Strange wiper arm fastener lost...
 

https://imgur.com/a/fobdw4z

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking on the forum for a couple of weeks since getting my first ever 75. A car I've always dreamed of owning! I was changing the pollen filter yesterday (my god it looked old) and decided I needed to remove the wiper arms to get a better shot at it. Unfortunately one of these wiper arm fasteners has disappeared into the abyss of the engine bay. I've tried to upload a pic...hope that's worked.

A friendly ebay seller is going to check if he has any spare. I am wondering, if he doesn't have one, does anyone know where I could find one? I can find nothing online and there are no 75s in the scrappy near me. My last resort will be getting the car in the air and taking the undertray off to find it but I'd prefer not to!

Many thanks and compliments on the great forum you have.

Seems I have failed to upload the photo. The fastener was underneath the nut and looks like a sort of wedge.

This may give you some info, Oh, and welcome:cool:
https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GRID002014

Thanks for the link. It is labelled 8 on the bottom wiper am and labelled 7 on the arm at the top. Doesn't seem to be listed for sale but I could try phoning them if I get desperate :D

If it’s not listed then that normally means it’s unavailable.

Try sending a trader, like Mickyboy, a PM as they will be almost sure to have one.

I'm interested to see if you find a source of these tapered nuts.

They are tapered to keep the arm moving with the spindle and as far as I can tell, the wiper arm will be useless without it.

My drivers one is almost unserviceable after I had to nearly destroy it to get it out (previous owner overtightened excessively). I had a search last year but couldn't find any so had to reuse.

Wiper arm locking wedge
 

Hello Andrew,
If you haven't moved the car, it must be down below on an engine bay crevis or ledge, steering wrack, anti-roll bar or dropped to the bottom, and resting on the undercover.

The part is a tapered conical sleeve that is forced down by the nut above it to grip the wiper drive spindle

Have you got a telescopic magnetic probe that you can lower and move about on all sides, and openings around the engine, or insert it into the central gap at the rear end of the engine undercover.
You can get them from Motor shops for under a tenner. Mine has a small circular mirror as well. Some have a bendy section at the first section which helps getting the end around corners. These are better.

Did you have the plenum covers in place or had you removed these, in which case the missing part could be at the rear of the engine where there are some wide "ledges", and the steering wrack?

Could it have dropped through the pollen filter opening whilst you had the filter out of it's recess but still down in the depths of the plenum chamber, and dropped on to the passenger footwell floor.

Has it lodged exactly into the plenum drain hole, or alongside the plastic ECM box? It If it hasn't been moved from the place you were doing the pollen filter change, It must still be trapped.

Have you a battery box cover in place. If not,could it be in this box.
When it suddenly "left your control" what sound did you hear? iWas it a dropping on metal or plastic sound or nothing at all, in which case has it dropped on to the ground alongside the N/S wing

Here's where the magnetic probe comes into it's own.

Best of luck,.

GeoffWW

This is a brilliantly detailed post! I have not moved the car yet as I hope to find it. Fortunately I do have a telescopic magnet with a light. I have a telescopic mirror too. Separate items.

I did have the plenums exposed when it happened but I am convinced it pinged up and fell over the other side into the engine bay. I know its not in the drain hole as I was rodding this afterwards and it's not around the ecu. The filter was in place when it happened too. Battery box cover was also in place.

As for what sound it made, the only thing I remember hearing was my own rude exclamation. I guess if it doesn't rain after work I will need to get a bit creative and get the torch out as per your suggestion!

I will post an update here when I have sorted something :}

Thank you. I will do so if my other avenues fail (they usually do ha ha)