Windshield Wiper Arm

[nemo45]

Has anyone ever had to replace a wiper arm? If so, where do you get one, from Ford or Forest River? While driving in the rain the driver side wiper slipped off the windshield and stuck by the side mirror, when I took it off, the spline was completely stripped from the arm.

[norwood12800]

I am having mine adjusted at the Ford dealer as we speak while it is there for the gear cable recall so I would say Ford.

[tmmar]

My Berkshire has a pantograph style wiper arm and there was no way to find out what the part number was so I wound up ordering one from Forest River. Cost me about $70.

[nemo45]

Since I have one of the chassis that are on recall, I decided to call the Ford dealer that is going to do that work. The partsman there said that the wiper arm is not listed for my VIN number and that they would find out from FR what wiper arm to get. He tried to call FR but they told him to go thru the dealer network. I gave him my dealer's number and he said he'd get in touch with them. This was Thursday. I haven't heard back from the parts dept. so I'm assuming they told him what arm was needed. However, I am calling the Ford dealer on Monday to make sure they'll have the right arm for my appointment on next Friday. In the mean time, when I removed the nut that holds the arm on and replaced it I noticed that the nut was bottoming out on the top of the post the arm goes on. So I put a couple of of 3/8" washers on top of the arm before I put the nut back on. Now I could tighten the nut down on the washer arm and jam it onto the wiper post with the spline on the post. The post is hard (heat treated) and the arm seems to be aluminum so the arm should lock on there pretty good so I can travel the last 115 miles to my Ford dealer even in the rain. More later, when i find out exactly what wiper arm is used.

[Iggy]

The wiper arms I have on my 2012 have the letters "AM" and I Googled it and found this link which looks correct. American Equipment.
AM Equipment - Manufacturer of | OEM Windshield Wiper Systems, Wiper Arms, and Wiper Accessories | Fractional Horsepower Motors | Wiper Motors, Window Lift Motors, Gearhead Motors


Here is the pdf catalog for RV and Bus arms and blades. LINK

[cfsoistman]

Thank goodness I haven't needed to replace an arm, just the blades on one occasion. To keep the blades from bending from constant contact on the windshield I place tennis balls under the arms so the blade remains about 1/4 inch off the windshield during non-use times. Dollar store, pack of 2 for a buck. Mine are Sponge Bob Square Pants, he was the cheapest they had.

[kenandterry]

Just checked the wiper arms on my rig a little more after reading this post.

As far as protecting the wiper blades themselves when the rig is stationary, I purchased some of the foam insulation tubing you would use to insulate your hot water pipes inside your real house. This keeps them from being in contact with the glass and possibly "gluing" themselves to the surface in the direct sunshine, and also protects them from the UV rays drying out the rubber.

[nemo45]

Originally Posted by Iggy

The wiper arms I have on my 2012 have the letters "AM" and I Googled it and found this link which looks correct. American Equipment.
AM Equipment - Manufacturer of | OEM Windshield Wiper Systems, Wiper Arms, and Wiper Accessories | Fractional Horsepower Motors | Wiper Motors, Window Lift Motors, Gearhead Motors


Here is the pdf catalog for RV and Bus arms and blades. LINK

On my 2011 the word Truvision is stamped on one of the wiper arms. I suspect the reason they are different is the change to the front end on the 2012's.

[nemo45]

I called Truvision and found out that the wiper arm has no spline in it. When it is assembled on the post the spline from the post is pressed into the arm. So what I did putting washers on top of the arm and tightening the nut, should of done the trick. Anyway, they are Truvision wipers and if anything needs replacing you need to get the kit number off of the wiper motor and call Truvision with it and they will get you the parts. You could probably get the information you need from FR too. I asked them about a warranty and they said they warranty them to their customer which I guess would be FR. I don't know where that leaves us. I wouldn't be happy if I had to buy a wiper arm after using the wipers maybe 3 times in the year and 7 months I've had my Georgetown.

[nemo45]

Well, I ended up having to order a wiper arm from TruVision anyway. When I jammed the arm down on the post with the washers, the hole was worn so big that the arm went past the spline and the post just moved inside the arm and the arm wouldn't move. The arm was $33 plus shipping. Gonna try to get FR to reimburse me, but doubt if that's gonna happen. In order to get the correct arm I had to go under the hood and get the kit number off the wiper motor that FR puts on it and then Wiper Technologies (336-370-0812) can cross-reference it and get you the correct wiper arm. I guess Wiper Technologies is a subsiduary of TruVision.