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Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:33 pm

I have a 1964 VW Bug Convertable. Does any one know how to change the innerds of the wiper motor over to the 12v version. I ordered the kit but it looks very vague. :?

Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:48 pm

Did you buy the 12V conversion armature? I'm also interested to hear if anyone has any tips on installing the part.

I've installed the Wolfsburg West 12V armature in my 6V wiper motor but the motor still doesn't work. Unfortunately, I didn't test the motor before the install...

Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:58 pm

As long as you have the SWF motor it is a breeze. Just pop the spring off the top, remove the aluminum hat / dust cover and there are a couple of screws that hold the armature hat and brushes in place.

When that is removed the armature just lifts out, drop in the 12V and put it back together.

I unfortunately had a Bosch unit and had to put an original 12V Bosch armature out of a '68 into my '65 motor.

I had other issues and wound up having to use the base / drive unit off of the 12V motor, which then caused me to remove the outer drive arm and weld on the smaller pinned early arm.

Works like a charm now :)

Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:34 pm

Here's a thread I did a while back for my '61. I did this on a local Phoenix VW board:

Today I decided to make my wipers work. Actually, I decided to make them work a week ago, and ordered some bits to facilitate that from Wolfsburg West. They recently got some conversion armatures back in stock (after being out of stock for a very long time, from what I understand), to convert your 6 volt SWF wiper motor to 12 volts. Why only the SWF wiper motors can be converted, I don't know, but if you have a Bosch, you have some shopping to do.

I did some reading about the different methods of conversion, and decided that using a 12v armature would be best. My son will be driving this car, and it would be good, should it rain, if the wipers work.

My '61 came with a Bosch. I went to Blair & Sons on Broadway, and got me an SWF for about $30 bucks. It was ugly, but it said 'good' in felt pen on the side. It looked like it had been in a potato sack with a bunch of flywheels bouncing around in the back of a truck. Ok, not that bad, but the aluminum cover is soft, and it bears the scars of its junk yard life. On the inside, it was pretty clean.

It's gotta say this on top:

Here's what I started with: A wiper motor, and an armature.

Open 'er up:

There are only two screws you need to take out to swap armatures. This is one of them. The other one looks just like it, but is on the other side.

Once you have both screws out, you can lift off the brushes.

Take out the old armature, and kick it to the curb. It lifts right out, just give it a tug.

Get the new armature out of the box, and get ready to install it. I was going to say 'put a dab of grease on the gear on the new armature' right now, but I ended up opening up the other side of the wiper motor to change the grease... but if you did put a dab of grease on the drive gear right now, this is what it would look like.

Put the brushes back on, after you put the new armature in. You'll have to spread them a little, just like this:

Put the screws back in.

At this point, I decided that I did not want to count on 50 year old grease to keep my wipers wipin', so I decided to see what I could do on the other side. I took out the four flat head screws on the bottom, on the plate that the arm sticks out of.

It came apart real easy, and nothing fell out and got lost. Nothing was even loose. Normally, when I do something like this, parts shoot across the room, never to be seen again. Not this time.

Crustiness

I busted out a Q-tip, and went to work. This is what came out. Not pretty. Feeling like a smart guy for decided to open this thing up.

After I swabbed it out, it looked a lot like this:

I packed it full of new grease, and put it back together with no surprises. If you look directly left of the hole in the center of the greasy spot, that's the drive gear off the end of the armature...so you can see futility of greasing the gear on the armature during the top half overhaul since you should be taking the gear box apart to replace all of the grease (since it's so easy).

I'd like to finish this with '...and then I put it in my car, and it worked perfectly', but I don't have electricity in my car yet. So, when I get electricity in my car, I'll come back and tell you that it worked perfectly.

Anyway, if your wipers are moving way to fast on your window, and you'd like an option, this really is pretty easy. Way easier than getting the wiper frame assembly in and out of the car, taken apart, and put back together.

Then, I did this:

I worked on my wipers some more today... the fact that the wiring harness has spade connectors, and the wiper motor has screw terminals was bugging me.

I went to pep boys, and they had these useless looking connector things that looked like they were about the right size for what I wanted.

I started cutting all of the useless parts off...

..until I was left with this:

I had to trim the sides a bit to get them to fit between the guides on the sides of the screws, but the hole in the terminal clippy thing is exactly the right size for the screw, and the blade on the terminal is just the right size to fit the clips on my '61 wiring harnes.

..and here and here and here.

