2009 Monaco Safaru Cheetah Windshield Wipers

[Monkey Wrench]

We are new Monacoers and to make it worse, I have never participated in this type of website before!  So, I have no idea if I am doing this properly.  Please educate me!  We have bought a 2009 Monaco Safari Cheetah.  The windshield wipers stroke as they should when tuned on, but when you turn them off they stop at about 1/3 of their travel above the bottom of the window.  When they are off they are right in your line of sight.  Does anyone know how to adjust the stop position?

[Tom Cherry]

1 hour ago, Monkey Wrench said:

We are new Monacoers and to make it worse, I have never participated in this type of website before!  So, I have no idea if I am doing this properly.  Please educate me!  We have bought a 2009 Monaco Safari Cheetah.  The windshield wipers stroke as they should when tuned on, but when you turn them off they stop at about 1/3 of their travel above the bottom of the window.  When they are off they are right in your line of sight.  Does anyone know how to adjust the stop position?

OK...sort of trying to sort this out...BUT...WELCOME TO THE GROUP.  WE LOVE NEW MEMBERS....

The purpose of this site to to learn....and then keep learning...and then to become a contributing member.  We have so many resources here and so many (over 4,000 of us) benefit.

As to the Wipers.  I SUSPECT that you have a system from a company called AM EQUIPMENT.  They supplied a LOT of the 2009 Monacos.  They also have tech support.  They have a list of all the 2009's that they supplied the wiper system for.  They start with the motor...then also the pivot or the connecting arm that synchronizes the wipers. They MAY provide the "POSTS" or the studs that stick out. The Wiper Arms are bolted to these.  Now I have a 2009 Camelot...and folks SOON LEARN.  NEVER DEPEND on Monaco to make EVERY MH ALIKE.  SO, your wiper system may have come from a separate vendor.  BUT the list of 2009's when I talked to their parts guy a few years ago was long.

AM has GROWN.  I used to order parts directly from the "Counter Man".  Butch, I THINK, was his name. NOW they have a Website and you order and such. BUT, I think you can call and they will help you diagnose and such.

There are a FEW THINGS that one needs to know about AM.  They did NOT do any FABRICATION of the ARMS nor the BLADES.  All the blades were made in the Anco Plants.  The HQ and main one was in Michigan City, IN.  The other was in Mexico. I worked for another division of the parent company...Cooper Industries and was involved in some technology work and exchange and visited the IN Plant many times.  I also later audited them for Safety and Environmental compliance.

Anco is STILL a company....but it closed all manufacturing and eventually became an IMPORTER.  Anco actually designed the arms and had the tooling and made them. When Anco went off short, AM sourced them and I later found out...and talked to their Engineering Manager that ANCO "goofed".  SO, I know a bit...

My arms are mounted or are positioned very LOW.  I do NOT think I can see them when I drive.  NOW...I have the CAMELOT.  When my wipers do a FULL SWEEP....there is quite a distance from where the LEFT (Drivers Blade) stops. It stops maybe 8" from the left side of the windshield.  Then when it goes to PARK....it is almost HORIZONTAL.  There is NOT an "adjustment".  The wiper motor has a fixed amount of movement.  There is a set of PARKING POINTS in the motor.  So, when the signal for ON (regardless of speed) is received...the motor turns a fixed amount....STOPS...then moves in reverse. I don't remember how the gear box and such works...but ALL wiper systems, at least those I have worked on or with....do this.  When the motor stops....then the motor's PARK contacts are made.  That then takes the MOTOR BACK to the initial or PARKED POSITION.  Thus....the ON signal sweeps it to a fixed point...then the park points take over and return back to its HOME or parked state.

I would remove the LEFT arm.  Then reposition it on the stud. That is a splined position.  You need to mark on the INSIDE (Sharpie) just how far it moves...so you KNOW the STOP and RETUN POINT.  Then pull off the arm...and move it over one spline.  Then test again.  Mark it. When the wipers in the PARKED or OFF position are no longer a DISTRACTION....that is where they SHOULD have been.  THEN...do the right side. They horizontal of the parked location of the LEFT...will be about the same as the right. 

