Shuddering of wipers in my Ford Fiesta

ghodlur · 9th September 2010, 08:07

I have lately observing the wipers in my Ford Fiesta to shudder when they sweep across the front windscreem. There is also noise during the wiper movement which I supsect to be coming from the wiper motors. The shuddering happens to both the wiper blades and occurs when the wipers approaches the final edge of the sweep

. What could be the reason for the same?

I have inspected the wiper blade rubber and found no cracks, chipping or any abuse. Similarly the wiper blade arm is freely operatable without any stickiness. This noise and the shuddering of the wiper is seen at all positions of wiper speeds - intermittent and variable speed positions.

Expert BHPians kindly advise.

MODS: If any existing thread available please merge.

Ravindra M · 9th September 2010, 08:23

I had the same problem. It went away after the wiper blades were replaced. The mechanic told me that it causes because the rubber gets harder and then does not make proper contacts with windshield.

condor · 9th September 2010, 08:30

Ghodlur, how old are the wipers ? If more than 2 years, go ahead & replace them. If you want to check this a little more, compare the rubber on your wipers with the rubber in the wiper of a new car.

Rubber will get hard over a period of time & can start causing scratches on the windscreen.

nirmaljusdoit · 9th September 2010, 08:40

Just to add to what Condor said, i make it a point to change the wipers once a year before the start of the monsoon, our Indian summers are so hot & fierce i find the rubber easily loses its flexiblity & turns hard. Being in contact with the hot glass for a while in direct sunlight would be the main contributing factor.

Also, over a period of time, the glass develops scratches which will also affect your visibility & safety at night !

aaggoswami · 9th September 2010, 09:32

1) As others have mentioned, its the rubber that might have become hard. Replace the wiper blades and about arms, IMO, they will last much longer.

2) This also happens when there is not much amount of water. I have observed this shuddering in many cars. When is less water on the windscreen but visibility is low and one has to make one stroke of wiper swipe, this happens. I hope I am able to explain myself well. I mean like slow rain where in visibility is reduced due to water, but water on windscreen is not that much in quantity.

Here, the rubber might have gone bad + more friction as less water is there leads to shuddering.

3) If shuddering continues to happen even after chaning wiper blades and shuddering is happening in heavy rains with new blades, the motor needs replacement.

Gilead · 9th September 2010, 09:41

I get the shudder when the wipers are operated after a long time. But it is mild and disappears after a couple of sweeps. Clean the wipers regularly even during non rainy season.

Are you hearing a swish swish sound? In that case it's normal.

ghodlur · 9th September 2010, 09:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor

Ghodlur, how old are the wipers ? If more than 2 years, go ahead & replace them. If you want to check this a little more, compare the rubber on your wipers with the rubber in the wiper of a new car.

Rubber will get hard over a period of time & can start causing scratches on the windscreen.

The wiper rubbers are hardly 10 month old, stock wiper rubber on my Fiesta when purchased in Nov 2009. Do I need to show it to the Ford Dealer and quetion them about the integrity of the blades?

Actually I had taken great care to ensure that during the recent summer the wiper blades dont rest on the glass. When I inspected the rubber, I found it sufficient flexible and no damage to the rubber.

Another question - should I continue with the present wiper rubber state or get it replaced immediately since the usage of wipers is going to be minimal in the coming days due to end of monsoon. I dont want it to get it replaced and then not use it for the next 8-9 months.

Gansan · 9th September 2010, 09:51

Happens in my car too, right from the time I bought it. At the MASS they inspected the wipers and found them OK, then lubricated the base of the wiper arm and made some adjustments. They also told me to keep a sheet of thick paper between the wiper rubber and the windshield if the car is to be parked in hot sunlight, which I follow. Still the problem persists, but is intermittent - when operated at the MASS it may bot occur. However it can occur at all wiper speeds.

I am thinking of changing to Bosh wiper blades for this monsoon. I heard they are the best.

ghodlur · 9th September 2010, 09:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilead

I get the shudder when the wipers are operated after a long time. But it is mild and disappears after a couple of sweeps. Clean the wipers regularly even during non rainy season.

Are you hearing a swish swish sound? In that case it's normal.

These issues have cropped up at the start of this week and did not have them for the past couple of months when there was heavy rains in Mumbai.

