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Technical Bosch wiper motor

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Technical Bosch wiper motor

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Donby

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Hello X 1/9 community

I'm new to this forum as I finally have got this open mini-Ferrari :D
It's a 1976 and in reasonable good shape, with a few issues though.

I have searched the internet and found an article describing how to improve the wiper system.
Mine has the Magneti Marelli motor and runs quite slow, so I would like to replace it with a Bosch, which should work faster.
There is just one thing I would like to know; The Magneti motor has a slight angle towards the gear, but all Bosch motors which should match the same wiper assembly is straight. (see attached picture)

Can I mount a Bosch motor instead and make it fit in my X 1/9?
 

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  • Viskermotorvinkel indicated.JPG
    Viskermotorvinkel indicated.JPG
    131.6 KB · Views: 89
I have a link, but I need to earn five posts before I can insert it.
 
I'd suggest you might first check that the linkage and wiper spindles aren't binding due to needing lubrication. Also check the existing motor brushes aren't worn, plus lube the armature bushes and gears while you have the motor apart. This might solve your problem a lot cheaper than replacing the motor.

Al.
 
The motor on my car is sometimes be slow and almost stops at first when it's dry on the screen. Then it is fine but could be faster.

I thought this was down to a problem similar to the dim headlights. i.e bad electrical connections and no relay on the circuit for the wipers.

Is the motor still slow with a direct connection to the battery?

Good tip regarding cleaning and regreasing the spindles coming through the windscreen cowel too.
 
If you are reasonably confident with electrics the attached file might be of use to you.
 

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  • Wiper relay mod.pdf
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F123C said:
I'd suggest you might first check that the linkage and wiper spindles aren't binding due to needing lubrication. Also check the existing motor brushes aren't worn, plus lube the armature bushes and gears while you have the motor apart. This might solve your problem a lot cheaper than replacing the motor.

Al.
Click to expand...

I have noted that the bushings for the feed-through axels are made of delrin or nylon - ish, which last much longer than common metal. In spite of it's age they are not sluggish.

As for the motor I need to post five times before I can insert a link.
 
rachaeljf said:
If you are reasonably confident with electrics the attached file might be of use to you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pdf file.

Just a few words about myself. I am a professional Avionics Engineer, which means that I work with all sorts of electronic equipment in aircraft. That includes wiring diagrams, which are somewhat more complex that in any car I know of.
I should think that I could pass a Ohms Law test.
Besides I use to tell that I can replace a crankshaft, but will go to a workshop if I face big problems.

I have a bunch of ideas to improve electrics in my X 1/9, one of them is to improve the wiper system.
I got my inspiration from this link:
https://www.mirafiori.com/faq/content/boshwiper/boschwiper.htm

Please read and it will answer a few of your questions.
Meanwhile the Magneti / Bosch gear angle issue is still an open question.
 
Donby, thanks for letting us know that you are a professional engineer. Rest assured you are not the only professional engineer who owns an X1/9. Unfortunately many X1/9 owners are not as gifted as you and we do our best to be inclusive and to help everyone, whatever their ability.

Now to the wiper motor. The link you posted appears to refer to a Fiat 124, different car with *bigger* wipers, but very likely the same Marelli motor (I'll let you work out what that might mean). I know of no one who has resorted to changing the wiper motor in an X1/9 to get satisfactory performance. Generally it is enough to improve the electrical side of things. This is not just to improve the wiper motor speed but also to preserve the increasingly rare and hard to get column switches, which are prone to melting from overheating.

Perhaps you want the appearance of an aircraft screen wiper flying through a thunderstorm at 40,000 ft, that's up to you. With your expertise I'm sure you can work something out. Best regards Rachael
 
Donby said:
Thanks for the pdf file.

I have a bunch of ideas to improve electrics in my X 1/9, one of them is to improve the wiper system.
I got my inspiration from this link:
https://www.mirafiori.com/faq/content/boshwiper/boschwiper.htm

Please read and it will answer a few of your questions.
Meanwhile the Magneti / Bosch gear angle issue is still an open question.
Click to expand...

