Mini World – June 2019

[ Wiper motor gearing change ]

58 June 2019 MiniWorld

If your Mini’s wiper motor tends to send the wiper blades

shooting o the side of the windscreen it’s likely it has the

incorrect sweep. We show you how to resolve this.

Words and photos: Jim Jupp.

Change your wiper

motor’s gearing

I

f you pick up a replacement wiper motor for your Mini,

as we had done with MiniWorld project Mini ‘Subby’,

it’s only when you are using the car’s wipers

in anger, i.e. in torrential rain, you

will discover that the sweeping arc of

the motor may be too great, causing the

wipers to slam into the window rubber

and even disappear o the side of the

screen. Thankfully for us, no damage

was caused but it had to be rectifi ed.

The motor I have fi tted, which

in this case is for 1969-on, had a

130-degree motor gear, and may have

never originally been from a Mini.

Thankfully, Mini Spares and other Mini

suppliers can supply a 110-degree gear,

part number 608092A. 120-degree gears

(37H7296) are also available for the later wiper

motor. The gear required will depend upon

the model of Mini, driver’s side and its age.

It’s worth noting too that there was more than one type

of wiper wheel box fi tted to the Mini over its production

period. The Mk1 and Mk2 had a 22-tooth (72851) type.

Later, a 32-tooth wheel was introduced (37H7200), so

be sure you have the correct one for your Mini.

It is relatively simple to replace the gear but take care if

unbolting the nut from the alloy ferrule, as the thread can

be fragile and can easily cross-threaded if misaligned.

In theory this should not be needed. The replacement

gear cannot be fi tted with motor in-situ, so the motor

will need to be removed from the engine bay.

1 2 3

For this later type of wiper motor, undo the

retaining strap. Subby’s is modified and

uses stainless bolts. OE fixings use square

plastic clips that press into the bulkhead

and are retained with cross-head screws.

Earlier ‘square body’ wiper motors were

secured via three bolts mounted through

the bulkhead, and have to be unbolted

from inside the Mini.

Remove the cover on the motor itself by

undoing the four small retaining screws.

Using a flat-bladed screwdriver, remove

the retaining clip from the wheel.

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