I'm replacing one of the bushings on the wiper linkage on my '92 B350. (One was replaced by a mechanic a few years ago; why he didn't replace the other one while he was there is bewildering.)

I read in another forum that the bushing must be seated in the right direction.

Is there a way to determine the right/wrong way?

 

The bushings are one-way. Amateur question -- please ignore.

 

Thanks for saving us the trouble of beating up on you, you've handled it nicely on your own.

 

Well, you may have another beat-me-up opportunity because I have another amateur question:

After seeing a comment in another thread about downloading a manual (it was located in the FAQ section, I think it said), I scoured the forum, but couldn't find any manuals.

Is there a B350 manual available on the DodgeForum? And if not, I can look elsewhere, but I need to get the name or publisher of the manual.

 

There is no downloadable repair manual available.

 

Back to the bushings. I used white grease, installed both bushings on the linkage, and it's working as it should.

Unfortunately, there's a loud squealing coming from both bushings, despite adding more grease.

Any recommendations?

 

Suppose it could be the motor or the pivot/rods/whatever they're called that the wiper arms are attached to. Maybe try some spray lubricant and try to narrow it down.

On a side note, I went through replacing bushings this weekend. Was heading home from a long weekend in a horrific downpour on a major interstate with no shoulder when suddenly a bang the the two wiper arms were holding on to each other. Obviously these things fail when it rains so it goes without saying when they fail its an inconvenience to say the least. Being that I've experienced this before, I'd had one left over from a two pack of bushings from ebay. They were more of a yellowish/clear plastic and boy were they a major headache to get on the linkage. I'm talking a large pair of channel locks and it took forever a bit at a time. Since two failed I eventually got to Advance Auto and picked up a Dorman assortment pack 49447 for $4. These were distinctly whiter than the ones I had and snapped in immediately.

Long story short, carry spares if you can. If you do, I highly recommend the Dorman assortment pack from so you know they go in without a fight, risking destroying the bushing in the process. Otherwise you may want to keep some rain-x in your van. These things are a poor design in my opinion and don't last, even properly greased.

 

Two other things, did you clean the male **** that snaps in the bushing well before installing the bushing? I noticed on mine, there was very small bits and pieces of old brittle plastic stuck on mine.

Also could be another bushing on its way out. Might want to just replace them all.

 

There are three bushings -- one on the linkage from the motor and the other two on linkages to each wiper.

One bushing broke went last year while -- as you said -- in a tremendous downpour while traveling on the interstate through Nebraska, late on a Friday afternoon. Sympathetic body shop workers removed the cowling and replaced just the broken bushing. I didn't know squat about what was wrong, so I didn't even know to ask if they'd also replace the other two bushings.

Yep -- I completely removed the old, brittle bushing from one and wiped off the **** of the other one, the one that had broken.

No lie. One bushing was easy to get to and with a little white grease, it klunked in place with a squeeze on each side. The other one was wedged behind a post and took 45 minutes of fiddling. If I had an angled set of channel locks it would've taken minutes.

I'll try some silicon spray for the squealing; if that doesn't work, I'll turn the radio up when the wipers are on.