Adjusting the arc of the Wipers?

[tartan18]

Please forgive me if this has been discussed previously but I did a search on the topic and I couldn't find any discussion on this particular aspect of the windshield wipers. Is it possible to adjust the arc of the wipers? I just took the cowl apart and cleaned all the linkages. Everything works fine but the driver's side wiper sweeps from about 11 to 4 (as in the hours on a clock face). This leaves about 9-10 inches of windshield on the driver's side unswept. Is is possible to increase the arc of the blades?

By the way ... I found the area under the cowl filled with dead leaves and both the drain holes plugged. I cleaned everything out and then applied a coat of that pickup truck bed-liner paint to seal up the cracks. Worked like a charm. Here is what it looked like when I got it all cleaned up.

[So Cal Mark]

you could eat off that area now!
You would have to lengthen the arms on the linkage to increase the swept area

[tartan18]

Rats. I suspected the answer would not be simple or easy. Thanks for the quick reply.

[manoa matt]

The "arm" that connects the wiper motor to the rack is indexed to the motor shaft via splines on the motor shaft. It may be possible the PO re-indexed this arm if the motor or rack was ever removed. Mark the arm in relation to the motor shaft with a sharpie, then loosen the nut and re-index the arm and re-connect to the wiper rack. Try it out, and keep repeating the process until the wipers park and sweep the correct distances.

I'm not sure it it will actually work, but seams like the most logical solution given that "arm" is the only variable in the system capable of adjustment that would translate to the wiper arms.

You are correct, this process will not be simple or easy.

[So Cal Mark]

simply moving the arm won't increase the swept area, merely move it to another location

[baltobernie]

Hey Tartan, maybe the PO indexed the wipers to park way down near the bottom of the windshield. If they're installed correctly, you'll have an unswept area near your A pillar maybe 3 inches wide, and the wiper blades will park parallel to the bottom frame, but 4-5 inches from it. See the parked position on Mark's orange car in the header.