Have a 93 300l. I was driving in rain and all of a sudden the wiper went crazy. It would wipe part of the window and stop. The end of the blade would rub the edge of the pillar and bind up. Made it home and checked the wiper out and I saw scratch marks on the neck of the turtle shell. I thought something loose. I pulled on it an it moved back and forth . I am not sure how the pieces go together so I come here. With the blade rubbing the edge of car am I to determine its broken? Is something under the shell missing or loose and I need to tighten it? I bought a new blade because when I first saw the blade start wiping funny I saw something I thought fly off the car thus causing the wiper to work wrong . So maybe a part missing. I need to know how to get the shell off and a diagram of the parts there I can look at to determine if any missing. Is there a lock nut anypace ?
Can I put a smaller blade on it and forget about it or do I need the 24" blade? I looked online and all I have seen if how to remove the whole assembly. But none of the how tos show the turtle shell removal.
Any help appreciated. I have looked for stickys

 

Follow up : found some info on the site read it and went out to remove the turtle shell. My shell DOES NOT have any tabs on it to pop loose. I tried an hour to get it off and it wont budge . I need help please

 

Ok I read a few DIY on website and tackled the task of taking the wiper apart and lubricating the interior works . Took 2 days due to cold and snow to get it apart and lubed and put back together . Operational check yields NOTHING. Still moves about 1/4 of the way then stops . Moving in any direction was not possible. Any body got any ideas ? I does move so does that mean the motor is ok? Not moving far does that mean its in a bind ? It did work and suddenly it stopped during a rain storm. I don't have any equipment to check electrics . It acts as if its in a bind . So where do these things bind up . I need some help please. I don't mind taking it apart again as it was fairly easy.
I do have one concern though. When I began taking the wiper out I moved the motor to the upright position . The as I worked on it I moved it back and forth to get at bolts. When I reinstalled it I did the same thing final setting was upright . Once it got installed I manually moved the arm to the drivers side to install the blade . Then I turned the wiper on and it moved about 1/4 of the way and stopped. Did my manually moving it cause a position issue and thus a bind ? HELP

 

All I can think is that the arm came loose from the cam at the base of the arm (and windshield). Pull up the cover, just as you were replacing the entire arm. Loosen and remove the bolt and pull the arm off. Run the wiper and watch that the axle,for no other name, is spining properly, then stop it. Reinstall the arm so it is on the far left (drivers side). That's where my 96 rests when it is off at the very bottom of the windshield. Tighten it back up. Run the wipers. Good Luck. This sounds like a simple response, or I don't understand the problem. Also I believe performance parts sells a replacement cam if that is the problem. I have purchased their replacement slip in rubber blade replacement, it's great for under $10. then, excellent.

 

try lubing the shaft that moves in and out, not the gear mechanism, but the shaft on the arm itself. that usually goes dry and that wil happen.

 

Heres what I have done so far . I took it off , then apart installed a new gear lubed it , set motor to park , moved arm to far left side of windshield. Turned it on and it worked for about 3 wipes. It then stopped. It will work without the blade and arm on it . So, my next question is motor bad ?
It wants to move when turned on but stops almost immediately . But it goes no further. I have found a motor at a salvage yard for $60 bucks. May have to go get it. Is there any electrical info available on the motor anyplace. Or should I just replace the whole thing ? I have found a whole wiper assembly from a 300sl . So ?

 

replace the whole assembly if the price is at least close to what just a motor would be. doesn't hurt to have spare parts if you plan on keeping the car. is the wiper transmission gear ok? 002 820 007 41. check ebay too

 

Last night I ordered the assembly . I am going to replace the gear with my new gear and see what happens. I bought the assembly for $150. Couldn't find a reasonable price on a motor so I got the whole thing. I'll keep you posted when I get it replaced.
Thanks for the input
Earl

 

I finally got the assembly from California. Got my old one off and was prepping the newer one when I saw the electrical plug had only 4 connector plugs . Mine has 5. This is obviously a newer version. So I called the place I got it and got it in the mail for a return. I did some troubleshooting and was confident I had it right and it wouldn't move more than an inch. Frustrated I took the turtle shell off and saw the wheels had jumped off the rails they ride on this causing a bind . I found that the screws were loose causing the track to move and the thing to jump off track. I removed and reattached it and tightened it down and it is now working perfectly. Got a new blade on it and I am eagerly awaiting the rain. Thanks to all for your input and thoughts . I learned a lot. Now to tackle the soft top not operating .

 

thanks for some good information. always something new to learn on these cars.