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1969 Wiper door

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Old Jun 1, 2021 | 07:29 PM
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Default 1969 Wiper door

Last fall when I was driving the car, everything work just like factory. Wiper door opened as it should and over ride switch kept it open if pulled. Then, right before I put it away for the winter, the wiper over ride operated opposite of what it should have. Also, turning on the wipers made the door close. What happened? Checked all the hoses and they are all connected as they should be and they were all replaced about two years ago. It still operates opposite of what it should this spring only now the wiper switch does nothing. Hopefully did not burn on the motor. Any ideas?

Last edited by loflite; Jun 1, 2021 at 07:30 PM.
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Old Jun 1, 2021 | 11:06 PM
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Originally Posted by loflite
Last fall when I was driving the car, everything work just like factory. Wiper door opened as it should and over ride switch kept it open if pulled. Then, right before I put it away for the winter, the wiper over ride operated opposite of what it should have. Also, turning on the wipers made the door close. What happened? Checked all the hoses and they are all connected as they should be and they were all replaced about two years ago. It still operates opposite of what it should this spring only now the wiper switch does nothing. Hopefully did not burn on the motor. Any ideas?
there is a video on you tube “ how to find vacuum leaks in your c3 corvette” this helps with the vacum system trouble shooting. I have a 1968 and I had a vacuum valve up by the head light that went bad when this something happened in mine. See if you can find that video. Watching it is a lot easier than trying to walk you through your troubleshooting. That being said it sounds like you have a valve bleeding off or an actuator. Hope this helps
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Old Jun 2, 2021 | 03:50 AM
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Sounds like you got crud in your wiper door solenoid. It's bolted to the back of the tach. Years ago they were not being reproduced so there is a way to clean them or buy an aftermarket one and take your chances. Don't worry that your problem is not exactly what is described below. This solenoid when not working properly will cause all sorts of weird problems.

Repairing The Wiper Door Solenoid

The wiper door solenoid is located on the back of the tachometer. It's mounted with two screws near the bottom right side of the tach. The problem with these units is that they get dirty from years of use. This causes the double sided needle valve inside to stop functioning. When the unit doesn't function, the wiper door will not open by using the wiper switch. It will open if the override switch under the dash is used.

This is what the unit looks like:


To clean the unit:


1. Drill out the two rivets shown in the picture with a 1/8" drill. Be careful as there isn't much meat on the cylinder portion and you will need to use these 1/8" holes for re-assembly.2. Disassemble the unit. You should have a flange plate, cylindrical housing, winding, metal nipple, spring, and needle. These parts are shown here:
3. Clean the parts as good as possible. I used mineral spirits but am sure that other products will work just as well. It's especially important that the needle ends and seats are cleaned. Use a Q-tip to clean deep inside the needle housing as it will be full of dirt and contains a seat. The other seat is on the metal nipple.

4.Re-assemble the unit as it was taken apart. Use 1/8" pop rivets to hold the housing together. Re-install on the back of the tach and hook up the hoses and wires.

5. Watch your wiper door FINALLY work with a touch of the switch!

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Old Jun 2, 2021 | 07:30 AM
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the only way it could operate the reverse like you describe is if someone switched the hoses at the relay or on the wiper door actuator. The relay is simple a sliding switch that changes which hose gets the vacuum. IF those are correct then check the actuator itself. Either someone is messing with you or it was serviced and someone didnt know what they were doing. THe vacuum is always on at the top of the actuator whether its a headlight or door actuator. releasing the vacuum allows the internal plunger to slide down allowing the vacuum to go from the top side port to the lower side port.
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