The shudders are not mild and can see a visible vibrations on the blades. The sound which I hear is a kind of a "growl" and happens when the wiper start the sweep as if the wipers lift with a jerk

.

kavesh55 · 9th September 2010, 10:18

Dear Ghodlur- Was facing the same problem in a 2004 esteem. Had apprehensions ranging from bad wiper arm to weak motor. Took a gamble and just replaced the wiper blades, got the Bosch aero twin look alikes (original ones are way to expensive). Finally it was the wiper blades, changed them and they now work superbly. Have kept the old ones as you cant trust the china ones. Once im over the chic looking wipers, will buy good old regular bosch, syndicate or camoflex ones.

Speed Pujari · 9th September 2010, 10:47

Solution is, if u are really miser to spend 300 odd bucks on wiper blades then remove the blades evrytime you going out in sunny weather. The heat is the culprit behind hardening rubbers.

Or, put some detergent in the wiper tank. Spray them while shuddering. Use the proper detergent like rin, surf etc. since the slipperyness stays for longer.

ghodlur · 9th September 2010, 11:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by kavesh55

Dear Ghodlur- Was facing the same problem in a 2004 esteem. Had apprehensions ranging from bad wiper arm to weak motor. Took a gamble and just replaced the wiper blades, got the Bosch aero twin look alikes (original ones are way to expensive). Finally it was the wiper blades, changed them and they now work superbly. Have kept the old ones as you cant trust the china ones. Once im over the chic looking wipers, will buy good old regular bosch, syndicate or camoflex ones.

Thanks kaavesh, will look into changing the wipers rubbers to resolve the issue. My agony is the lesser durability of the stock wiper rubber and why should the rubber go bad in the middle/end of the monsoon season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

Solution is, if u are really miser to spend 300 odd bucks on wiper blades then remove the blades evrytime you going out in sunny weather. The heat is the culprit behind hardening rubbers.

Or, put some detergent in the wiper tank. Spray them while shuddering. Use the proper detergent like rin, surf etc. since the slipperyness stays for longer.

Its not the question of being miser, I can easily spend Rs 300 on the rubber. As said earlier I was very careful not to keep the wiper on the front screen glass during summers. Maybe the heat was so much that inspite of not being in contact with the windshield the rubber gave away

.

I checked the wiper fluid tank. Its not normal water but some kind of a foamy liquid. I guess detergent or something related must have been put in the tank by Ford during the services.

benbsb29 · 9th September 2010, 11:33

I had the same issue with the wipers on my car. Replaced the blades with Bosch ones, and the issue was resolved.

Ghodlur, nothing much to think about this. Replace the blades, and end of worry.

suman · 9th September 2010, 11:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghodlur

I checked the wiper fluid tank. Its not normal water but some kind of a foamy liquid. I guess detergent or something related must have been put in the tank by Ford during the services.

That's Ford's windscreen washer fluid

Change the blades, I noticed the same issue teh other day during intermittent wipe, the noise was enough to make me want to wank out the wiper arms as well

pypkmsrikanth · 9th September 2010, 12:04

As everyone else have advised change the wiper blades. I am suffering from similar problem with my aunt's Indica which is with me temporarily.

As a temporary measure what you could do is to cut a potato into two pieces, and rub the open side onto your windscreen, it might leave some mark initially when it dries off, this would go away with the first sweep of the wiper with water. Be assured that the movement of the blades would be much smoother and the noise & vibrations would reduce greatly. The glass also becomes much clearer after this.

