Air or Electric Wiper Motor

[Tikvah]

I snapped one of the shafts of my air wiper motor.  Now I need to replace the motor.  I've heard there is an electric replacement for these air units.
Am I better off to go with electric?  Where do I get a replacement, air or electric?  Any experience?

Dave

[belfert]

Modern cars don't have air or vacuum wipers anymore.  With air you have to worry about bad valves, air leaks, and bad seals.

Autex (www.autexacs.com) makes electric retrofit kits for many models of buses

[Joe Camper]

Been there, still there, and never solved the issue.

No good solutions IMHO

If you go to electric you should need some kind of transmission (linkage) to connect both sides together. Prevo has a kit for electric conversion it is way way expensive.

The alternative is stay with air that is also pricey itself and performance is terrible.

I have hoped a common motor from a bone yard would make a suitable replacement and then I would simply buy 2 and run them separate off 2 switches to eliminate the linkage project...........but I have not persued that yet.

Someone had some conversion kits for sale or had a source for them and I think it was here. I had reason why i did not go that route but forget why. I think cost of those too

[luvrbus]

AM Equipment in Or I believe the kit is little over 600 for the electric conversion for a MCI


good luck

[Tikvah]

I remember driving school bus years ago and they had electric wipers, on separate switches.  I think linkage would be too difficult, but also a lot of strain on one motor.

[oldmansax]

every truck I ever owned had air & the MCI has air. Keep 'em maintained & I don't have any problems.

TOM

[Joe Camper]

I just called the link posted in this thread its 750 for the Prevo one.

On our bus the square mounting plate on the front of the bus that the post goes thru that the arm attaches to has screw fasteners that are FROZEN SOLID. This was another issue for me. If those panels have to be removed I will need to grind off the heads drill out the screws and re tap the threads for every single screw I could not get even 1 of them to budge.

I can access those motors relatively easily from inside the bus but never found out if I could do the change completely without having to pull the outside access off.

I think it is safe to say sticking with air would be the easier and less expensive alternative.

[belfert]

My Dina has separate electric motors for each wiper.  I can control each wiper individually for high and low constant speed.  For intermittent wipers there is one switch for both wipers.  I would have thought all buses with electric motors would have two motors.

[artvonne]

Modern cars don't have air or vacuum wipers anymore.  

 And your point? Airplanes still use Magnetos and vacuum powered flight instruments so they will still function after a complete electrical failure. The most common failure ive seen in vehicles is electrical, and on road trips its common to see the battery or alternator fail. Reading these Bus forums I see a lot of the same thing. The more systems we have that dont require electricity, the farther we can run down the road after the alternator goes south. That some of these old Buses are 50 or 60 years old and the pneumatic wipers still work should be enough to have some faith in them.

  All the Buses Ive seen with air wipers have dual air motors with seperate controls. And they are vernier, in that you can turn the knob to any speed you want infinetly. So slow its every bit like intermittent.

 
 

 

[luvrbus]

Electric wipers are far better than air but like Joe said you still have the linkage even the air has 2 motors,direct drive electric wiper motors are available but at a premium price and they have a clutch instead of linkage


good luck

[lostagain]

Air wipers work very well. It takes a little maintenance once in a while to keep them reliable. Air wipers are part of what makes a bus a bus.

JC

[bobofthenorth]

IMO the best two changes I made to the frenchy-bus after we bought her were a King Cruise and changing the wipers to Autex electrics.  But I'm sorry to say you absolutely have to get those plates off the front in order to do the swap.

[Joe Camper]

LOL you have a 4 year older bus than us. Used up the entire weekend uh. Welcome to the world of Prevo ownership

It is also up above the paint line so I would need to be careful about that aspect too. I do not see it happening any time soon.

What is a King Cruise.

[bobofthenorth]

What is a King Cruise.

Brand of cruise control. 

[TomC]

While my older '85 Kenworth and my '77 AMGeneral bus has air wipers (the AMGenerals are going to be changed) I don't know of any commercial vehicle that are still using air.  All are electric now-and use just one electric motor for both wipers.  Good Luck, TomC