squeaking windshield wiper - too much arm tension?

I have an '04 Accord EX sedan. The driver's side wiper makes an annoying,
loud squeak at each end of its travel, no matter how much or how little
water is hitting the windshield at any given time. The dealer changed the
inserts, but to no avail. Next they tried adjusting the tension. No dice.
(Just what they did, and to what, I do not know.) After that, I checked the
tension myself. Lifting the passenger side wiper, the tension feels
"normal," but the driver's side tension feels enormous. One time I lifted it
it slipped out of my hand. I believe that that pressure of the wiper blade
(insert) upon the windshield is causing the squeak. The service advisor told
me to bring it in again, and we'll first see if other cars have the same
problem....

In advance of that, I'm surveying you who have '03's to '05's to see if the
tension of the driver and passenger wipers is as disparate as mine, and if
you're enduring this same squeaking.

Howard

 

The car is under warranty. Go back and *insist* (politely) that they
replace the wiper arm. If the tension is that strong, something's either
bent, binding or incorrectly assembled.

Considering the wiper arm is probably less than $100, I'm very surprised
the dealer would not have tried replacement already. Are they having
trouble getting warranty claims reimbursed by Honda?

If I were the dealer, I'd remove the arm, spray water on the windshield and
run the wipers. If the noise is gone, that would be a clue, and I wouldn't
even have to order a new wiper arm to do it.

 

"TeGGer®" wrote

This dealership treats me very, very well. I'm sure they'll take care of me
(in a good way!). Since I'm prone to exaggeration, I borrowed a "pull scale"
(I don't know what it's really called) to measure how much force it takes to
lift the arm off the windshield. From my best efforts, it appears the
tension on the driver side arm is 50% greater than the passenger side arm.
(The driver side is the one that squeaks.) Specifically, the scale measured
3 lbs on the driver side; 2 lbs on the passenger side. I hooked the scale to
the exact same relative points on each arm.

Tonight I'll examine the underside of the arm to see if there's anything *I*
can adjust to relieve the tension. For me, Excedrin works wonders.

Howard

 

I've experienced the same wiper noise with my '04 Accord EX sedan. It does seem
out of place for a new car. I think I'll visit the dealer to have this problem
looked at as well...

Bryan

 

You could also use a fish scale. It would have a handy hook on the end of
it, too.

On older cars, what can bind from corrosion is the pivot. That's the part
that swivels when you lift the blade off the glass. A few drops of 3-in-1
on either side and working the wiper up and down may free it up if
something's binding there.

 

"TeGGer®" wrote

The fish scale didn't cure the headache, but it allowed me to take
comparative measurements of the wiper arm tension.

 

Then you're using it wrong! LOL

 

In UK, it is called a 'Spring Balance'.

HTH

 

"TeGGer®" wrote

Wanna hear a good fish story? Back in '92 I hooked a 2900 lb. Honda by
its wiper, and.....

 

Maybe some metal piece is resonating. I doubt if the rubber on glass is
causing the noise. Does it sound the same at high speed and low speed?
That would rule out an actual rubber/glass squeak.

Jam a chunk of paper towel into the spring area on the bottom side of the
arm and see if that dampens a vibrating spring. I recall some car that had
clear plastic tubing on the spring to dampen the vibrations.
If that clears it up, some silicone sealant on the spring might be a
permanent fix.

Are you sure it's the side with the heavy pressure? Maybe it's the side
with the light pressure. Try running the wipers with one of them parked up
away from the glass.

 

I meant wiper speed, not road/wind/rain speed.

 

<dold wrote

Yes, I understood that. It does the same thing no matter what wiper
speed. I'm quite sure it's the driver side, as I ran the wipers while
standing outside of the car by the driver side, then walked around to the
passenger side of the windshield. Yes, the car was parked. It does
sound as if it is coming from the far end of the wiper: the end that sweeps
the large arc. I can't be sure about that, but next time it rains I'll
listen more carefully. Can't gather too much data, ya know?

I'll try your suggestions -- thank you!

Howard

 

There's that little barbed clip of flat metal at one end of the refill that
holds the refill in, and some blades have a thin strip of metal down each
side of the refill. I wonder if that needs some repositioning. Touching a
moving wiper blade is harder then you would think, but you might try
pressing on, or touching, the various parts of the blade to see if it's one
spot that's squealing. Maybe with a pencil eraser.

 

<dold wrote

I tested this out and found that both sides are squeaking. So since it's
both, I suppose the tension isn't the culprit. It IS a rubber/glass squeak,
not metal.

With the wipers running in intermittent mode, there are three defined
squeaks occurring: one when the wiper starts to lift, one when it reaches
its furthest most point to the left and turns around, and one when it
reaches its resting point.

Now, here's another clue: why does it NOT squeak during the first 30 seconds
of operation? The rains starts, I start up the wipers when they become
needed, the wipers are working for about 30 seconds.... and then the
squeaking begins. What might that be telling me? Smartass suggestions are
allowed. Hell, I give 'em, I can take 'em.

Howard

 

Better to be a smartass than a dumbass!

What happens if you thoroughly clean the windshield and wiper rubbers with
Windex? Does the noise stay away for a while?

Do you notice smearing or striping when you hear the noise?

 

"TeGGer®" wrote

Unfortunately, ONCE in a while I'm the latter.

I haven't tried that yet. "Unfortuntately" it doesn't rain here very often,
though lately we're doing quite well in that department. Translation: I
don't know when I'll get another chance for this. I should keep a bottle of
windex and a roll of paper towels in the car.

No, none at all.

Howard