9th September 2010, 08:07	#1
ghodlur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Thane Posts: 6,010 Thanked: 4,199 Times View My Garage	Shuddering of wipers in my Ford Fiesta I have lately observing the wipers in my Ford Fiesta to shudder when they sweep across the front windscreem. There is also noise during the wiper movement which I supsect to be coming from the wiper motors. The shuddering happens to both the wiper blades and occurs when the wipers approaches the final edge of the sweep. What could be the reason for the same? I have inspected the wiper blade rubber and found no cracks, chipping or any abuse. Similarly the wiper blade arm is freely operatable without any stickiness. This noise and the shuddering of the wiper is seen at all positions of wiper speeds - intermittent and variable speed positions. Expert BHPians kindly advise. MODS: If any existing thread available please merge.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 08:23	#2
Ravindra M BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 277 Thanked: 222 Times	I had the same problem. It went away after the wiper blades were replaced. The mechanic told me that it causes because the rubber gets harder and then does not make proper contacts with windshield.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 08:30	#3
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 15,864 Thanked: 16,014 Times View My Garage	Ghodlur, how old are the wipers ? If more than 2 years, go ahead & replace them. If you want to check this a little more, compare the rubber on your wipers with the rubber in the wiper of a new car. Rubber will get hard over a period of time & can start causing scratches on the windscreen.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 08:40	#4
nirmaljusdoit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 833 Thanked: 674 Times	Just to add to what Condor said, i make it a point to change the wipers once a year before the start of the monsoon, our Indian summers are so hot & fierce i find the rubber easily loses its flexiblity & turns hard. Being in contact with the hot glass for a while in direct sunlight would be the main contributing factor. Also, over a period of time, the glass develops scratches which will also affect your visibility & safety at night !
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 09:32	#5
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,982 Thanked: 2,931 Times	1) As others have mentioned, its the rubber that might have become hard. Replace the wiper blades and about arms, IMO, they will last much longer. 2) This also happens when there is not much amount of water. I have observed this shuddering in many cars. When is less water on the windscreen but visibility is low and one has to make one stroke of wiper swipe, this happens. I hope I am able to explain myself well. I mean like slow rain where in visibility is reduced due to water, but water on windscreen is not that much in quantity. Here, the rubber might have gone bad + more friction as less water is there leads to shuddering. 3) If shuddering continues to happen even after chaning wiper blades and shuddering is happening in heavy rains with new blades, the motor needs replacement.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 09:41	#6
Gilead Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,142 Thanked: 60 Times	I get the shudder when the wipers are operated after a long time. But it is mild and disappears after a couple of sweeps. Clean the wipers regularly even during non rainy season. Are you hearing a swish swish sound? In that case it's normal.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 09:51	#8
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,535 Thanked: 5,560 Times	Happens in my car too, right from the time I bought it. At the MASS they inspected the wipers and found them OK, then lubricated the base of the wiper arm and made some adjustments. They also told me to keep a sheet of thick paper between the wiper rubber and the windshield if the car is to be parked in hot sunlight, which I follow. Still the problem persists, but is intermittent - when operated at the MASS it may bot occur. However it can occur at all wiper speeds. I am thinking of changing to Bosh wiper blades for this monsoon. I heard they are the best.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 10:18	#10
kavesh55 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 748 Thanked: 49 Times	Dear Ghodlur- Was facing the same problem in a 2004 esteem. Had apprehensions ranging from bad wiper arm to weak motor. Took a gamble and just replaced the wiper blades, got the Bosch aero twin look alikes (original ones are way to expensive). Finally it was the wiper blades, changed them and they now work superbly. Have kept the old ones as you cant trust the china ones. Once im over the chic looking wipers, will buy good old regular bosch, syndicate or camoflex ones.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 10:47	#11
Speed Pujari BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 429 Thanked: 396 Times View My Garage	Solution is, if u are really miser to spend 300 odd bucks on wiper blades then remove the blades evrytime you going out in sunny weather. The heat is the culprit behind hardening rubbers. Or, put some detergent in the wiper tank. Spray them while shuddering. Use the proper detergent like rin, surf etc. since the slipperyness stays for longer.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 11:33	#13
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,968 Thanked: 13,223 Times View My Garage	I had the same issue with the wipers on my car. Replaced the blades with Bosch ones, and the issue was resolved. Ghodlur, nothing much to think about this. Replace the blades, and end of worry.
	() Thanks

9th September 2010, 12:04	#15
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 283 Times View My Garage	As everyone else have advised change the wiper blades. I am suffering from similar problem with my aunt's Indica which is with me temporarily. As a temporary measure what you could do is to cut a potato into two pieces, and rub the open side onto your windscreen, it might leave some mark initially when it dries off, this would go away with the first sweep of the wiper with water. Be assured that the movement of the blades would be much smoother and the noise & vibrations would reduce greatly. The glass also becomes much clearer after this.
	() Thanks