THE WINDSCREEN WIPER.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 May 1939, Page 3

THE WINDSCREEN WIPER.

DIFFICULT MECHANISM TO REACH SOME SAFEGUARDS The modern windscreen wiper, whether the suction or electrically operated type, is one of the least satisfactory items of essential car equipment. It may give years of trouble-free service, but it may break down within three months.

A breakdown may be due simply to dirt in the mechanism, but because the mechanism is usually tucked away under the instrument board or above the windscreen, it is quite impossible for the owner to reach it easily and give it a rapid wiping with a dry cloth, which will often set it functioning again. The inaccessibility of the mechanism is to be condemned, because the screen wiper is one of the most important safety fittings on a car. It is second in importance to the brakes, when it is raining hard, and because its mechanism is small and prone to more frequent breakdown than anything else, it should be out in plain sight where it can be reached instantly.

Dirt is a more frequent cause of trouble than corrosion. Nevertheless it is a wise thing for any owner of a car lotted with an electrical wiper, which lias seen more than twelve months' service, to take it to the manufacturers' agents and have it thoroughly cleaned and overhauled before the wet days of winter an we. Such a course is at least a reasonable precaution against trouble when out on a country road. Another good thing is to run the wiper for a few seconds every morning, whether it is raining or not, after the screen has been cleaned carefully. This will warm the small amount of oil in the bearings, and prevent it from congealing and gumming the wiper so that it will not work when wanted. With the suction wiper, the main care should be to see that the tube running from the induction manifold is in good condition and free from leaks. If there are any rubber sections which show signs of perishing they should be replaced. Faulty Wiper Blades With the operating mechanism cared for, it follows that the wiper will not be efficient unless the blades wipe the screen, squarely and cleanly. Most blades have two or three strips of thin rubber laid along each other, and sometimes these adopt a permanent bend one way. Recently, the action of one of these] blades was studied carefully in light rain. It was noticed that the screen was wiped with the arm moving in one direction, but in the other the rubber did not actually touch the light rain drops. When the rain became heavier, it took .off the top of the rain globules and simply smeared them across the screen.

Driving at night behind such a wiper, with the distorting effects of street lights, neon signs, reflections on the wet road, and car headlights, is dangerous. Wiper blades cost only about a shilling each, and there is little excuse for using a faulty one. Howevar, the standard form of blade is not the most satisfactory type. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it does not.

There is a better kind costing a fe;\ r pence more, which consists of a strip of rubber tubing of about the sama section as a tyre. Radiating from its face are three shallow rubber ribs, and these make contact with the glass, giving a stronger, more efricient effect than tiie other.