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MG MGA - Orientation

As usual, I dismantled something without taking a pic first.
Are the wiper wheelboxes installed with the rack tubes below the axles or above? The Moss pic shows it below but I don't always believe it.
Art Pearse

Below! Only way they will fit.

Barry
Barry Gannon

Thanks Barry.
Art Pearse

Not so, Barry. When I took my 1600 to DMV for inspection the first time, the inspector said, "wipers", I pulled out the switch and the wipers when DOWN on to the cowl= FAILED.
David Werblow

Not sure I follow you Dave. Do you mean you had the rack above the spindles, that caused the wipers to go the wrong way?
Art Pearse

If you want to convert a car between RHD and LHD wipers, you have to move the rack from one side of the boxes to the other, so if you start under, the rack has to go above and vice versa. This is the only way to get the sweep going the right way and getting the right park position for the relevant wiper arms.

I think for LHD the rack is below the wheel boxes, but it's snowing hard and I can't gather the energy to go four floors downstairs to the garage.....
dominic clancy

Good point Dominic. I think I got it right. I'm LHD and the rack is under.Motor on LHS. I adjusted the park commutator so that the cable is in full retract on park, which means the wipers will park to the right.
Good advice to do this before body on. Thanks all.
Art Pearse

Not so. To convert from LHD to RHD wipers, remove the arms, rotate the parking commutator on the wiper motor 180 degrees, and install the new wiper arms. No other mods are required. The re-adjusted parking commutator makes the rack cable park at opposite end of travel, so it goes left before right rather then right before left.
Barney Gaylord

Dominic's way:
1. remove wiper arms and the bezel nuts - 5 minutes for both
2. loosen two screws on each wiper box under the dash, slide rack out, lower wheelbox and rotate and reinsert, slide in rack and tighten screws - 10 minutes each side including getting under the dash
3. reattach the bezel nuts and install new wiper arms - 5 minutes each side

Result
Job done in less than an hour and you should still be fairly clean

Barney's way
first get to wiper motor ....... and see what you are doing.... Any takers? I believe it is one of the most inaccessible parts of the car.




dominic clancy

Not really sure how I put it together--that was about 18 years ago. Tested the wipers at home with out putting the arms on; the knurled shafts turned like I thought they should. Put the arms & blades on and off I went to the DMV. About the only time you'll actually use them anyway is at an inspection; Rain-X is what works.
David Werblow

Dominic

I had my wiper motor out for reconditioning the other week. After re-installation I did it Barney's way. 5 minute job.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Why does it matter which way they park for LHD/RHD? The sweep area is the same.
Art Pearse

Sweep is not the same. They park at bottom of glass on the driver side. In cases when they do not make a full sweep, the passenger side leaves a substantial area near the side unswept. You wouldn't want that on the driver side. Also the wiper arms are right or left handed, so you have to use the correct arms as well as parking on the correct side.
Barney Gaylord

So, for a LHD, the wipers should park to the left?
Art Pearse

Yup.
Barney Gaylord

I think that the important point that authorities look for is that the wipers sweep immediately in front of the driver as soon as they are switched on.
Barry.
Barry Gannon

Shouldnt this thread have been called dis-orientation?
Steven Devine

Maybe Steven. I searched the picture gallery for UK/Oz and NA/Eur cars and I see that the LHD park wipers to the L and vice versa, but there were some exceptions!
Anyway, I have to fiddle with the parking commutator to put mine right.
Art Pearse

Steve

On a LHD car the pedal box blocks all access to the wiper motor

Dominic
dominic clancy

Not all access. You only need to loosen two screws that are right on top.
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 12/03/2013 and 14/03/2013

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