Rear wiper

Hi , one day my rear wiper stopped out of the blue ... it can also go nuts if washer fluid is leaking internally in motor (had that before as well) ...

So here is my refurb info ... besides general tools a wiper arm puller is very handy, about a £5 from ebay ...



So first the removal of lower trim... first I removed the emerg.triangle in compartment in tailgate trim... then the inner tail light covers...
Hold on to these as once screws undone they fall quite easily...



Next undo four torx screws on lower section of trim and two either side of emerg.triangle holder...



Checked clearance of elec.harness to inner tail light... the red line highlight where issue could occur when removing trim IMO...



Then unplug the lights in lower trim... place flat head in notch and lever out & unplug...



The lower trim is held on by six trim clips....



A wedge helped but considerable force is required to remove trim... you may need someone else to give a hand as trim falls when unclipped and if not careful could hit car and cause damage...

Once removed you will see the motor...



I unplugged washer hose marked by blue box, undid 5 torx screws on motor (one out of view on photo, denoted by red arrow)....

I left the elec.cable plugged in to see when rear wiper engaged what happen... nothing moved so as I had once before solved an issue with internal leak of washer fluid in motor I thought why not take apart and try my own refurb...

When you remove cover you will see this... do not lose the item in red box...



( guys I missed the original nasty shot when cover came off, above is the refurb'd photo, you will get an idea of how bad internals were from the photos below )

Next was wiper arm removal, I removed the wiper arm nut cover... then the washer nozzle... then undid nut only to in line with inner nozzle... placed a flat metal object in between nozzle/nut and wiper arm removal tool... the metal object will help not to damage face of inner nozzle when removing arm ...

I pushed inner nozzle from out side... I had closed tailgate so item would fall into boot space and not damage bumper...



Look at that rust build up ... I could not move that with both hands what chance did the motor have

You can see the PFTE tape used to seal internal point of nozzle with cover on my original repair of motor/leaks ...



Inside of the motor cover ... the black square is where washer nozzle shaft seat internally...



So I soaked nozzle/arm in WD40, then used needle files to remove rust from faces/teeth, gave blasts of WD40 to clean and repeated filing... then movement returned...



Then cleaned up cover and nozzle/arm... and applied grease to both... the cover require grease due to the black item (red box item in earlier photo) on arm making contact with it...



Then cut about 2 inch length of PFTE tape, fold in half along length, wound tight around end of nozzle/arm which meet cover...

This was necessary on mine as due to wear (I think) on the washer hose attachment on metal cover not sealing properly on my motor...



I do not believe nozzle/arm had seized/rusted due to another leak as all was dry inside wiper arm motor casing...
I think on previous repair I missed opportunity of cleaning internals and greasing properly which was a year ago...

Next I checked the elec.motor (this was not the issue with mine... it was the seized arm)... this was removed my undoing the two screws on housing and slowly twisting and lifting the grey cog up to allow motor to slide out... I cleaned and greased area under the grey cog...



Below is what I call the bush housing/elec section for motor...





These where the bushes for the motor...



Surprisingly the broken bushes still worked in motor when I refitted them... it was a case of locating them in the elec.section then using a sleeve to keep them in place as I put the motor shaft in place... the pressure of the spring mounts for the bushes kept them in place ...

The refurb'd parts fitted and tested before cover go back on...



It is best to run motor without wiper arm on first, so shaft/motor rotate to appropriate positions of start/stop...

I placed my finger on grey cog as from movement/lack of cover the wiper arm shaft and grey cog move outwards when motor initiate if no pressure applied...

Some maybe wondering why bother... well my view if you know method fix is probably an hours work and sorting seized arm pretty easy... the elec.motor section was me just meddling around

The motor range from £80-£100 plus fitting if you not do yourself... so in my view worth the effort...



So what I've learnt from meddling twice with rear wiper motor:-

i) if water leaking inside motor small application of PFTE tape on washer shaft

ii) if wiper arm not rotating check to see if inner arm mechanism seized

iii) lack of water or pressure check pipework running from reservoir to washer motor, cap secure on reservoir

iv) check nozzle jets clear which on wiper arm

gups, I am always gobsmacked by the effort you put into your "how to" posts... you are a real asset to this forum (and that other one that you frequent).

By this stage, whatever you don't know about taking apart and fixing a C6 isn't worth knowing!

Thanks mate ...

We all count ...

Absolutely brilliant write up, its of no use to me but im sure it will be very helpfull to many others so this is just a thank you post as people like you make this forum worth visiting.

Cheers mate you ...

You guys are making me ...

No worries mate :icon_thumright: ...

The only tool I'd recommend getting is a wiper arm removal tool ... I got an el cheapo one from ebay for under a fiver IIRC ...

gupsterg said:

The lower trim is held on by six trim clips....

A wedge helped but considerable force is required to remove trim... you may need someone else to give a hand as trim falls when unclipped and if not careful could hit car and cause damage...

Click to expand...

Many thanks to this guide!

