Replacing hard to reach windshield wiper motors

[OldDan1943]

That's my plan - cutting the headliner leather with a sharp knife, then a hole saw to go through the wood/whatever behind.



That it has



I completely agree. Removing it would be a huge project with a lot of collateral damage. I do have an inspection camera, and will be using it before boring a big ass hole.

The suggestion is, you preserve as much of the liner as possible so you can fold back inside and glue it.

 

[stevemitchell]

The suggestion is, you preserve as much of the liner as possible so you can fold back inside and glue it.

Good suggestion. My expertise is in electronics, electrical and mechanical systems, etc. Doing finish stuff is not my forte.

 

[walshe117]

That was my initial reaction too. Cutting holes in the nice outside deck would be a pain to fix.

View attachment 87362

This is the head ceiling. I believe one motor is behind this although it is the port side and less important. It appears to be some sort of press Formica board they used in all watery areas with a teak edge glued or nailed in.

View attachment 87363

This is where the starboard one is. Leather headliner with lots of teak trim.

I can see no way to remove the headliner without some major surgery.

View attachment 87364

Another view. I’ve tried getting to them from the sides which I have a few tiny access areas to use but I can’t even see the motors let alone get one out through the holes.

I also have a 87 ocean Alexander and encountered the same problem, in the photos of the stbd side location it appears there is an air con vent close to the ceiling and a hanging closet below. Sounds obvious but have you removed the upper thin plywood lining of the closet to see if access is available?

Both top and bottom of all closets (or wardrobes as they are in Aus) will have removable lining.

You may have to also remove the ducting going to the air supply outlet to access.

Never cut from outside as this will not necessarily give you access to the mounting points etc.

I have owned my OA for nearly 20 years and replaced just about everything over the years and have never had to damage or destroy trim and lining to access.

If you can post some more photos of the area in question I could give some more advice.

Regards,

 

[walshe117]

I am looking for ideas on how to replace or re-condition two hard to reach windshield wiper motors on my boat.

The boat is a 1988 Ocean Alexander and the motors currently trip the circuit breaker if I attempt to use them. I can see a spike of almost 50 amps DC when engaging one motor, so they clearly are not doing well.

I've poked around everywhere I can think of beneath them, and I can trace wires going into voids, but can never find a way to access the back of them. Much of the inside of the v-berth and head where I believe they are housed is covered by leather covered headliner boards that have tiny teak trim nailed/glued around the edges, and are notoriously hard to get out without major damage.

The previous owner said everything he had seen indicated they needed to be cut out of the outside of the boat to be replaced, and the more I look at them, that seems likely. However, I also am always shaking my head that OA didn't *really* design these so poorly that I have to cut the front of my foredeck open to replace them....

Any crazy ideas for how this could be done?

And also some photos from inside the screen looking out to the wipers, show the panels below in that area also.

 

[walshe117]

I am looking for ideas on how to replace or re-condition two hard to reach windshield wiper motors on my boat.

The boat is a 1988 Ocean Alexander and the motors currently trip the circuit breaker if I attempt to use them. I can see a spike of almost 50 amps DC when engaging one motor, so they clearly are not doing well.

I've poked around everywhere I can think of beneath them, and I can trace wires going into voids, but can never find a way to access the back of them. Much of the inside of the v-berth and head where I believe they are housed is covered by leather covered headliner boards that have tiny teak trim nailed/glued around the edges, and are notoriously hard to get out without major damage.

The previous owner said everything he had seen indicated they needed to be cut out of the outside of the boat to be replaced, and the more I look at them, that seems likely. However, I also am always shaking my head that OA didn't *really* design these so poorly that I have to cut the front of my foredeck open to replace them....

Any crazy ideas for how this could be done?

Also, if you can remove the nut on the drive shaft and the screw that’s holding the panoramic arm or alternatively grind them both off then the screw that’s in the middle is threaded into the wiper motor. Remove that screw and lift the plate and you should be able too see into the mounting location.

This should give you a better idea of exact location of mounting internally and you can always just re sikaflex the base plate down to seal,

The drive motor is US now so cutting of the shafts won’t matter

 

[RT Firefly]

˙pɹɐoqɐ ǝɯoɔlǝM ˙ʍ ˙sW/˙ɹW
'sƃuᴉʇǝǝɹפ

 

[stevemitchell]

I also have a 87 ocean Alexander and encountered the same problem, in the photos of the stbd side location it appears there is an air con vent close to the ceiling and a hanging closet below. Sounds obvious but have you removed the upper thin plywood lining of the closet to see if access is available?

Both top and bottom of all closets (or wardrobes as they are in Aus) will have removable lining.

You may have to also remove the ducting going to the air supply outlet to access.

Regards,

The closet on the starboard side has a hard wooden "roof" that I already removed to do some investigation. There is no air supply or ducting, just a louver in the top of the closet to allow for air circulation while the closet doors are closed.

After removing the roof of the closet, I can see wires going by heading towards the windshield wiper motor and elsewhere, but not much else. There is a tiny hole there that I intend on using an inspection camera in before I cut a hole up through the v-berth headliner, but no other access. I also can't cut access from this area to the windshield wiper motor as there are structural timbers that are only 1-2" tall, which if I cut, would render them very weak.

I've looked at just about every angle and area around this motor, and have found no way to get to it except from directly beneath and cutting a hole. Even the local Ocean Alexander service guys said that is the only way, and they've worked on these models before.

 

[stevemitchell]

Also, if you can remove the nut on the drive shaft and the screw that’s holding the panoramic arm or alternatively grind them both off then the screw that’s in the middle is threaded into the wiper motor. Remove that screw and lift the plate and you should be able too see into the mounting location.

This should give you a better idea of exact location of mounting internally and you can always just re sikaflex the base plate down to seal,

The drive motor is US now so cutting of the shafts won’t matter

Yes, I've taken the nut and screw out, and been able to remove the plate on the outside and see that the motor shaft goes through the fiberglass and is somewhat sealed. Once I get to the backside of the motor, I should be able to get it out with a bit of work.

 

[ORIF]

˙pɹɐoqɐ ǝɯoɔlǝM ˙ʍ ˙sW/˙ɹW
'sƃuᴉʇǝǝɹפ

ǝuo pooƃ

 

[FF]

Plan B might be to abandon the existing wiper motor and install a new external unit.

There are water resistant outside mounting units available.

 

[stevemitchell]

Plan B might be to abandon the existing wiper motor and install a new external unit.

There are water resistant outside mounting units available.

I did see those, and they are an option. It does turn out that with a couple of careful holes inside, I can get to the old ones. Still some surgery to do, and then $1000 for new motors and arms since those are gone too.

 

[tiltrider1]

I did see those, and they are an option. It does turn out that with a couple of careful holes inside, I can get to the old ones. Still some surgery to do, and then $1000 for new motors and arms since those are gone too.

Steve, contact AM wipers out of Jefferson Oregon. They will do your whole boat for less than $1,000. I am having them put together a complete Panograph system for me right now.

 

[stevemitchell]

Steve, contact AM wipers out of Jefferson Oregon. They will do your whole boat for less than $1,000. I am having them put together a complete Panograph system for me right now.

Oh that is amazing info! Their stuff looks really good online, very professional website as well. The OA folks were quoting a system from Imtra, which are usually more expensive. From what I can tell, it looks like $450 for the motors alone, and the pantographs were additional.

The Imtra motors also draw 14A continuous, while the smaller ones here at AM only 2A. Quite a big difference.

Definitely contacting these folks!