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456M Wiper Blades and shaft question

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by alanF456M, Mar 19, 2016.

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  1. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #1 alanF456M, Mar 19, 2016
    I need new wiper blades for my new to me 456M. I also have a question: The driver side wiper shaft is a J hook end with the open end down, the passenger side shaft is similar but has the open end up. Is this normal?

    The interchangeable parts guide on this site mentions the Bosch 424A for driver side. It also mentions the Aero Valeo, with a modification for the passenger side.

    Any advice welcomed.
     
  2. au-yt

    au-yt F1 Veteran

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    #2 au-yt, Mar 19, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #3 alanF456M, Mar 19, 2016
    Thanks au-yt. I am a newbie just finding my way around here. Appreciate the link to eurospares which will help while I await arrival of a Manual I ordered. Will post wiper update if/when I get it right.
     
  4. au-yt

    au-yt F1 Veteran

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    #4 au-yt, Mar 19, 2016
  5. chris_columbia

    chris_columbia Formula Junior
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    #5 chris_columbia, Mar 22, 2016
    If you are a little handy, you can modify just about any standard metal wiper to fit on the passenger side of a 456. You just need to cut out a space on one side for the arm to go under the frame of the wiper. I'll try to post a picture. Took me about 5 min. plus time for black touch up paint to dry.
     
  6. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 tazandjan, Mar 22, 2016
    Seems like someone used an F430 wiper arm on the driver side to solve the problem, but I may be disremembering.
     
  7. papou

    papou Formula 3
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    #7 papou, Mar 22, 2016
    430 arm works great, cure"s the arm scraping problem..
     
  8. ferraridriver

    ferraridriver F1 Rookie

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    #8 ferraridriver, Mar 22, 2016
    You guys are costing me money, ;) Just for giggles I just bought a F430 passenger side arm on eBay which has the hook curved down instead of up. I'll try to see if I can make it work on the 550 so I can use Bosch Icon 24" blades like the driver's side has.

    I'll let you know if it works.

    My Excursion also uses the Bosch Icon 24" as does the wife's Mercedes. They're the best wiper blades I've found so far.
     
  9. au-yt

    au-yt F1 Veteran

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    #9 au-yt, Mar 22, 2016
    Bosch being OEM should be decent quality. I have tried AM blades on Hondas but there is definitely a difference, the Honda ones are graphite coated, discoved this when I was chastised by the service tech when asked if I wiped the blades...don't it takes the graphite off...
     
  10. Jacques C

    Jacques C Rookie

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    #10 Jacques C, Mar 24, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. Andrew D.

    Andrew D. F1 Rookie

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    #11 Andrew D., Mar 24, 2016
    Jacques,lovely car.
     
  12. ferraridriver

    ferraridriver F1 Rookie

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    #12 ferraridriver, Mar 24, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    360/430 passenger side wiper arms will fit....almost. They're about .900" too long and the angle is greater. They will work but they just touch the top of the windshield.

    If you'er anal obsessive like I am that's not good enough.

    The solution is to cut the flat part of the arm off both and switch them. It takes making a jig to insure the "U" end remains in the right place. I used the crimp section of the donor arm as a sleeve to join the arms together then silver soldered them. As long as you get good penetration it should work.

    They have been tested and all is good, just waiting for the paint to dry.

    Now I can use the good Bosch Icon blades on both sides. :)
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  13. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #13 alanF456M, Mar 26, 2016
    Thanks for that tip! I installed the Icon 24" on the driver's side and it looked and performed really well, the blade has a built-in curve that really helps it grip the curved windshield (more important on the passenger side) - however looking at the J-mechanism on that blade I do not think it is possible to adapt it for the upward J-hook on the passenger side so I also just ordered an F430 passenger arm on ebay with the downward hook so that I can use the matching Icon on that side also.
     
  14. ferraridriver

    ferraridriver F1 Rookie

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    #14 ferraridriver, Mar 26, 2016
    I'm going to be doing another arm conversion next week for cribbj. I'll try to take some pictures to show what I did to swap the arms so the "J" hook is down like the driver's side.
     
  15. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #15 alanF456M, Mar 27, 2016
    That would be great! Thanks.
     
  16. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #16 alanF456M, Apr 2, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Update: I have now received the Passenger donor 430 arm which as noted earlier has a greater angle. An unexpected benefit of this is that the arm is now mounted lower on the windshield and the wiper blade is fully hidden behind the hood cowl (see photo). I am waiting on delivery of Bosch Icon 24 & 22" blades and will see which I prefer.

    Back to the driver's side. I have the new Bosch icon 24' installed and am just waiting for some rain to try it out, in Seattle I should not have to wait long. Meanwhile I have noticed that the Driver's side shaft actually hits the inside edge of the hood cowl at the top of each each stroke. It has clearly been doing this for some time and has marked the inside of the cowl and the top of the shaft. I moved the shaft one spline down which seems to lessen the blow but there is still a pronounced 'click' on each stroke. I don't want to go any lower with the splines as I will lose "swept area". Is this a known issue and what is the fix?
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  17. ferraridriver

    ferraridriver F1 Rookie

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    #17 ferraridriver, Apr 4, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2016
    I've figured out another solution that doesn't require buying a 360/430 arm. Just cut the hook end 1/2 inch from the square hole, turn it over and weld back together.

    I would advise TIG welding with a suitable filler rod, I used SS rod with good success. Bevel the cut edges before welding to get full penetration.

    Depending on how good your welder is it can be almost impossible to see the weld after filing off the excess filler before painting.

    This method allows fitting the 24" Bosch Icon blade.

    I have one extra converted from 430 arm left over if anyone wants it, PM me for cost.
     
  18. alanF456M

    alanF456M Rookie

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    #18 alanF456M, Apr 5, 2016
    Sounds like the perfect solution! Wish I had thought of that, and had a good welder on hand.
     
  19. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #19 paulchua, Feb 15, 2023
    Was swapping these out and found like everyone said, the mount is backward from standard mounts. Was going to try to pull out the blade itself and reinsert it. Will update the community with how it goes!
     
  20. Aerosurfer

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    #20 Aerosurfer, Feb 15, 2023
    I did that, as well as swap a 360/430 drivers arm for clearance issues with the hood... see my post here on parts to use, or PM me and i can arrange getting you one or both sides from my original purchase

    https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/148693082/
     
    paulchua likes this.
  21. kevinkw

    kevinkw Karting

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    #21 kevinkw, Mar 12, 2023
    dancfuller likes this.

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