. So go to the control valve and remove the input vacuum line and do the same over ride switch test. If you show proper vacuum/no-vacuum when operating the over ride, then the problem is in the arm control valve. If you don't get a proper reading then you've have to start component/line tracing under the dash.

The operating side is generally much easier to diagnose since all of the vacuum lines are visible. Remember that the control side determines which side of the vacuum motor gets vacuum and if the control side is functioning properly, most of the time your problems are going to be in the actuator valve(s) or the hoses. You also have to ensure that your vacuum motor shaft seals are intact and haven't unseated.

This isn't complete in every detail, but it's a good start.

 

Thanks for the replys guys, I have had alot of things going on in my life right all of a sudden and the car has taken a back seat for a little while, sorry I haven't responded sooner. I will right back when I get the time to try to fix it.


Sorry about the delay, and thanks again for the help.

Tom