2003 S40, passenger wiper won't lay flat. Tried replacing blade with Bosch blade, same problem, upper ⅓ of windshield doesn't get wiped. Any suggestions?

 

I've got the same issue with my 2000. Replacing the linkage doesn't work and bending the arm too much will break both the link and the blade. After salvaging those two parts the problem remains.

 

My 2001 does it too. I bent the arm to compensate. Mostly I've read only a new arm will fix it. One person did post a description of using washers to shim the arm somehow to give a better angle. No idea how to accomplish that though.

 

you guys have problem with the front wipers, i have a problem with my back wiper on my 02 v40, it only cleans on both sites, and misses the middle, which is the most important. any solution about it ?

 

I had this problem on a 2002 v40 and solved it by putting the wiper arm in a vice and bending it. Others have had success with replacing the wiper arm with the OEM part, but for me bending it for free was a no brainer. Good luck!

 

I have a 2001 S40 and I, too, had the weird problem of the passenger wiper lifting off the windshield at the top of its arc. I believe I have found the problem and the solution.

As I have tried to show in this diagram, the mount for the wiper arm is not cylindrical, rather it's conical. Normally (upper drawing), the short stub arm should fit down snugly onto the conical mount and be held in place with the nut. Then, as the assembly rotates, the wiper blade is held roughly parallel to the surface of the glass and there is contact over the entire arc.

But because of the strength of the wiper arm spring, when the assembly is placed over the mount, the spring tends to raise the stub arm, which is now not snugly in place and the force of the nut tightening down is not enough to properly seat the stub arm (lower drawing). When the wiper arm rotates to the top of its arc, the geometry no longer guides it parallel to the glass and the rubber blade lifts off. (The diagram is looking from the right side of the car at the wiper arm at the top of its arc).





The solution is to simply use a second pair of hands to hold the wiper assemble flat and straight and not allow the spring to lift the stub arm out of alignment (don't allow the wiper blade to touch the glass while the nut is being tightened). Then you can push the stub arm down snugly and accurately on the conical mount and tighten the nut.

I hope this explanation is clear. It took me a while to understand the geometry and design the illustration. I hope it helps someone else fix the problem of the lifting wiper blade.

Regards,

 

Interesting. I will try your method to see if it changes anything. My sense is that the wiper arm metal fatigues over time so even realigning and retightening won't correct the angle enough, but I'll give it a shot.

 

I see what you both mean. If the metal arm fatigues so that the base of the arm is no longer conical, then it will never function properly. Bending the arm will be a temporary fix until the metal fatigues further. And re-seating the base will work only as long as it takes to once again move out of position. That would explain why a new wiper arm fixes the problem for long term.