So now I have a wiper motor that my wiring harness will hook up to without hacking it up.

Someday, I'll apply 12 volts to it, and see if it works. :-)

Oh, and I did check them, and they do work.. but they park in a different spot.. so for the time being, I've disconnected the 'park' wires, and I just shut them off when they go down... I think to fix that I have to de-weld the arm on the output shaft, and re-weld it in the right spot.. but I'm not totally sure. They work good, as long as my timing is on :-)

Wed Dec 02, 2009 4:59 pm

Well, that explains why mine doesn't work. I've got a Bosch. Didn't even know about the SWF motor till now. Another $35 I've wasted on the wrong part. :lol:

Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:07 pm

I had a Bosch, too.. used wiper motors are pretty cheap, though... you're almost there.

Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:52 pm

one issue that's worth remembering,quality control.my fresh 12v armature
was just a hair too fat.I chucked it in a lathe and filed off the offending high spots.could probably do it in a drill press too.

Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:11 pm

Thank you all. As soon as I get the part (Armature) I will try it. It shipped today. I am unsure of the brand of the motor due to it being in a shop across town. I will check soon. I will post a pic or 2.

Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:35 am

I converted mine during the time everyone was out of the armatures. A 1980-1984 Volvo 240 (245) wagon's REAR wiper motor is SWF and absolutely identical. I scrounged one for $10.00 and used it to convert mine and it works great.

Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:23 pm

DrDarby wrote: I converted mine during the time everyone was out of the armatures. A 1980-1984 Volvo 240 (245) wagon's REAR wiper motor is SWF and absolutely identical. I scrounged one for $10.00 and used it to convert mine and it works great.
if they are identical couldnt you just use that? its 12v right?

Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:32 pm

Armature is identical, I bet the casing and drive mechanism is different.

Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:44 pm

Hey what is the problem with the Bosch motor? That is what is in mine. If I need to order a SWF Motor were can I get on on line?

Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:18 pm

The armature is different - the SWF apparently does not drop in.

I just found a 12V Bosch motor and dropped the armature out of it into my 6V motor.

And, to add some detail, I changed the drive mechanism but in hindsight I did not need to. Mine would not park, they would stumble and then continue. I though maybe the park section of the drive (where the wires actually touch the gear, brush style connection) was shorter on the 6V drive causing it to miss the park area.

Turns out you need all of the wires hooked up for the parking function to work. There is a ground (31b) that only has connectivity when the switch is OFF, a constant hot (54), and a switched hot (54d). After thinking through the operation, I figured the only way what I tested could work is if the ground only was connected in the off position of the switch. Surely enough, I got a switch and tested it.

So, in short, I did not have the ground hooked up during testing. What I believe happens is when you click the switch off, that brush comes to a section that is non-conductive to the motor - but the momentum of the motor can 'carry' the dead section past the brush and then the motor continues to run. When you switch to off, the motor continues to run on the 'always on' voltage, but when it gets to the dead 'park' spot the ground (now present in the OFF position) causes the motor to stop in its tracks.

I am not an electrician by any means, but that is the best way I can put it in backyard terms.

Mine worked perfectly - once I had all the wires connected. 8)

Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:21 pm

EODinert wrote: Here's a thread I did a while back for my '61. I did this on a local Phoenix VW board:

This post has been added to the FAQS / Sticky in this forum.

Many thanks.

Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:23 pm

Volvo wiper motor for 12 volt conversion

Did this last year using a Volvo armature. Drops right in.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:34 am

I just used the drive mechanism from my 6v wiper unit and put it into a 12v motor from a 67 or 68 bug so I didnt have to mess with the armature part of it at all and its been working for 3 years now. it was a 63 standard bug though not a convertable.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:40 am

dan97019 wrote: I just used the drive mechanism from my 6v wiper unit and put it into a 12v motor from a 67 or 68 bug so I didnt have to mess with the armature part of it at all and its been working for 3 years now. it was a 63 standard bug though not a convertable.

In hindsight I would have done this from the start if I knew going in I was going to change the drive arm anyway.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:02 pm

I don';t know if this seems understood, but when you convert the 6V wiper motor to the 12V using the WW kit, you still only end up with ONE speed. However, when I did this conversion a few years ago for my '64 Ghia, the speed seems to be between VW's low and high speeds from the 12V wipers.

Phoenix dude- thanks for the great, clear photos and instructions!

Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:15 pm

Nope, very clear to me. One speed motor equals one speed motor.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:37 pm

Great "read". Thanks,
Dan