I read the above link. Interesting that he, too, recommended cleaning/lubing the linkage and motor bushes/gears! Sounds like he made a load of unnecessary work for himself by selecting a motor fitted to a different make of vehicle with different wiring colours (German versus Italian systems).

As a former Fiat Mechanic, I found many wiper speed problems were resolved by lubrication. Motors gave little trouble unless over-heated due to lack of lubrication. I don't recall any difference in speed between the various motors fitted.

Re. the Magneti/Bosch gear angle issue, maybe check out a parts listing to see if different motor mounting plates were used for the different motors?

Al.
 
rachaeljf said:
.......................
............................
.............

I know of no one who has resorted to changing the wiper motor in an X1/9 to get satisfactory performance. Generally it is enough to improve the electrical side of things. This is not just to improve the wiper motor speed but also to preserve the increasingly rare and hard to get column switches, which are prone to melting from overheating.

.................
..............
......... Rachael
Click to expand...

Re melting column switches. I've rebuilt a few of these column switches, making 1 good switch from 2 old ones. They are usually held together with 2 'pop' rivets and can be re-assembled by shortening 2 standard 'pop' rivets so that the riveted sided doesn't protrude too far. This isn't always the answer if failure is due to melting of plastic contact holders but works in some cases. Most failures I've seen were with the headlamp contacts particularly where higher wattage bulbs were fitted (relays probably would have prevented this!).

I did come across replacement column switches recently which looked very similar to the type fitted to some Fiats from the late '70's/early '80's. Even the block connectors and wiring colours looked the same (from memory!). Check out www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/multi-stalk-assembly
(Item No. INDSW10 £26.40 + vat.). This site gives 360 degree views of the switch unit, dimensions plus wiring diagrams/colours :) Hope this helps someone.

Al.
 
Last edited:
Hi Al, yes we have discussed those switches from Car Builders in my little bookface group. They are certainly a good match for some models and cheap too! For those cars with the bullet type connectors some crimping work would be needed and I would still recommend adding relays for the high current loads such as headlights and wipers.

A lot of owners who don't have aeronautical degrees are put off by the thought of reworking wiring, but there are people who sell "plug and play" relay assemblies and I have posted a couple of "how to" articles like the one I linked. I have also showed how to use a VW "99" wash-wipe relay to get variable intermittent wipers with a wash-wipe facility.
 
rachaeljf said:
Donby, thanks for letting us know that you are a professional engineer. Rest assured you are not the only professional engineer who owns an X1/9. Unfortunately many X1/9 owners are not as gifted as you and we do our best to be inclusive and to help everyone, whatever their ability.

Now to the wiper motor. The link you posted appears to refer to a Fiat 124, different car with *bigger* wipers, but very likely the same Marelli motor (I'll let you work out what that might mean). I know of no one who has resorted to changing the wiper motor in an X1/9 to get satisfactory performance. Generally it is enough to improve the electrical side of things. This is not just to improve the wiper motor speed but also to preserve the increasingly rare and hard to get column switches, which are prone to melting from overheating.

Perhaps you want the appearance of an aircraft screen wiper flying through a thunderstorm at 40,000 ft, that's up to you. With your expertise I'm sure you can work something out. Best regards Rachael
Click to expand...


Hi rachaeljf

OK - reading my own post again I realise that I was to offensive, and I apologies for that :eek:

I started this thread after I read the linked article, where the author described the much better performance of a Bosch motor versus the Magnetti Marelli. I so to speak jumped the obvious cleaning/lubing of the gear mechanism and went for a Bosch motor and was looking for this theme in answers.

Meanwhile a few good posts has entered since and I will study them.

As for relays - I have installed dozens of them in cars, not just for relieving contacts, but also to make smart solutions, things like controlling driving light via oil pressure. No reason to load the electric system unnecessary before the alternator works.
 
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