Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi all,

The driver's side wiper spindle balljoint popped out on my 968 a few months back and I repaired it temporarily with cable ties to get me home. As the 'fix' held up well it got forgotten about until Friday night, when one of the cable ties failed in the pouring rain on the unlit A22 and left me waiting for the AA as I still hadn't put any more cable ties in the car The failure this time rather brought home the need for a permanent fix - fortunately it happened at low speed just coming off a roundabout and not a few seconds later when I'd have been back up to speed and beyond the lay-by (cheap lesson!).

I did buy a used wiper frame and linkage shortly after the first failure, but it occurred to me that there was no real guarantee that the used one would last much longer than what I already had. The 968 parts catalogue only shows a part number for the frame and connecting rods as a unit, but the 944 catalogue gives part numbers for the connecting rods as separate parts. Can anyone confirm whether the short rod from a 944 linkage will fit the 968 linkage? It seems like it would, given the '945' part number for the 968 frame, but I'd rather not find out the hard way that it doesn't!

Thanks,

Michael

yes they both fit.

I got these parts from OPC

945 628 034 00 X1 Short £9
945 628 033 00 X1 Long £9
944 628 330 00 X1 this is the spindle lever arm with the two ball mounts on, it goes on the motor as mine was very worn £7

Thanks

Michael

Hi all,

For info, I bought the rods and crank from my nearest OPC last week, prices paid as follows (including VAT):
945 628 034 00 (Short) £8.87
945 628 033 00 (Long) £9.52
944 628 330 00 (Crank) £6.25

Should the ball-joints be lubricated with anything? I was thinking of using a smear of silicone grease, as it won't hurt the plastic cup/socket or get washed away by the rain running down the screen and onto the joint. I've seen motorcycle chain lube mentioned for this, but none of those advertised online seem to state whether they are safe on plastic - I don't want to lubricate the joints with something that will eat the plastic cups away and defeat the object!

Thanks,

Michael

be prepared for a bit of a job to do both and the crank arm you will have to remove the top of the heater fan box to get the wiper frame right off.

go very careful with the big nuts on the wiper spindles you can break the wiper frame if they are badly corroded.

I used white silicone grease on mine and its now so quiet its like new, no clonking from the wiper linkages

Thanks - I'll give the big nuts a good dose of PlusGas before starting

Michael

If, like in my case, even the new part keeps dropping off the ball due to it being worn out of shape you can get a bit more serious with it...

I used a drill press to put a ~5mm hole down the center line of the offending ball and then proceeded to thread it and fit a suitable stainless steel bolt and pair of washers to act as a keeper. Obviously you need to make a small hole in the plastic cap to accommodate the bolt.

Needless to say, it has never dropped off since !

As for why they designed it that way in the first place...

That's the backup plan So far, so good though - touch wood, the combination of a new linkage, silicone grease, a windscreen full of Aquapel and a reluctance to use the wipers unless absolutely necessary seems to be working

Michael

Hi Michael,

Did the connecting rods ultimately fit onto the wiper linkage frame that came with your 968? I just had the same issue with mine (a RHD 968) where the shorter rod came off the ball socket. I ordered in the shorter rod (945 628 034 00) as a replacement but turns out the ball socket on the rod is too small and it doesn't fit.

Hence I'm now in a dilemma on whether to replace the entire frame/connecting rods as a unit which is quite costly.

Please let me know if there was a further part that should be replaced in order for the rod to fit!

Thanks
Ed

I have a RHD 968 and have replaced both rods with those part numbers listed above they work perfectly but can be a real pain to get on, you have to get it absolutely square or it wont go on

Hi Ed,

Yep, they fitted, albeit with a bit of effing and blinding and some help from a small puller. As Waylander said, they have to be absolutely square to go on.

Michael

hmm.. it almost seem like trying to fit a tennis ball into a squash ball holder!

ok i will give it another go. Thanks guys!!