Nor-Easter rolling through, and I had to go to my nieces house about 30 miles away to help her get her house ready for winter.


On my way back home, the light rain turns to wicked snow, and I'm driving through a whiteout. Truck runs great, handles great, and I'm not really going over 40-50, but the winshield starts loading up with snow..... So I turn my wipers to high...


What a Mistake. All of a sudden they stopped completely. I'm on a major highway, surrounded by cars, and I can see nothing. I didn't get the opportunity to Rainx my windshield or side windows, so I'm basically driving blind.

No one would let me over and I wound up having to flip my wipers back and forth with my left hand out the window.

I've never been so freaking wigged out in my life. Tractor trailers splashing me as I barely made it to the off ramp.

Had to get home, so I manually wiped them down, and drove a short distance, pulled off and started all over again. Eventually I made it home, but I had to change my underwear...


Took the truck cowl off, and a rotten piece of plastic had sheared off and the wiper arm link was lying on the bottom of the well. Can't believe that I nearly wrecked my truck for a rotten piece of plastic.


Dealer Item ? Any fixes for this that I can do today ?


Thanks.


T.

 

Found it in a search...




https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...wiper+arm+clip



Feel better now that I've vented.

 

yea that sucks. I had it happen in my jeep 2-3 years ago. Nothing like cruising down the snow covered highway while it is still snowing quite hard and hearing CLANK and no more wipers. I rigged up a piece of string to both wipers so I could pull them side to side from inside the jeep. lol.

But yea, any HELP section should have the plastic clips.

 

had something similar happen. Went to pass a logging truck on the hwy (4 lane non divided) and as I went into the left lane to pass, my windshield got utterly caked with grime as it was winter and the roads were wet and dirty. The wipers worked but the jets for the washer fluid didn't so when I hit the wipers to clean the windshield it just smeared all the crap and I couldn't see anything. by the time I got the window down and head out to see where I was going, I was half in the lane for opposing traffic with a wall of traffic coming at me... didn't feel to good... stupid ford explorer...

I tried passing a semi in whiteout conditions across the prairies once too. I'll never do that again!

 

There ain't a human alive that hasn't had this happen if they ever drove a Dodge truck in the rain or snow.

I learned all about those plastic bushings last winter on a very snowy night.

Dodge is not the only one to use the plastic bushings; but, for some reason or other, they are the most notorious for failures.

I have heard it said that it is due to the bushings location where sun-light can shine through the cowl and deteriorate the plastic, whereas other vehicles have the bushings shaded by a solid area of the cowl.

 

Looking at it, a bolt with couple washers might not be the "best" fix but, if you can get one in, you might be able to limp through untill you find a more permanent fix.

 

It is a rite of passage when owning a 1st gen, welcome to the party pal. Seriously, glad you made it home in one piece, been there with those chintzy bushings myself.

 

Yep probably sunlight, when last did them the one for the wiper motor (exposed to the sun) was brittle and crumbled, the others were fine (changed em anyhow).

 

BK's dead on..... As usual



The bushing was deteriorated and yellowed from sun exposure. I guess from the couple of years in CA & FLA, couldn't have helped as well.

Found them in the help section @ Advance.

Part # 49447. Two of each in the pack.... Two Dodges, Two jeeps, two GM.... So now I'm set. Not only do I have another one for my dodge, in the ash tray, as we speak, but I have an assortment for jeeps and GM products that I'm going to stick hooks on, and hang them from my X-mas tree, this year.

That was one of the scariest driving episodes I've ever been through...

This weekend, I'm going out to the local store and buying a "tool box" and fill it with assorted tools, pliers, screwdrivers, silicone grease, spray ether, etc, and having an emergency kit ready. Maybe even spring for some triangles that I have in my box truck.

I guess a blanket and assorted other goodies (first aid kit) are in order as well.

 

There are four bushings all together I would change them all. The rest are probably just as old as the one that failed.

 

x2 change them all. Done that three times on two trucks so far.

 

Thanks Guys...


I'll be reworking them all this spring... or if they fail sooner, ..... sooner..


I'm going to follow BK's routine with rebuilding them, and greasing the towers....

I can't ..... or don't want to do them now, because it's snowing outside, and the cowls are filled with dirt / leaves, and snow. When I can do it right, everything is getting vacuumed out, washed out and I'm installing a "screening" inside the cowl to prevent future buildup of crud in there. My Toyota has a screen on the underside, and nothing much gets in there.

Some rigid wire mesh should do... painted the same color as the cowl.


Already ordered the bushings from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-49440-W...9925298&sr=1-3


Thanks a bunch.....everyone.


Just really glad to be here tonight, vs in some hospital somewhere recovering from a 18 wheeler meet up by accident.


T.

 

I've heard little to no instances of those failing on a bright sunny day when you have time to fix it before you need them

 

I was in the same storm today, got 5 inches here in MD. Not much but it was a suprise. I've never had wiper issues but I just ordered the bushings. Thanks for the heads up on this one guys!!

 

Fortunately on the 92 D250 I bought 6 mo ago the wipers didnt work and I got to replace the bushings there instead of trying to get home on the highway during a storm. I found them at Oriellys.