(Trico) Vacuum Windshield Wiper Motor - Easy Fix - 1948 Chevy

[@murraychadwick9362]

I remember as a child my mother had an AMC Hornet with the vacuum motor on the windshield wipers🙄. We were always have issues with that damn thing😒. If we were parked with the motor at idle the wipers worked. When you accelerated the wipers would go slower the faster we went. I was only 14 y/o and the man of the house. I took that vacuum motor apart, lubed it up with 3 n 1 oil. Put it back together and it worked again for a few months then went to acting up again. Mom asked me to do it again so I did and it worked again for a while. Mom got to working nights and I would worry when it rained. We didn't have cell phones back then so I would lay awake until I heard her car drive up. Then I could finally go to sleep. Mom wasn't making much money so she kept putting it off to be fixed and I worried. We were at a garage sale and I came across a motor with a mounting plate similar to the one on her car. I asked the gentleman what it was and when he told me a windshield wiper motor. I asked "An electric 🤔? He said "Yes". I bought it, went home and experimented with it and my 12v battery charger. When I saw that it turned I got excited and before I knew it I had that vacuum motor out again, figured out a way to connect the linkage and wired my mother a toggle switch inside the car. My mother was so proud of me she hugged me and it seemed like she was never going to let me go😂. That encouraged me so much I never stopped experimenting with electric motors and learning electrical wiring. It encouraged me to take small engine repair in school when I was 15 y/o and loved it. My mother never remarried and lived to be only 63 y/o but everytime my phone rang you can bet I was there to take care of whatever she needed. I'm 61 y/o now and I remember that conference feeling she gave me like it was yesterday ❤️.

[@paulreft7133]

Being a purist, I pulled the ELECTRIC (ugg) wiper motor out of Gracie and took my chances on a $15 vacuum motor on Ebay...took your advice and gave it the MMO treatment, then soaked it in a jar of it for a day...voila!! I've got a high performance set of vacuum wipers now!! You my friend are THE BEST!! BLESS YOU!!

[@TheJayhawker]

Nice! Sounds like something I would do, lol.

[@2009Berghof]

I'll be doing this to my sluggish 42 Studebaker wipers next week, thanks!

[@Retrogradeinversion]

Thanks for posting this. I have a vintage Jeep FC170, the wipers have never worked what I would consider 'well'. They had exactly your symptoms. I had started looking at electric motors, also searching for impossible to find rebuild kits for my unit, then I came across your video. Nowhere in the literature I have does it say anything about this maintenance. I did your procedure with Marvel Mystery Oil, very easy instant fix. It's amazing how well my vacuum motor is working now.

[@TheJayhawker]

excellent! thanks for watching and for the report.

[@WarrenMcBride]

I have a Canadian-built 1940 1-Ton Chevrolet pickup with Trico vacuum wipers. I would like to keep the wipers original. I did trace down a gasket set on eBay. Now I'm going to try your method for lubricating and freeing-up the wiper motor. They are a piece of artwork. Who cares if they don't wipe well, we don't drive much in the rain anyway. Thanks for the video.

[@TheJayhawker]

Thanks a lot for watching, I hope all goes well with your project!

[@timmyb8657]

I have a 42 fleetline and I’m glad I found this video!! Thank you sir !!!

[@raybradley3971]

Great Video!! I have 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe with vacuum Wipers. I was having the same issue. I did exactly what you described in your video, and now they are working perfectly Thank You very Much !!

[@TheJayhawker]

That's great! So glad to hear from you....and I want your car! Thanks for watching.

[@paulmuntalbano7342]

Great video, as always. Your procedure was a twist on the one suggested by the Classic Thunderbird Club Int'l, and I like your MMO and manual pumping procedure better. Will try on my 1956 'Bird. Thank you.

[@randallsanders7446]

Hey Jaywalker, This year, I started re-restoring my 1940 Chevy, 4 door sedan, Special Deluxe. I've been watching your sequence of videos on the '48 & especially liked the engine work & wiring harness. You were very helpful in answering some of my questions I couldn't otherwise get answers to. I would greatly appreciate knowing your source of info for working on these old beauties. I have both the Owner's Manual & Shop Manual for my '40 &, on a CD I have a Master Parts List. I was hoping for more pictures in the 'parts' listing so I knew what certain things look like & to know what goes where, etc. The info & demonstration on the wipers was awesome -- it would be great to know this stuff from somewhere other than finding it willy-nilly searching on You Tube. Again, great job on everything you've done with this '48.

[@TheJayhawker]

Well, I've been working on old cars since I was a kid helping my Grandpa and dad in the shop. So some of it is experience, some research and manuals, and the rest is figuring it out as we go! Thanks for watching and I'm glad to know it's helping you out. I've got a bunch more on the '48 coming soon!

[@kb2qlq]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing. I took my unit apart and gave it a little grease to help out the dry leather. MMO great stuff too

[@kylej741]

Just bought a 55 Bel Air with the sluggish wipers. I will definitely give this a try! PS-prior to this I’d never heard of vacuum wipers. Right now I’d put that in the category of dumb inventions.

