boslaw said:
so I finally got around to installing the ongaro motor - the thing is apparently not powerful enough. It moves the wiper blade about 3 inches back & forth. I've changed the wiper sweep (there are options for 45 degrees - 110 degrees) to no avail. Also, there doesn't seem to be an end point. If I give the blade a little push while it's working, I can get the blade to do a full 360 (slowly). I don't know if it's a bad motor, or if I need a lighter wiper arm (I put the stock arm on the new motor).
Something certainly isn't right here. First question, ( a stupid one)... you did get the 2 1/2" model, right? Just want to make sure the base of the arm isn't rubbing against the decking. Or, for that matter, is the base of the arm somehow rubbibg on the outer shaft?
I could see the motor being slowed down a bit, on a dry, dirty windshield, but not to the point that you describe. I've installed about a half dozen of these, (Ongaro's) and never experienced anything as far as a "weak" motor. My first guess would be, go over your wire connections. A poor connection, (power or ground) can cause a motor to run slower than it should.
Secondly, it sounds to me like something is not aligned properly inside the gear box. Wether it was from you changing sweep patterns or from the factory, I don't know. The fact that you can push the wiper past it's park position doesn't sound good. Also, I'm pretty sure 80 degrees is what your looking for, and if I'm not mistaken, if you ordered the 30991, it should already be set at that.
There's one other thing I can think of, (providing there's nothing out of whack internally). There's a screw, with a lock nut, on the outside of the gear box. It provides support to the end of the motor shaft. If it were set too tight, it might restrict motor speed. According to the intructions, you should not have to adjust it, but who knows.
Bottom line, imo I think you may have to return/exchange it.