Wipers

Make sure the air intake filter is not blocked too. Cleaning mine made a big difference in performance. May want to add a can/tank for hills. Walt

464 Saloon



The vacuum is used to pull air into the wiper motor. There is a little filter at the air intake on the wiper motor which needs to allow air to move in freely. It doesn't have to have to move a large volume, but it does have to let air move through it.



Essex 28-1



Dunno about the Essex. I'd suppose you could use a can if you had an adequate vacuum source. but would think it had to be plumbed separately of the fuel system. Most tanks I see on later cars are about the size of a large grapefruit juice can... quart, maybe a bit more. Creating a vacuum in the can provides a vacuum reservoir for times when the engine is not pulling enough vacuum to operate the wipers, as in going up hill or accelerating. Size of the can determines how much air can be pulled though in reserve capacity.



All you need is a tee in the line, one arm of which is connected to the can, one to the wiper motor and one, usually the stem to the vacuum line from the pump. Hudson made one of these, whcih as I recall was glass. Can has to be strong enough to stand the vacuum without being crushed.



Borrowed from the from the : The Kempner Power Wagon Museum: their text.



WINDSHIELD WIPERS



"QUESTION: The vacuum wipers slow down or quit whenever I accelerate.





What can I do to have decent performance with vacuum wipers?



First, check to see all available vacuum is getting to the motors. Vacuum gauge readings should be the same at the intake manifold and at the motors. Replace pinched, clogged, or leaking vacuum hoses.



Next, check to see if the motors are clean and lubricated. Outside air at atmospheric pressure enters the valving system through an air inlet that usually has a felt filter. The filter may be dirty or missing. Not all wipers have a filter. The air inlet may be under the valving system cover. If you can get to it without taking anything apart, be sure it is clean. Put a few drops of sewing machine (light weight) oil in the air inlet with a vacuum source and the wiper motor turned on. You can help the motor but do not apply any amount of force. Many times the fiber part that actuates the flipper valve to reverse the motor is broken and you are applying force against the motor's normal direction. It would be a good idea to have a "catch" jar in the vacuum line so any "crud" (technical term) can be observed and prevented from going to the truck motor. This may clean and lubricate the motor and restore it to normal operation. I have heard of mechanics doing this by holding the vacuum motor in a tub of kerosene and just letting the kerosene be sucked into the engine. Keep in mind, I'm older than any Power Wagon and have seen and heard many things....



The last thing is the simple fact that there is just enough vacuum for running the wipers on a level road at a steady speed. You are fine until you accelerate. My 1950 Plymouth had a double action fuel pump. Both sides of the diaphragm were sealed - one side moved fuel and the other created vacuum. The wipers had full vacuum at all engine loads.... From the late '50's, cars have had vacuum reservoirs to sustain the average vacuum in a system. Mostly this was a requirement for vacuum boosted power brakes. The reservoirs often looked like a Number 10 can from a food market with a single tube inlet/outlet. It was "tee'd" into the vacuum line. This might help during short periods of increased engine load."



http://www.texaspowerwagon.com/wiper.htm



See also Rob Ficken's wbsite.



Walt