Hey as you can read I have a 55 Sedan with windshield wipers that move up the windshield slowly, very slowly and then are stuck in the up position. Pushing them back down they start moving back up again only to get stuck at the top of stroke again. When you push them down there is little or no resistance until you get about 2 inches from the bottom of the stroke. The car has not been out in a rain storm or anything but have had a light sprinkle on the windshield, I had heard that vacuum wipers would not work on a dry windshield maybe it is just not wet enough? Just does not seem to be working in any way like it should to me.
I don't know anything about this system and would love some advice or things to look for when i get my head under the dash trying to figure this out.
Thank you,
Shane
First, try running a hose over the windshield while a friend turns them on. They do tend to get hung up if the window's dry.
If they still don't work, you'll have to check all the vacuum hoses for leaks and/or loose connections. Check the tension on the wiper blades themselves as well.
Shane,
My 55CDV vacumn unit required rebuilding. Also,assuming you have correct vacumn to the unit,you should check the drive cables under the dash.(a center cable drum runs both wiper shafts with two cables)(my drum was cracked)(my cables were stretched) Another sore point is the spline the the blades slip onto.(mine was totally worn out and the blades would actually slip)
In my opinion,the 55 Cadillac windshield wiper system sucks. But,you work with what you have!...good luck...walt...tulsa,ok
Since they're vacuum, they suck AND blow. Not only is the vacuum important, I've found that the condition of the washer and the alignment of the transmissions and the cable tension are critical. While not much of a help, there is an auxiliary vacuum pump on the oil pump. You have to drop the pan to get to it. It was supposed to provide an extra boost of vacuum at higher RPM's.
I have to keep the washer bottle at least 3/4 full in my '57. If not, the vacuum seems to drop. I've been caught more than once in rainy situations. While they are not the best, they do work. My dad told me the trick of letting up on the gas to get one or two swipes of the blades. Living in a mountainous area, it really takes some getting used to.
I will never understand why Cadillac was one of the LAST companies to go to electric wipers...