Wiper Arm won't move!

[Tarfu43]

One of my wiper arms won't move. When the wipers are activated, I can see the motor trying to move the wiper (as the little cover at the base of the wiper moves up and down slightly), but the wiper won't move. I admit I must have failed to remove all the ice from the lower windshield, which obviously prevented the wiper from moving. Don't these things come with slip-clutches or something to prevent permanent damage or gear stripping? Anyway, do I need a new gear, wiper-motor, or what? Is there a way to "reset" the wiper somehow? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Sublimewind]

Did you try moving it by hand to get it "started" I'm sure something could be bound up.. hard to say though...

[Whelan]

First thing first, ALWAYS remove ALL the ice from the wiper before operating. A $5 can of De-Icer goes a LONG way. That being said, you could have broken the wiper. The fact that the motor is working but it is not engaging means you either slipped off track or broke the gears. Simple enough the main connection of the wiper is one bolt. Take it off and see if you can find anything loose or broken, start there.A replacement arm is not very pricey.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Simple enough the main connection of the wiper is one bolt. For me this bolt ie nut on one of the arms kept coming loose and when it is losse enough the arm wont move. So check to see that the nut is tight.