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Old 10-20-2019, 10:33 AM   #1
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Windshield wipers not working. Help

2018 GT5 31l

Have a 6 hour drive. Wipers not sweeping across windshield. Get stuck and jerking. Replacing wipers. WD40 on everything that’s supposed to move. Any ideas?
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Old 10-20-2019, 10:40 AM   #2
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Do the wipers do this at all speeds?
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Old 10-20-2019, 11:32 AM   #3
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Yes. Jerky. I put on new wipers. Sprayed all the arms and put RainX on the windshield. They are back to working but still a bit jerky.
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Old 10-21-2019, 01:49 PM   #4
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Dmhawv7,

We would be happy to assist you with your 2018 Georgetown 5 Series GT5. Because your ongoing satisfaction is very important to us, we invite you to contact Nicholas Hoover in our Customer service department through the following personalized and direct link: http://www.forestriverinc.com/Direct...72661007167864.

This direct link is provided for your convenience in order that we may resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. We will strive to respond to you within 24 hours of receiving your correspondence.

Respectfully,
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:38 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Dmhawv7 View Post
Yes. Jerky. I put on new wipers. Sprayed all the arms and put RainX on the windshield. They are back to working but still a bit jerky.
Will the wiper arms stay lifted like on a car? If so, are they jerky when not touching the windshield?

Ray
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:58 PM   #6
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Dmhawv7,

We would be happy to assist you with your 2018 Georgetown 5 Series GT5. Because your ongoing satisfaction is very important to us, we invite you to contact Nicholas Hoover in our Customer service department through the following personalized and direct link: http://www.forestriverinc.com/Direct...72661007167864.

This direct link is provided for your convenience in order that we may resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. We will strive to respond to you within 24 hours of receiving your correspondence.

Respectfully,
Forest River


Please contact me directly at dmhawv@aol.com. I am in the Outer Banks and my internet connection is horrible.

First night it rained and the water poured in on top of me - SAME place has been fixed several times. So unbelievably ridiculous.

Then next day no wipers.

They will work sporadically. No change when pulled off of the glass. They act like they are plowing through molasses- if they work at all.

I’m here for 6 days. Need a wiper fix to get home. Supposed to rain tomorrow so I’ll have to bring in the slide-out to keep from having it pour in on top of the couch again.

Not a happy camper.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:09 PM   #7
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We bought our GT used in sept 2012 and in 2013 the wiper motor started acting up. First it was the jerky sweeps and then it quit . I could wait 10 mins and then it would start again for 5/6 sweeps and then quit. I could hit the motor with a hammer and it would start for 5/6 sweeps. Rain X was my friend... in fact I rarely used the wipers for about 3 years.
Finally I bought a new motor from Amazon and fitted it. An easy job if you can stand on your head!! I still use Rain X so the new motor is in as new condition, but it works for our required state safety inspections.
PS I changed the wiper blades from 32" to 28" to lessen the load but it was no better on the old motor.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:44 PM   #8
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We bought our GT used in sept 2012 and in 2013 the wiper motor started acting up. First it was the jerky sweeps and then it quit . I could wait 10 mins and then it would start again for 5/6 sweeps and then quit. I could hit the motor with a hammer and it would start for 5/6 sweeps. Rain X was my friend... in fact I rarely used the wipers for about 3 years.
Finally I bought a new motor from Amazon and fitted it. An easy job if you can stand on your head!! I still use Rain X so the new motor is in as new condition, but it works for our required state safety inspections.
PS I changed the wiper blades from 32" to 28" to lessen the load but it was no better on the old motor.


Thank you. I really do feel like hitting SOMETHING with a hammer.
RainX was a huge help.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:49 PM   #9
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I assume this would be as effective. I began using RainX windshield washer fluid in my cars years ago. It does take a while for it to show up but once it's there, it's there. This might be easier for you ongoing.

Ray
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Old 10-22-2019, 03:24 PM   #10
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This guy is local to you and may be able to help. https://www.route12rvrepair.com/default.html


Call 252-599-0808

12rvrepair@gmail.com
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Old 10-23-2019, 07:19 AM   #11
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This guy is local to you and may be able to help. https://www.route12rvrepair.com/default.html


Call 252-599-0808

12rvrepair@gmail.com


Thanks. Pulling out the extended warranty info today to try and navigate this. I originally thought I might be enjoy my vacation. Silly me.

1. Rain pouring in over couch - repeated issue “repaired” multiple times.
2. Sporadic windshield wipers
3. Residential refrigerator leaking a steady stream of water out into the floor.

