Thursday Aug 13 2003

RearWiperArmRemoval

Time:
- allow about an hour

Tools:
- ratchet with 10mm and 14mm sockets
- Philips head screwdriver
- small flat head screwdriver

Supplies:
- 1" metal hole car/plug
- 1 small ziptie
- shop rag for general wipe off

Collateral Damage:
- slit finger (A DIY just isn't a DIY without some blood)
- shortened input water line to motor

Difficulty:
3 or 4 out of 10


A pretty straight forward DIY. I haven't turned any wrenches on a BMW, but the concept is pretty simple: remove motor cover, remove motor, plug hole. 
Here are my step-by-step instructions with detailed pictures. :)

Step 1 - Removing The Motor Cover
I wasn't sure how to remove the wiper motor cover, but I didn't see any exposed hardware, expect for the two small Philips screws at the
hatch handle pull area, so that meant, the lovely plastic clips that we all love so much.

After removing the screw caps, and screws, I wedged with a rag my small flathead screwdriver between the hatch and motor cover. I slipped
my fingers in the gap, and gently began to pull downwards from the sides oif the cover (think hands at the bottom corners). I pulled and
pulled, and waited for something to break. With a loud pop, the first of the clips gave way. The sound was that of me breaking the cover, but
NONE broke thankfully.

Once a couple give way, you can leverage the rest of the cover with your hands, and its comes off without incident.

See all the little  white clips / popscrews?
 

Step 2 - Removing The Motor
a.
Take the 14mm socket and remove the 3 gold colored bolts securing the motor to the hatch. Don't worry about it falling; the wiper arm is
still attached on the topside to support it.

b.
Remove the flip up cap and micro-stopper at the base of the wiper arm. Take the 10mm socket and remove that gold colored nut and
washer.
 

c.
Support the motor with your left hand on the underside of the hatch, while using your right hand to twist the wiper arm side to side with a
gentle upward motion to remove it from the motor shaft. *When it comes off, the motor will fall into your left hand*.

d.
Disconnect the 2 electrical connections to the motor. The small one pull strait out.

 The larger one, pinch *this* way and pull off.
 

e.
The only remaining connection is the dribbly water line. BMW put a nasty little hose clamp on this line, and as best I could tell, the input connection on the motor has a small nipple/ridge on it to prevent the line from ever slipping off. Well, I tried slipping it off with some light pressure and some pliers. *Small mistake here* The very tip of the input connection (plastic) snapped off inside of the hose, with the nasty clamp still attached.

I can put it back on someday far down the road without much incident; there is plenty of material left to re-secure the hose, BUT, for those of you doing this for yourself, just cut that little clamp off, and save the plastic input connection.



Step 3 - Plug The Hole
a. There is nothing magical about the rubber grommet; it'll pop right out.

b. A trip to Lowes provided me with this cool little metal hole plug. Its chrome-esque, which BTW I'm not all about chrome, esp on a BMW, but it certainly looked better than black, and I won't need to paint it anytime soon.

I wasn't sure which size to get, so I grabbed a few. Turns out, 1" is the winner. Just pop that sucker in there, and that's it!
 

Step 4 - Finishing
a. I was left with the water line hanging down, so I ziptied it to one of the existing wires to resemble a bit of a finished look. I *wanted* to plug the hose up with something, put I didn't have anything handy, so I just need to be careful to to accidentally shoot any water inside the hatch door :).

Solution?
- I guess I could clamp it a little ways upstream
- disconnet it from the washer resivoir (?)
- plug it up with something that will keep things dry, but something that I can remove later if need be

b.
Anyway, just pop the cover back on by aligning the locking mechanism up with the cover hole, then tap the clips back in with the heel of your hand. You'll hear them secure.

VOILA!