I almost had a panic removing the trim, that is trying to remove the trim. I just could not get the trim closest to the window loose, breaking a bunch of clips and plastic details in the progress.

This is what did it for me:

1. Stand behind the car
2. Make sure the trim is loose enough that all six clips are out
3. Support the entire trim with the fore arms
4. Follow the side of the window trim and insert fingers between the trim and the window, just next to the overlap to the side trim.
5. Un-hook the rear trim from the side trim by lifting it out from the window with the fingers, as shown below. (There is a kind of hook in the rear trim that prevents it from being lifted. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it.)



Update: Here is the part number for the wiper motor to ease Ebay hunting
[h=2]4F9955711B[/h]

Any idea what the difference is between 4F9955711A, 4F9955711B, and 4F9955711C? I've seen all three on eBay.

Both A and B revisions will fit the A6 the C revision only fits the A4

Legend thanks!

Should also add the A revision does not fit the facelift C6 model, your best bet would be the B revision.

What about if your rear wiper has gone a bit "floppy"? Mine works perfectly, but at rest now hangs a little below the glass line on the body work and has a lot of play in it..

Most likely some of the teeth have been worn away, best bet is to follow the write-up by gupsterg and check it over.

Andi said:

What about if your rear wiper has gone a bit "floppy"? Mine works perfectly, but at rest now hangs a little below the glass line on the body work and has a lot of play in it..

Click to expand...

Mine has some play and was "floppy", on investigation the play right at the shaft is low but as you view it further along the length the play is bigger. I wish I could term this in a better way!LOL

All I did was move wiper arm to the end of play, remove it, then replaced on shaft at point where it is not on bodywork. When I ran wiper it didn't seem to overrun on to bodywork either side.

Service manual suggests 27mm gap between tip of wiper and bottom edge of glass.

Hope that helps.
Gup

gupsterg said:

Hi

, one day my rear wiper stopped out of the blue

... it can also go nuts if washer fluid is leaking internally in motor (had that before as well) ...

So here is my refurb info

... besides general tools a wiper arm puller is very handy, about a £5 from ebay ...

So first the removal of lower trim... first I removed the emerg.triangle in compartment in tailgate trim... then the inner tail light covers...
Hold on to these as once screws undone they fall quite easily...



Next undo four torx screws on lower section of trim and two either side of emerg.triangle holder...



Checked clearance of elec.harness to inner tail light... the red line highlight where issue could occur when removing trim IMO...



Then unplug the lights in lower trim... place flat head in notch and lever out & unplug...



The lower trim is held on by six trim clips....



A wedge helped but considerable force is required to remove trim... you may need someone else to give a hand as trim falls when unclipped and if not careful could hit car and cause damage...

Once removed you will see the motor...



I unplugged washer hose marked by blue box, undid 5 torx screws on motor (one out of view on photo, denoted by red arrow)....

I left the elec.cable plugged in to see when rear wiper engaged what happen... nothing moved so as I had once before solved an issue with internal leak of washer fluid in motor I thought why not take apart and try my own refurb...

When you remove cover you will see this... do not lose the item in red box...



(

guys I missed the original nasty shot when cover came off, above is the refurb'd photo, you will get an idea of how bad internals were from the photos below

)

Next was wiper arm removal, I removed the wiper arm nut cover... then the washer nozzle... then undid nut only to in line with inner nozzle... placed a flat metal object in between nozzle/nut and wiper arm removal tool... the metal object will help not to damage face of inner nozzle when removing arm ...

I pushed inner nozzle from out side... I had closed tailgate so item would fall into boot space and not damage bumper...



Look at that rust build up

... I could not move that with both hands what chance did the motor have

You can see the PFTE tape used to seal internal point of nozzle with cover on my original repair of motor/leaks ...



Inside of the motor cover

... the black square is where washer nozzle shaft seat internally...



So I soaked nozzle/arm in WD40, then used needle files to remove rust from faces/teeth, gave blasts of WD40 to clean and repeated filing... then movement returned...



Then cleaned up cover and nozzle/arm... and applied grease to both... the cover require grease due to the black item (red box item in earlier photo) on arm making contact with it...



Then cut about 2 inch length of PFTE tape, fold in half along length, wound tight around end of nozzle/arm which meet cover...

This was necessary on mine as due to wear (I think) on the washer hose attachment on metal cover not sealing properly on my motor...



I do not believe nozzle/arm had seized/rusted due to another leak as all was dry inside wiper arm motor casing...
I think on previous repair I missed opportunity of cleaning internals and greasing properly

which was a year ago...

Next I checked the elec.motor (this was not the issue with mine... it was the seized arm)... this was removed my undoing the two screws on housing and slowly twisting and lifting the grey cog up to allow motor to slide out... I cleaned and greased area under the grey cog...



Below is what I call the bush housing/elec section for motor...





These where the bushes for the motor...

Surprisingly the broken bushes still worked in motor when I refitted them... it was a case of locating them in the elec.section then using a sleeve to keep them in place as I put the motor shaft in place... the pressure of the spring mounts for the bushes kept them in place

...

