Needed:
Tools:
13mm wrench or socket &
ratchet
Removal
Note: I recommend leaving
the wiper blade installed during the removal and
installation of the wiper arm. It will help protect
your glass from scratches.
Step 1:
Remove cap over the nut. If it hasn't been lost, there
is a plastic cap over the nut at the swivel point of the
arm. Swing this cap up as far as it will go (no need
to force it), then pull straight out. Should pop off
easily.
Step 2:
Remove the nut. The nut shouldn't be too hard to get
loose. It requires a 13mm socket or wrench, and is
normally threaded (counter-clockwise to loosen).
Step 3: Remove the wiper arm.
The arm should still feel like it is on there fairly solid -
it and the post are both splined (have little ridges that
prevent slipping). You can probably get the wiper arm
loose by folding the arm completely upward away from the
glass and wiggling it a bit. If this doesn't work, you
can also put some locking pliers on the arm near the swivel
point and pull straight outward. (I did the pliers
thing before a friend showed me how easy it was to wiggle it
off...)
Installation
Installation is essentially the
reverse of removal. The shorter of the two wiper arms
goes on the passenger side. The only thing to really
watch is the alignment of the wiper arm. Make sure the
wiper posts are in the fully down position - hopefully this
is how they were when you removed them. If they're
not, turning on the car with the wiper switch off for a few
moments should complete any wiper cycle it might be in the
middle of, and return the post rotation to the full-down
position. DO NOT DO THIS WITH THE ARM RESTING ON THE
POST. That would be a great way to have something go
wrong, and scratch the glass.
With the posts in the full-down
position, the wiper arm should rest just above the dotted
area around the edge of the windshield glass - this is the
normal resting position of the wiper blade. Put the
arm on about where it looks right, carefully fold it down
(without hitting the glass if the wiper blade isn't on), and
see where it is, then adjust accordingly.
Once the wiper is in the right
spot, just tighten the nut pretty well, then snap the
plastic cap back on.
