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Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 2:18 am
by 5.0 Chero
While working on the wiring I decided to convert the BugJunk wipers to delay with $20 worth of junkyard parts
using the wiper switch and delay governor from a 70 ford car or truck I will clean up the wiring

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ford unit

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unmodified switch

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wiring to vw bug wiper motor

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cut the shaft off of the Ford switch and thread for the VW knob
Push for washer right turn one click for low 2 for high
Turn to the left for adjustable delay

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:13 pm
by andy198712
cool!

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:19 pm
by 5.0 Chero
thanks had the parts laying around so I gave it a try

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 11:07 am
by Steve Arndt
Cool idea.

Any pointers are making the wipers more powerful? I cleaned and lubed up the mechanics on my baja. It is a mid 70s body. Everything is adjusted and working but they just are slow and wimpy.

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:04 pm
by Marc
Steve Arndt wrote:Any pointers are making the wipers more powerful? I cleaned and lubed up the mechanics on my baja. It is a mid 70s body. Everything is adjusted and working but they just are slow and wimpy.
What year is the wiper assembly/motor? The span between the pivots has been the same since 1965, so there's more than one possibility.

In `72 the wiper switch was moved from the dash to the column and the park circuitry rearranged to that used in the VW/Audi waterpumpers - without internal modifications the motors are not interchangeable; if you have the late style motor (with a "pigtail" harness coming off of it) you should be able to find a newer used one from a Rabbit/etc. and change the bellcrank to use it in your Beetle.

The pre`72 motors come in two basic styles - `69 and older were roughly cubical in shape, while `70/`71 (as well as `71 Super) were round and more powerful - essentially the same as the late motors other than the park circuit, which is still the early style - no pigtail, just a row of spade lugs on the housing. If you have either of the round motors and the linkage/pivots aren't binding, you should have no complaints with a healthy motor.

In addition, starting in `70 the wiper pivots were made more robust (and serviceable) and the arms started being secured by nuts instead of the old setscrew arrangement.

All VW wiper motors use "dynamic braking" whereby when the switch is turned off and power is interrupted by cam-actuated contacts when the wipers reach the park position another set of contacts grounds the winding. Some "electronic" wiper switches accomplish this by sensing the current going to the winding, and when it drops as the park position is reached they immediately apply ground to the "power" wire - no need for the extra contacts in the motor with these. Any wiper control setup which does not retain this feature may leave you with wipers that won't turn off on a rainy day, because the low friction of a wet windshield allows them to "coast through" the park position...this is why you shouldn't try to get away with using a simple on/off toggle switch with a VW wiper motor.

A slick way of adding variable-delay wipers with electric washer pump is the use of a Cole-Hersee switch that came on Bluebird school buses (the downside is its bulk, which makes it necessary to modify the vent box of `68-up Beetles to make room for it. Discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=137554

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:52 pm
by Steve Arndt
1976 body standard beetle is what my baja is built out of.

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 4:53 pm
by Marc
You certainly should not be having problems with weak wipers - that same motor is used to operate far bigger blades on `73-up Supers and waterpumpers. It must have worn brushes and a scorched commutator if you're certain that the pivots aren't seizing up, but you can probably find a better one for little cash (they're not as rare as the older ones). The pivots can be dismantle for servicing/lubrication by removing the tiny spring clip on the outboard end of the shaft. VERY easy to lose, and nearly impossible to find a substitute for - I recommend working inside a bag when removing them.

Re: Delay wipers using a 70s Ford relay

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 7:50 pm
by 5.0 Chero
Marc
Thanks for the wiper motor lesson it appears the one I modified for my 64 is a 70 era as it has wiper nuts I had to modify the arms to work on the right instead of left park position.

Ford used the same funky "dynamic braking" as early VW I noticed that in the schematics when I was figuring out how to wire the new wiper unit into the Baja.