How hard is it to replace the motor in for the rear wiper? The wiper works only when nudged.

 

There is a recall for something to do with the rear wiper on the 2000, might want to check that out.

 

You have to remove the rear hatch panel to expose the motor. It is held in by rivets. Drill them out, install the new motor and re-rivet.

 

The rear wiper on the expeditions is a constant problem. I am on my fourth rear wiper motor and I never use it anymore. My wife uses the rear wiper sparingly and when she does it is unreliable. I have reached the conclusion that it is not even worth replacing when it fails completely the next time. Fortunately our state inspection in MA does not check the rear wiper.

 

Sounds like it is not worth replacing, it just drives me nuts knowing there is something on nt working on anything I own.(**** retentive?)

 

Mine went out a couple of times on my '98. I found that just wiggling the wire harness where it goes from the roof to the top of the rear door made it come back. Never spent a cent on it and it worked fine for 118K miles.

 

I think it's worth replacing if you like to keep your rear window clean. Not every motor is defective.

 

The big problem that I am experiencing with the current wiper motor is that the wiper arm will not return to the park position consistently. It gets hung up on the block that lifts the arm away from the rear panel. When my wife uses the rear wiper to wipe away the dew, it almost never parks properly. In a pouring rain it works fine. If the block is sufficiently wet, the wiper arm will park. On a few occasions I noticed that if I spray windshield washer fluid and allow it to thoroughly wet the block, the wiper arm will park properly. One of these days I plan to machine a new block with a more favorable radius to solve this problem.

 

In the interim, you could twist the wiper arm SLIGHTLY to allow the locating tab to slide onto the block more easily.

 

PaulC

Good idea. I'll give that a try.

 

Be careful when "wrenching" it. I've heard of instances whereby people have broken the arm. There's also some play in the wiper motor shaft. I manipulated mine to get a better fit.

The arm is very easily removed by one little nut. You might want to remove the arm before trying anything too forceful.

 

Try backing off the allen socket adjusting screw on the motor gear drive. I also think regular use may help.

Knock on wood... still on the original motor.

 

No lie, I have a 200 expy EB and my rear wiper only works when it is raining. no matter how many times I turn it on when it is not raining out it never works, but as son as it starts to rain and I'm driving down the road i turn it on and it works. Kind of weird. but at least it comes on when I need it the most..

 

Sounds like the rear wiper on the 2000 EXp is equipped with a moisture sensor.

 

4 failures is rediculous. I would say someone isnt installing it correctly. If it isnt installed per the instructions it will fail again.

You can fix that sticking on the block problem with a little light grease. I wouldnt saw it down as it is hard rubber and will just make it worse.

Sometimes simply pushing down on the arm will get it to work temporarily when it fails. Pull it off the seat with the switch turned on and just give it a good nudge downward.

Ford originally stated that these motors failed due to improper instalation at the factory. I have replace many of them and the new motor correctly installed seems to prevent reoccurance. Once the motor is installed install the arm in the fully seated position. Do not install it with a preload and do not install it off the seat. Once the motor over extends itself due to improper installation it often is screwed for good. Fix it right the first time...