# Rear wiper arm no - pressure



## ckdub (Feb 11, 2014)

Hey all, 

Just wondering if any of you had the symptom of the rear arm not applying enough pressure to get the blade to clean rear window. 2006 xtrail? Def. not the blades.

Am I correct in determining the rear arm is the problem. And if so, have any of you replaced it (DIY)? Do I have to source the rear arm from nissan canada or can i source the arm spring somewhere?

Cheers!


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Assuming nothing is outright broken and the motor is working fine, I think a little strategic bending would be in order. Most likely just turning the blade face slightly so that it is more perpendicular to the rear window will do the trick. I am sure if you go to youtube and look up adjusting wipers you will find a helpful guide. Good luck.


----------



## liksmuzic (Oct 22, 2008)

I have been having this problem for the past 2 winters.
What I found is that corrosion has stopped the pivot point from pushing
against the window. What I did was remove it from the window, and soak
it with 12-34, or any other rust penetrator, and wrap it with paper towels so 
overnight so the oil soaks into the pivot point. That has loosened it up, but
I think I will have to replace it this year. At least the whole arm comes off
easily with only 1 bolt to take off.


----------



## ckdub (Feb 11, 2014)

Thanks! 
When you say pivot point do you mean the base that bolts into the motor against the trunk?

Maybe the first thing i will try is some lubrication rust penetrant. I had an issue where the rear latch handle would get stuck..so a bit of lube did the trick to free it again...

Do I need to access a bolt on the inside under the reard trunk panel to remove the whole arm? 

Will try it soon.
Cheers


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Don't think you need to remove the back panel to remove the wiper arm. Its the one bolt liksmusic is talking about. You would need to remove the back panel to access the wiper motor assembly. Its pretty easy to remove. A clip or two on front to remove, and the rest pops out by prying it with flat blade screwdriver *tip covered in tape.. Basically you just pop it back on by pushing in all the tabs around the border.


----------



## liksmuzic (Oct 22, 2008)

To remove the wiper arm, pry up the little rubber cover at the bottom of the arm on the outside of the vehicle. Under it is the bolt that holds it on. You don't need a super skinny socket, but not one too thick. One from a 3/8 drive socket set worked for me.
As a matter of fact, I was in Edmonton today on the gas filler problem, and picked up a new arm. It was $41.03 plus the GST. The part number was 28781-8H31A and a note said that number replaced 28781-8H310. I will have to compare it to the old one to see
if it will stand up better.
Will let you know in a few days.


----------



## ckdub (Feb 11, 2014)

liksmuzic said:


> To remove the wiper arm, pry up the little rubber cover at the bottom of the arm on the outside of the vehicle. Under it is the bolt that holds it on. You don't need a super skinny socket, but not one too thick. One from a 3/8 drive socket set worked for me.
> As a matter of fact, I was in Edmonton today on the gas filler problem, and picked up a new arm. It was $41.03 plus the GST. The part number was 28781-8H31A and a note said that number replaced 28781-8H310. I will have to compare it to the old one to see
> if it will stand up better.
> Will let you know in a few days.


Supprised nissan had a arm in stock..thought it would have to be special order... Thanks for the part number!!

Let me know how it goes... and thanks to you and quad on steps take off the arm!


Cheers

ps. just ordered one from my local nissan with the part number..36 buck + GST..your nissan is taking you for a ride...must be edmonton inflation!!

lol. Mine wont' get in until next week for pickup.


----------



## liksmuzic (Oct 22, 2008)

Just finished changing the arm.
I hope it was worth the extra $5.00!!
I took pictures, and would post them once I figure out how.
The old one has paint bubbled near the pivot pin so I know its corroded quite badly.
A lot of salt hits it in the winter.
I will keep the old one as a workable spare, I guess


----------



## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

I have this issue also, and apparently so did the previous owner but they were too cheap to buy a new arm! I actually had ordered the arm, and in the meantime, Hubby decided he better make sure the old one would come off...Well, even after soaking it with WD40, it would not budge. The bolt came off easily enough...it must be very corroded under there, or what? I guess we will have to try and soak it somehow, when the weather improves...

He ended up inserting a bolt into the spring area to suck it back against the glass; works great! Except you cannot bend it back to wash the window at the gas station...


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Molly,
That was clever on the part of your husband. For what its worth I find Power Blaster mutch better than WD40 for freeing rusted bolts. Though with the weather we have been having I would say its frozen on!


----------



## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Thanks! Maybe we will buy some of that and try it...


----------



## X-TrailDave (Feb 15, 2011)

Funny, this past weekend I experienced this very issue for the first time in my 4 yrs. of ownership. It only affected the last half of the upward sweep of the wiper from stationary. I thought it got bent from all the ice that I had been pushing down off the roof over these past few stormy weeks. All that ice and snow that accumulates on the roof falls directly onto the wiper arm when it's swept off, so I'm surprised this hasn't bent the arm altogether.

Anyway, after looking for any obvious bends or problems with the pivot and spring, I took my wife's trusty turbo blaster hairdryer (without her knowledge of course) and stood in the driveway blow-drying my wiper arm pivot point for a good 10 mins. It must have been a tiny little buildup of ice, because that seemed to do the trick.

Incidentally, this is another reason why I love the X-Trail because IMO the rear wiper seems to be one of the best in all the vehicles I've had. It sweeps a large area compared to similar vehicles, and it's easy and cheap to replace the standard sized rubber. My wife's hatchback has a teeny tiny little rear wiper that easily freezes in place and barely does the job when it does work.


----------



## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Glad your fix was easy! I like the big wiper arm, too, although ours has a mind of its own and it never stops in the same place twice, haha!


----------



## Desdemona (Sep 4, 2015)

*how should the rear wiper be aligned?*

how should the rear wiper be aligned?


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Aligned? Did you remove yours? Basically its simply positioning it properly on the mounting bolt. Word to the wise, one thing to try is to use some penetrating oil on the hinge and spring of the wiper arm. You can also do this for the front wiper arms. May just remove the bit of corrosion affecting them, and free up their operation. You will be able to tell the improvement by how easily the hinge will work when you bend the arm back. Its good maintenance in any case.


----------

