windshield wiper motor

[JoeMad]

I have a 1965 TR4 and the wiper motor no longer works. Before I remove this wiper motor and stick it on my bench to clean-up, can I hook this up to a standard battary or does having a postive ground vehicle prevent me from hooking up directly to a 12v source?

 

[MGTF1250Dave]

Aloha Joe,

You can connect the motor direct to the battery for a bench test. For your peace of mind connect it the same as it is the car, i.e. if it is a positive earth car black wire to the battery's positive terminal. I found that many of the earlier Lucas motors are very repairable. Check the inside of the motor for "gunk" on the commutator, clean up the commutator, brushes and lube the motor shaft bearings. Clean up the gearbox side and replace the grease in it. After 20 or so years it gets pretty hard and seems to loose most of it's lubricating properties. I would recommend you also clean and re-grease the drive cable. My guess is that a little cleanup and fresh grease will result in a working motor.

Safety Fast,
Dave