After reading a few suggestions on how to repair sloppy wiper linkages, I decided to have a go at it. Discovery #1 The wiper bushes on a Maverick are not the ball and socket type as suggested by several posters Discovery #2 they are not designed to be repaired Method - remove dash, heater vents/pipes, lower steering column and remove stupid steel plate....good luck with that by the way. Remove wiper arms . Drop wiper motor bracket, no need to remove, remove clip from motor spindle and remove both linkage arms. Unbolt and remove remove both wiper spindles with linkage. Discovery #3 no form of bushings to be seen anywhere.....suspect they got brittle and disintegrated. Grind head of pin that holds spindle assy to linkage and knock it out using a punch (support other end with a socket) Obtain 2 m8 x 35 bolts , with a smooth shank, nyloc nuts and m8 washers . Search ebay and buy a pack of 17mm od nylon bushes with 8mm hole, 10mm tall.Gently sand down bushes until the fit nicely into the link arms (they dont need much). Drill out the 2 bushes (to about 10mm) for the motor spindle until the spin freely. Replace the pivot pins with the m8 bolts and re-assemble, only tighten the lock nuts far enough to enable free movement without excess play ...trim off excess protruding bolt thread to prevent possible snagging . Bolt it all back in reverse order...proper job, no cable ties or bodges and easy to repair again next time,......... heaven forbid
scared me...you said..."Remove the dash"...I see it was the instrument cluster. do they have to be...2 m8 x 35 bolts, or can they be standard bolts?
they were the closest size I could get locally with the plain shank, imperial size will do just as good if you alter the bushing to suit, a little loose is better than a tight fit . Most of my dash area parts were missing when I bought the car, including the heater controls and part of the heater/ AC assembly ... so they may impede access too
Good solution! Reminds me of when the first (of both) window track bushings broke on my '98 Dakota about 10 years ago, causing the window to fall out of the track. The guy at the parts counter looked for new bushings and said I'd have to buy the entire PW regulator assembly for (about) $300. I went home, pulled the door panel off, and made a new bushing from Delrin. Took about 2 hrs for the first one and 45 minutes for the other side a couple years later...
Excellent write up, I'm currently looking for those size bushings on eBay and everywhere else. Do you happen to have a link for them?
Ah I see, I ended up using a similar method as you wish the bolts, but used a bushing kit from Dorman. It wasn't the best fix, the bushings had to be modified a lot and although tight, I question the longevity. I wish those bushings you got were easily sourced in the US, I as tight on time so I couldn't wait to have them shipped over seas
