Is it me or is it the udders?

[SeeFive]

I cleaned the C5 and reversed it off the drive. I went to wave to a neighbour whilst coming off a full lock, and the wipers came on. So, I thought "Did I hit the wiper control?". The short answer is no, it wasn't me, it was in fact the udders.

Something that I was not aware of is the C5 had 3 udders on the driver side which drain the scuttle tray. If these block, water builds up and immerses the wiper motor, causing a short across the electrics inside the casing and unpredictable control. You can see / feel them from on top, located down behind the master cylinder, but the easiest way to get to them is by removing the front wheel and the little inner arch inspection panel at the back of the wheel. Once you have access, simply pull them off from the body and they can be cleared and washed thoroughly.

This will be an annual job for me from now on. I would suggest that if like me you were not aware of them, you may want to give them a clean (or have your butler do it, mine is on holiday!) to avoid a new wiper motor.

Reports suggest that sometimes the motor will dry out after a few warm days and respond to the switch, sometimes not. I am not holding my breath and will get an order in early as the MOT is in June.

[SeeFive]

Just adding to this, looking around the web for an idea of how to fit a new motor led me to find Autozone.

With Zip Corvettes selling the new part at $220 plus shipping and the dreaded customs on top, Autozone do a reman part, which including core (unlikely to be sending my old one back) is $71, and reported to be a very good product on Digital Corvettes.

We'll see as I have ordered one this evening!

[z06tim]

I like Autozone. I buy bits from them when i am back in Detroit. I never really used to use them when i lived there, as i had a pretty good auto store of a diffrent chain nearby. Think autozone is one of the biggest nationwide chains. Do they ship directly here by the way?

[SeeFive]

z06tim said:

I like Autozone. I buy bits from them when i am back in Detroit. I never really used to use them when i lived there, as i had a pretty good auto store of a diffrent chain nearby. Think autozone is one of the biggest nationwide chains. Do they ship directly here by the way?

Yes they do. You need to do an online chat session and they will email you an electronic form and instructions to follow. Essentially, send them the filled out form, they send you an "estimate" complete with shipping costs back and when you approve it they will call you for your credit card details.

[z06tim]

SeeFive said:

Yes they do. You need to do an online chat session and they will email you an electronic form and instructions to follow. Essentially, send them the filled out form, they send you an "estimate" complete with shipping costs back and when you approve it they will call you for your credit card details.

Excellent stuff. I miss America. It's a whole different level of customer service there!

[SeeFive]

z06tim said:

Excellent stuff. I miss America. It's a whole different level of customer service there!

Agreed, I always enjoy being looked after in the US when I visit. We frequently play the "can I order a meal without being asked a question by the waitress" game.

On one trip, after 3 days in a Santa Barbara hotel, I thought I had breakfast cracked. Got the whole speech worked out, type of eggs, toast, juice, coffee, every detail of colour, construction and cooking precisely stated, no chance for a question - so I thought. The money in the wager kitty was mine for sure - until the waitress asked "will that be all sir?".

$97.11 shipped, plus UK customs of course...

Bargain!

[roppa440]

Thanks for the "heads up" on the "Udders".

I checked mine on Saturday and found them completely blocked solid. I fould I could remove, clean and replace them easily just by sticking my hand down the side of the brake master cylinder.

Just as well I did this too after the downpours experienced yesterday.

Thanks again for bringin this up.

[SeeFive]

roppa440 said:

Thanks for the "heads up" on the "Udders".

I checked mine on Saturday and found them completely blocked solid. I fould I could remove, clean and replace them easily just by sticking my hand down the side of the brake master cylinder.

Just as well I did this too after the downpours experienced yesterday.

Thanks again for bringin this up.

Good stuff, I hope it will be well worth the time spent.

I got mine out by reaching down behind the master cylinder, but when I looked at the cut on my forearm I had picked up, I pulled the wheel off to put them back on, and cleaned that area behind the wheel where the udders drain.

I am hearing rumours that there are also udders on the other side, which require removal of the battery and tray to get to. I guess I will be taking a look shortly, especially given all the sensitive electronics in the footwell beneath there.

[SeeFive]

roppa440 said:

Thanks for the "heads up" on the "Udders".

I checked mine on Saturday and found them completely blocked solid. I fould I could remove, clean and replace them easily just by sticking my hand down the side of the brake master cylinder.

Just as well I did this too after the downpours experienced yesterday.

Thanks again for bringin this up.

Good stuff, I hope it will be well worth the time spent.

I got mine out by reaching down behind the master cylinder, but when I looked at the cut on my forearm I had picked up, I pulled the wheel off to put them back on, and cleaned that area behind the wheel where the udders drain.

I am hearing rumours that there are also udders on the other side, which require removal of the battery and tray to get to. I guess I will be taking a look shortly, especially given all the sensitive electronics in the footwell beneath there.

Edited by SeeFive on Monday 12th May 13:57

[roppa440]

SeeFive said:

I am hearing rumours that there are also udders on the other side, which require removal of the battery and tray to get to. I guess I will be taking a look shortly, especially given all the sensitive electronics in the footwell beneath there.

Edited by SeeFive on Monday 12th May 13:57

Yes I was thinking the same thing myself. It would make sense that there were more on the other side.

[roppa440]

I found the electronics in that footwell area were completely buried in leaf debris when I fitted grilles in the cove openings a couple of years ago. It was amazing how much crud was packed in there. I think the previous owner must have parked under a tree every night for years.

[SeeFive]

roppa440 said:

Yes I was thinking the same thing myself. It would make sense that there were more on the other side.

I think rather than removing the battery and tray, and potential issues of electronics draining while the battery is disconnected for a while, I will go thru the passenger wheel arch to get to them.

Suggestions are that the larger crud actually enters where the scuttle joins the wing rather than through the grilles. I have just pulled my wipers and scuttle cover off to check out the exact problem with the wipers in case it is a park alignment problem on the arms, and it is definitely not. I reset the positioning of the park pins and stops precisely with the arms, fired it all up and the motor only turns clockwise, never anti clock. Also, there is no real control form the switch, so it is the motor (well more accurately, the control unit attached to it) which is borked. Whilst doing all that and running in and out between showers, I forgot to look for and clean the passenger side udders while the covers were off!

The only way to use the car at the moment is to pull fuse 12 when I want to switch the wipers off - not the greatest thing to do repeatedly, so I am not using the car.

Sits and waits for the Fed-ex van... drumming fingers...

Edited by SeeFive on Monday 12th May 16:24

[V10 BAT]

Nice to see other people grovelling around under their vette

Passenger side ,yeah take the lower wheel well plastic off , have a look from under , can get your hand in there but cant see much if just crouched . Just behind the pcm .
Cheers mate

[roppa440]

I was able to get to the top half of that passenger side drain just by reaching behind the battery. I was able to pull the top out of the scuttle and feel around in there with a finger. Seems OK that side. But I need to check the bottom end of it to make sure it is not blocked and that photo shows what I need to do perfectly. Thank you.