GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Has anyone broken the hatch glass when removing the wiper motor? The large nut on the shaft is exposed (wiper arm removed) and I thoroughly cleaned around the nut/shaft and soaked it well with Deep Creep. I have put what I think to be quite a bit of force, but am afraid that the glass may crack around the mounting bolt hole areas if I use too much force to break it free.
Thank you in advance.
Paul in Newcastle, Ontario

Well, I managed to get it off. Definitely need to use a 6-point deep socket to remove it. Pretty well wiped the threads off of the wiper motor though. Too bad, because I removed the shaft, cleaned it up, lubed, and put it back together. Probably would have been good for several more years if the threads didn't get damaged. The new wiper motor is supposed to be here tomorrow....went with one from Amazon, definitely no Denso.....see how long it lasts.

Don't know if it matters, but in three Vibe/Matrix since 03, I've never had one go out - knock on wood.

Glad you got it off without breaking the glass

Having rear wiper motors seize up seems to happen more in northern climates where roads get treated for snow/ice. The lock cylinders on the hatch can get gunked up too, hatchbacks tend to have aerodynamics that cause a lot of road spray to land on the back

The attached pdf from the 03 Matrix manual includes the recommended torque settings when re-installing the motor

Thanks for the attachment, joatman. I was pretty gentle on the tightness of the packing nut....didn't torque it as I didn't see this until now

I used a considerable amount of silicone grease on the outside of the shaft and inside diameter of the bushing/grommet before inserting the wiper motor through the glass. I sealed the area between the grommet and the shaft on the outside of the glass with silicone grease as well as the whole area prior to installing the washer/nut. I don't think there will be an issue to remove this one if required.

Thank you all for your input/comments.
Paul

2006 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:02 pm Pretty well wiped the threads off of the wiper motor though.

I recently replaced a Matrix hatch, and I thought I'd pull the wiper motor off the old one to keep as a spare, and you were dead on right about that big nut. It took way more effort than I thought it should, and it did strip the threads off the motor shaft. I guess the lesson is if your motor goes bad, buy a new one, don't hope for one out of a junkyard