I contacted the FR representative through the link they put in this thread. He suggested the wipers may need a new switch or motor. I’d kinda figured that much. He also told me to take it to the nearest FR dealership - which is 3 1/2 hours from me right now. Once I provided the Vin he saw I’m out of warranty so he suggested I take it wherever I wanted to. When I told him I didn’t find his responses helpful in any way he let me know I’m a rude person.

Really, when I saw the post about contacting the FR representative I thought that FR was adding a layer of support and service to their customers and I was impressed. I thought maybe I would get a response like , “ based on our experience - this could be an issue with the wiper motor. Your motor is “xyz” and can be ordered from any of these locations/links.” Nope.

I appreciate everyone’s input. I guess I’ll spend today working through the extended warranty process.
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Old 10-23-2019, 01:01 PM   #12
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FWIW, I would not expect any vendor to offer up that level of detail for a system they did not install and that they never warrantied. It's Ford's warranty and at least part of the Ford warranty is three years, so maybe that is another angle for you to pursue.



There's just too much downside for them. If they said they thought it was a wiper motor, and it does appear that way to me, and they provided a part number, what happens if it's not the motor or Ford changed part numbers and the customer's part number is different?



The customer would start complaining, want reimbursement for the part and shipping and maybe for labor if they paid someone to install it, etc.



Unless I'm confusing posters, I think you had two other issues?



The refrigerator leak may or may not be theirs. Do you have an ice maker? If so, try shutting the water valve off to the ice maker if there is one. Or search the forums here or on iRV2 Forums since LG is a common brand.



The water leak from the slide is a different matter but there really are not that many places the water can come in. Does the 2018 model have a slide topper?



Ray


All good points Ray. I understand. Perhaps some level of my levelheadedness disappears when my extremely limited relaxation RV time is in jeopardy.

I thought I’d read posts here that stated the wiper motor was a Forest River installed part and Ford wouldn’t cover it. I guess I’ll find out one way or another. Being out of Forest River warranty I expect the cost to replace is mine.

The drainage issue from the fridge has been solved. The small drain line from the tray had come loose enough to allow for the leakage. Sometimes it’s the simplest solutions. I just previously never knew where the drain line was....

As far as the rain coming in. Yes there is a topper. It has been replaced twice. Either by wind or some other means, the top of the slide gets a large amount of water on it and it drains into the middle of the slide and towards the RV - the caulking doesn’t seem to be enough to keep it all out and it comes in the rv directly on my head when sleeping on the pull out couch. I pulled the slide in and it took 5 beach towels to mop up all the water on the slide top.

So if it rains now, I have no choice but to bring the main slide in. That’s pretty frustrating.
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Old 10-23-2019, 06:19 PM   #13
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You may be correct that it is an FR part. If so, then yes, they should have given you the part number BUT I don't think FR sells parts to anyone but a dealer. Still, I'm sure it's a generic part.

Mine is at the dealer right now and one of the write-ups is that one of the three toppers holds a lot of water while the other two don't hold any. It is the largest topper but it's not that much larger than the second-largest one. I'll try to remember to follow up if they do something like adjust the tension to keep the water from collecting. That is supposed to be possible.

It sounds like your topper is actually filling up with water to the extent that it backs up to the exterior wall? That is a lot of water, more than mine.

Ray
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Old 01-22-2020, 09:34 AM   #14
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Two updates:

First, the wiper issue required replacement of the wiper motor. Done under my Extended Warranty.

Second: as an update, the water/rain pouring into the camper over the couch: I had a back and forth with a customer service rep from Foreat River resulting in FR agreeing to make the necessary repairs to the main slid-out. I’m. ERY grateful, not because this is above and beyond but it is what FR should have felt obligated to repair.

The dealership has completed the repair. They found that the header over the main slide was two boards with a gap in the middle. This allowed two things, the slide to sag down in the middle, and the water to flow through and into the camper.

As a reminder, this is the third time this problem has gone through a “major” repair process. First time by dealer. Second by Forest River at their facility in Indiana and now by local dealer again. Am I confident,no. Hopeful, yes!
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Old 01-26-2020, 11:23 PM   #15
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Happy to see you are getting service. I had a leak above the bed and thought it was the slide seal. It would show up sometimes and then not at all. Eventually I got on the roof and started a microscopic inspection of the caulking. I found that the skylight caulking was not adhered to the plastic ( although it looked fine). That's where the leak was. The plastic had a release agent on it from manufacturing which would not allow the caulk to stick.( The new skylight had the same stuff). I used acetone to clean the area under the new caulk and all is now sealed.
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