I have a 98 Dodge Ram Van and the wiper on the driver's side decided to stop working. The weird part about it is that if i lift the wiper off the windshield, it turns normally, without a problem. As soon as i place it back down so that i can actually use it, it stops working. Any idea??

Thanks!

 

There could be a problem with wiper links or the wiper arm is striped.

 

I agree with this. It does sound like the wiper shaft is turning inside the wiper arm when there's no load on it.

 

ok, and how would i go about fixing that?

Thanks!!

 

That depends on the color of the stripes on the wiper arm.

 

Remove the wiper arm and inspect both the wiper shaft sticking out of the hood and the hole in the wiper arm. There should be fine splines on each. If either one is smooth you'll need to replace it.

 

Say what???

 

ya i know about the splines... but how do i take off the arm? i dont want to just pull it i was worried to brake it....

Thanks!!

 

ASAP . .

On the bottom segment of the arm, (where it might be stripped) either there's a small silver clip on the topside that can easily be pried upward at the same angle as the windshield with a screwdriver, just enough to release it (nearly ¼") allowing you to lift the whole arm directly off of the shaft. You'll need to lift the wiper blade up off the winshield a couple of inches or more to release the clip-lock in order to slide the clip upwards. The clip is affixed to the segmented base of the arm itself so don't worry, you won't lose the little thing. It slides up with the arm. Just remember to slide the clip back down into place once you've replaced it.

OR

There's most likely a small set-screw in the same proximity (usually directly under the arm) you'll need to loosen enough without removing it to remove/replace the arm in the same manner as the clip method.

Hope this helps.