[@user-lo9ky9mf9h]

Tried this on a 1950 Sudebaker I noticed as I moved the wiper up and down I was getting resistance. I noticed you reach in and out of the car during this process but didnt say what you were doing. Once I felt it was enough. I stopped and reconnected it back. At first the wipers didnt work at all but once I turned them on and off several times they started going real good.

[@TheJayhawker]

Yes, anytime that I reached in there was to turn the wiper switch on or off. Thanks for watching!

[@adaboy4z]

Oh man Im fonna try this on my day off!! My wipers are semi stuck.

[@maryhughes6893]

thanks for putting this up im going through mine on a 48 pickup now and trying to come up with all the parts.. ya!

[@scottschmittmusic]

I missed a step were you going in and turning the speed up on the inside or turning it. Off? Thanks

[@danielschneider6720]

Great video, I was wondering how your wipers are working today? I have a 57 Chevy that doesn’t like to wipe when it’s cold out, work fine when it’s warm though. Thanks

[@howtoguroo2686]

I HAVE A 54 THAT MIGHT NEED THAT FIXIN , THANKS FOR THE TIP

[@gearhead9943]

Just subscribed. What a cool channel! Can you please never edit out the cold starts that you do? I’d love to see the full unedited cold starts on all of your amazing machines. Maybe you can show us inside them when you do cold starts what you do to get them started with the choke and gas pedals too?

[@Cadillac_Collector]

i just saved sooo much money TYYYY

[@edgarcastrolee]

I have a 1948 chevy stylemaster 2 door are all windshield wipers switch to turn on is it located in the same place yours is?

[@TheJayhawker]

yes it is

[@johnw6498]

Good tip and a a nice video, but you tested your wipers at idle when the vacuum is the highest. I bet they are the same as before when under acceleration.

[@timmycarey1958]

I am going to do this. I had some temporary success puting a few drops of oil in the motor when I had it out bit then it failed again.

[@TheJayhawker]

Yep, you've got to get that leather nice and wet.

[@scottschmittmusic]

So you only have to do one side?

[@bradleymcclintock7771]

I've been working on a 48 now I know why they did the valve cover with under coating lessen the valve noise.

[@Skateness69]

I would love to see how the wiper vacuum lines are setup my 54 is missing all the vacuum wiper stuff and I need to get it working again

[@TheJayhawker]

If I'm thinking right, I believe '48 is kind of a different animal anyway compared to other years. I recommend checking out a '54 factory manual and see if there is anything in there about it. If not, let me know and maybe I can help you figure something out.

[@sunnyormsby8402]

Very informative, and Thanks

[@GreggGonzalez-ei1gu]

Awesome have to try👍

[@sunnyormsby8402]

Thanks good advice😃 you don't need voice lessons either🤣

[@cocopublicnews6766]

Is that an ashtray in the middle of your dash?

[@TheJayhawker]

Yep, that way when you get a nice cross breeze through the car the ashes get everyone right in the face.

[@cocopublicnews6766]

@@TheJayhawker I bet its deep those were made for cigars I love all the different dashes that's pretty much the only difference on the a body style

[@brianalbee4153]

I was like number 100!

[@moonburnt_garage]

What Mirrors are you using? I need some for my 48

[@TheJayhawker]

Sorry, I have no idea. The owner probably put those on in the '60s. chevsofthe40s.com has a bunch of options.

[@jamestee007]

thanks just bought a 48 F Mstr , wipers want to move but not

[@markzylstra4075]

thank you

[@markdaniel6086]

I Squirt WD 40 up the tube .. worked for years..

[@GMCTIM]

I have the vacuum wipers on my 46 coupe ! Chevys of the 40s has the 12v Electric wipers,think I'll go that way ! Vacuumes I don't like !

[@vagabond96h]

The flappers in the wiper motor are probably leather, not rubber.

[@wookie45nz]

Paddle is correct term. Normally plastic between steel halves,

[@czehner7157]

i had a 47 and a 48 left them in south jersey

[@shreddder999]

Maybe some new wiper blades??

[@charliehill995]

Thanks for the wiper hint. While I'm not a fan of outside visors (Fulton's, et al) I do believe that is the ugliest one I have ever seen. A piece of barn-roof tin could not look worse. Just saying. Thanks for all your helpful videos. I have two original 1941s, an SD coupe and cabriolet and your videos are really helpful in maintaining them. You do cheat a bit on them for in reality I end up with spending half the time involved just looking for the right wrench. Do too!. Question: Have you ever smiled? You seem about as dry as the Sahara Desert. As if a smile would crack your face. The thing that I liked best in all your videos Is when you owned up on leaving the oil plug out of the engine block. That convinced me you were just as human as the rest of of us. Did too!

[@TheJayhawker]

I forcefully hinted to the owner that perhaps the visor should be left off. I really, really prefer it without. But no, he wanted it back on so it's on. Many have commented they like the visor, many that they don't. We all have an opinion. And yes perhaps I should smile more, but I feel about as natural in front of a camera as an igloo in the desert. Perhaps I'll try to work on that. Thanks for watching and for the input.

[@DmakProductionsTempe]

Wow you cover some tough topics in the video production space! We like what you talk about, keep going. Anytime you are in Arizona hit us up. If you'd like, direct message us @dmakproductions on Instagram and we can connect. You kill it!