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Driver Side Wiper not Touching Windshield

3K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  desertpatriot 
#1 · (Edited)
have: 2000 S10 LS ext. cab
issue: driver side wiper does not touch the windshield during a full sweep; passanger side wipes perfect. driver side wiper rests firmly when in the down position but not firmly when in a full sweep.
failed attempts: replaced wipers with new blades, swapped wiper arms -passager side to driver side, replaced wiper arm with driver side wiper arm from a `00 Blazer, bent wiper arm closer to the windshield, replaced windshield.
Solution: ???
 
#2 ·
have: 2000 S10 LS ext. cab
issue: driverside wiper does not touch the windshield during a sweep. passanger side wipes perfect. driverside wiper rests firmly when in the down position but not firmly when in a sweep.
failed attempts: replaced wipers with new blades, replaced wiper arm with one from a `00 Blazer, bent wiper arm closer to the windshield, replaced windshield.
Solution: ???
According to GM Parts Direct, the driver side wiper arm (15043065) is interchangeable for the '00 S10 and Blazer. There are different numbers for the wiper blades however (L= 15757007 , R = 15757008 ), however, I don't know the difference between them. What was the problem with the S10 driver side wiper arm? Is it possible the Blazer wiper arm has a weak spring? What wiper blades were used? I'll assume that the replacement windshield is correct. :p
 
#3 · (Edited)
-There was nothing wrong with the driverside wiper arm; I figured for $2 (LKQ salvage yard) why not buy one, swap them out and see if there's any difference. There wasn't.
-Yes, it's possible the Blazer (and S10) wiper arm springs are weak. Question: Where does one buy replacement wiper arm springs?
-Michelin rubber wiper blades pn 20266 19" X 2 Costco $14 December 2021
Yes, according to the GM PNs, the wrong size blades were installed -left driver 20" right passanger 24". But would that make a difference in wiping the windshield clean during a full sweep?
-Yes, it could be an el-cheapo windshield replacement (communist China). But I'm hoping that's the last resort to this issue.
 
#7 ·
You may be onto the problem. I had a similar situation on my K2500 plow truck and it turned out that the shaft assembly the wiper arm was attached to was bent out of alignment. Not the shaft itself, but the tin it bolts to. The metal in that cowl area is not very strong or thick. I found a short length of pipe that just slipped over the end of the shaft and by pulling on it was able to change the angle of the shaft in relation to the windshield. Probably not the approved method to re-align it, but it worked. You want to have the pipe over the lower thicker area. It did not need much adjustment.
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#10 ·
I don't remember where I found the info, but the wiper arms have 2 different part numbers. Does it make a difference which side they're on...I don't know. I compared a set and I think they were a bit different. Maybe one of the differences is the strength of the spring...just guessing here.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Well, it appears in my previous post (#2) I committed an omission error. There are, indeed two different arms listed, which I somehow overlooked. They are 1990-2005 GM Driver Side Windshield Wiper Arm 15043065 | GMPartsDirect.com, and 1990-2005 GM Wiper Arm 15043066 | GMPartsDirect.com. This was the same as at the GM Parts Giant website. Rock Auto also shows different arms (although they are the dubious Dorkman brand). The difference between them isn't made on the websites, so I measured the arms on my '03 Sonoma. The OAL difference between the two arms is about 1/4", with the driver side being the longer of the two. That length factor might be worth looking into.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Progress report: I went ahead and straightened the wiper arm shaft with a 3/8 12M deep socket over the shaft with a long extension attachment. Gave it a quick jerk and Shazam, it worked! Both driver side and passenger side wipers sweep perfectly. Thanx again to oldeerslayer.



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