Weak-Super Slow Vacuum Wipers on a 68 Rebel 550

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   When I bought my Rebel, the vacuum wipers wouldn't budge at all.  I took apart the wiper motor (be careful and take lots of pictures so you get everything back together right!) and found the grease inside had hardened into a thick wax.  I wiped away most of it with a paper towel and used a putty knife to remove the rest.  Some had hardened into a plastic-like film and had to be dissolved with a little paint thinner.
Once it was cleaned up, I put fresh mult-purpose grease in and it's been working great ever since.

Like someone else said, that fuel pump does NOT have provisions for a vacuum wiper.  If you want to know if your problem is the pump or the motor, you can hook the motor directly to manifold vacuum and it should work.  If it doesn't, you need to rebuild the motor.

Good luck!

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RebelRay Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Supporter of TheAMCForum Joined: Dec/14/2012 Location: St. Louis, Mo Status: Offline Points: 1504	Post Options Post Reply Quote RebelRay Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: Nov/28/2017 at 12:39pm
	When I bought my Rebel, the vacuum wipers wouldn't budge at all. I took apart the wiper motor (be careful and take lots of pictures so you get everything back together right!) and found the grease inside had hardened into a thick wax. I wiped away most of it with a paper towel and used a putty knife to remove the rest. Some had hardened into a plastic-like film and had to be dissolved with a little paint thinner. Once it was cleaned up, I put fresh mult-purpose grease in and it's been working great ever since. Like someone else said, that fuel pump does NOT have provisions for a vacuum wiper. If you want to know if your problem is the pump or the motor, you can hook the motor directly to manifold vacuum and it should work. If it doesn't, you need to rebuild the motor. Good luck!
	Click here to check out my 65 Classic Wagon build thread!

TigreContento Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: Nov/04/2017 Location: TEX Status: Offline Points: 38	Post Options Post Reply Quote TigreContento Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Nov/28/2017 at 2:13pm
	Thank you, yes i just disarmed the wiper system and clean it all and removed the old grease, put new and still stuck, also get the manifold hose and still the same, im more in new wiper pump than rebuild the entire 232 because it runs great, no engine cranks noises, starts as a mach...
	Building my first REBEL 550

farna Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Supporter of TheAMCForum Moderator Lost Dealership Project Joined: Jul/08/2007 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 19676	Post Options Post Reply Quote farna Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: Nov/29/2017 at 6:14am
	Well, you need wipers to drive in bad weather... Re-greasing the motor sometimes helps, but the seal around the edge of the flapper may be cracked too badly, the return springs inside may be broke, or the valves inside the flapper may be bad. The only thing you can actually fix is the hardened grease, the others are replaced when the motor is rebuilt. With a little ingenuity you can replace the vac motor with an electric, but unless you have an electric motor from a 67+ Rebel (not sure if a Matador motor will just bolt in, but it probably will -- except Matador Coupe) it takes some work. I've done it on my 63 Classic. Only motor that bolts right in is a 64-66 Classic/Ambo/Marlin motor. Those are old! I had one, it failed after a couple years. Made a mount and modified an 80s Ford truck motor to fit. Sweep isn't exactly right, but it's adequate.
	Frank Swygert