The refurb'd parts fitted and tested before cover go back on...



It is best to run motor without wiper arm on first, so shaft/motor rotate to appropriate positions of start/stop...

I placed my finger on grey cog as from movement/lack of cover the wiper arm shaft and grey cog move outwards when motor initiate if no pressure applied...

Some maybe wondering why bother... well my view if you know method fix is probably an hours work and sorting seized arm pretty easy... the elec.motor section was me just meddling around

The motor range from £80-£100 plus fitting if you not do yourself... so in my view worth the effort...



So what I've learnt from meddling twice with rear wiper motor:-

i) if water leaking inside motor small application of PFTE tape on washer shaft

ii) if wiper arm not rotating check to see if inner arm mechanism seized

iii) lack of water or pressure check pipework running from reservoir to washer motor, cap secure on reservoir

iv) check nozzle jets clear which on wiper arm

Click to expand...

Gup this was really helpful thanks.

I thought i cracked it but then before putting trim back on it seems i have same problem. I appear to have a leak either from the black nipple where it meets the metal plate or from the hose connector

Would you think that applying more PTFE to the shaft is a good idea? I wrapped some but it seated into the nipple quite easily. Should it be snug fit?

It was a real pain to to remove the trim so im wondering whether i should just buy a new motor and not have to worry about servicing the worn shaft each year

What do you think?

Kihltech said:

Many thanks to this guide!

I almost had a panic removing the trim, that is trying to remove the trim. I just could not get the trim closest to the window loose, breaking a bunch of clips and plastic details in the progress.

This is what did it for me:

1. Stand behind the car
2. Make sure the trim is loose enough that all six clips are out
3. Support the entire trim with the fore arms
4. Follow the side of the window trim and insert fingers between the trim and the window, just next to the overlap to the side trim.
5. Un-hook the rear trim from the side trim by lifting it out from the window with the fingers, as shown below. (There is a kind of hook in the rear trim that prevents it from being lifted. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it.)

View attachment 33313

Update: Here is the part number for the wiper motor to ease Ebay hunting
[h=2]4F9955711B[/h]

Click to expand...

Great advice here. I somehow nuked 5 of my 6 metal clips. 6 new ones cost 3.84 from audi. they are available for pennies on ebay but given i didnt want to risk having to take the trim off again i let my local stealers rip me off

Hi RC944,

Glad guide useful .

Since doing this in May 2013 I haven't had to replace PTFE tape or do any further work or had an issue with wiper motor. IIRC it was a snug fit between nipple and shaft.

HTH
Gup

Sorry gup just saw your reply but already placed order with Mike for a new motor!!

Going to attempt to replace the rear wiper motor on my avant this weekend, seems straight forward enough, removing the rear trim is where I might have problems. Do you need much force to pull the trim off? Do the trim clips have a specific part number cos I know I'll either break or lose them!

Hi all..had a go at removing the trim last night all was going fine until I got to the part of the trim nearest the window (see uploaded pic), no matter what I did I could not remove it and I was also afraid of breaking it. Is there a knack to this...do you need a specialized to get this section off? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Pete

Great write up, must say.

I've removed the tailgate trim myself following just pictures of trims found on the internet to look out for the retaining clips. That was some time ago as I was installing load ressistors for the number plate lights.
If this write up been here back then, it would've made my job a hell of easier.

One question, though:
How do you remove the wiper arm screw cap? Is it just pulled up with force? Will I not damage the washer nozzle?

I did made a thread regarding it myself some time ago as my wiper wasn't working efficiently since new. Wanted to take the arm off and shorten the spring by few mm's so it's pulled against the glass firmer.
Never got to it as time and new projects always overtake the ones that I get stuck with. Lol
Issue is still there and I have replaced the wiper to be completely sure it is that but it's still not working as it would expected to.

Hey Kris...are you talking about the plastic cap that covers the spray nozzles and retaining bolt? If it is the plastic section will come off in your hand, just gently spread the lower edges and pull off, one of two things will happen, the nozzles will come off with the cap or they will stay in place, its just a press fit..will also come off easily..might need a small screwdriver to pry off if there is some rust. Once that comes off you will see the hex head bolt (13). Spray a dab of WD40 and unbolt. This is where I had problems, sometimes the wiper arm will refuse to come off due to age and rust so you will need a terminal puller\wiper arm removal tool, available from eBay and Amazon for €10. Hope this helps!

Peter

Thanx Peter
Will give it a try when I can

Anyone know the part number for the two rectangular lights in the tailgate??

It worked, Peter.
Gave it a slight pull and the cover came off.
Thanx again, pal.

Noticed that the spring I wanted to bend/shortened is already bended to fit into the wipers arm shape.

Will investigate further

@Crossmax managed to finally remove the rear wiper arm.
Had to be replaced as one of the clips holding the wiper blade was broken. Didn't noticed it before and been buying wrong wipers all the time.

Arm replaced and works much better.

Thanx again, bud


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