That's HOW you do it.  NOW>> if you have the 32" arms... I recommend...and many do this...that you drop back to 28".  There has been some "OTHER" suppliers of arms that will fit on the ANCO (the stud is an SAE part...so all use it). THESE folks say...and I talked to one that REALLY knew his stuff..  He says they tested the ANCO arms and they recommend a 28" arm.  I dropped mine back. The motor pulls less amps.  There is not as much strain or torque on the motor and the system.

I can't tell any REAL difference except they cycle a little faster and do a better WIPING JOB".  The amount of cleaned area is STILL way more than sufficient (IMHO) that one needs...so there is NO SAFETY issues.  That's my take...

GOOD LUCK.  Please respond after you do some work or testing or such.  Success is GREAT...but we also learn from Failures.  Feed back on HOW the problem was FIXED is critical.  BUT, what DON'T WORK...is also good info...that keeps members from trying something that may not work...or did NOT apply to this issue

 

[cbr046]

24 minutes ago, Tom Cherry said:

I would remove the LEFT arm.  Then reposition it on the stud. That is a splined position.  . . . .

@Tom Cherry, he said it moved the normal amount then parked well away from the end position.  I have the same issue but have been just living with it.  It didn't do that when we got the coach 4 years ago. 

If he moves the arm on the spline won't it wipe too far?  I have a split windshield and if I moved the spline it would run right over the middle strip.

Something has to tell the motor to stop . . . .

- bob

Edited October 9 by cbr046

[Tom Cherry]

20 minutes ago, cbr046 said:

@Tom Cherry, he said it moved the normal amount then parked well away from the end position.  I have the same issue but have been just living with it.  It didn't do that when we got the coach 4 years ago. 

If he moves the arm on the spline won't it wipe too far?  I have a split windshield and if I moved the spline it would run right over the middle strip.

Something has to tell the motor to stop . . . .

- bob

 The PARKING POINTS and the INTERNAL gearing and the SWIPE (which is either HIGH or LOW) is what determines the FIXED AMOUNT of movement.  The Safari Cheatah is a sort of "Camelot/Scepter"....but it has a REAR Radiator.  There is NO manual online.  BUT, it was simple to find this.... I downloaded it from an RV for SALE site.  I knew instantly...it was the SAME chassis as the Camelot....except...it did NOT have the Side Radiator.  BUT, ODDS ARE...and good ones if you want to wager...it has the same PANORAMIC windshield as my Camelot.  IT looks the same...  SO...  I stick with my post.

Someone put on new arms..  They never paid any attention to where the arms were....and put them on.  NOW....this is HOW the MH came from the factory.  I was a little fuzzy about the position of the blades...as I said.  BUT, I KNOW that is what it looks like...without pulling photos from our travel. 

Therefore....you move the arms to fit on the splines that put the blades in the position in the picture....  NOW if that is where they are...  THEN....that is the way it left the factory.  There is NO ADJUSTMENT....so you do NOT got messing around under the front end cap and trying to adjust something that was never designed to be adjusted.  The arm and the studs are fixed.  There is NO VARIABLE adjustment inside or on the motor...

Hope this explains it.  The pictures show the inside and outside positions...and to the BEST of my RECOLLECTION (as my ex attorney at work said)....this is exactly HOW MINE LOOKS and I KNOW how it works...

@Monkey Wrench

If your arms are NOT in the positions in the pictures....then remove and put on the correct splines to match up.  IF it looks the way it is in the picture....that is the Monaco design.  You can NOT adjust or change the motion of the wipers...never designed that way.  I would drop back to 28" blades....your motor will last longer.  You will have more "spring tension" against the windshield and they will perform just as well and your VISION or what you see will be more than adequate for driving in a DOWNPOUR.  I have had to change blades in a two piece slicker....as the blade disassembled.  I put on 28" and it rained like I was in a Hurricane.  The area cleaned was FAR greater than I needed....  The fellow that made the competitor's arms ....his word were in my head.  IT WAS FINE...I could see well.  I could SEE better as the tension on the arms was better and the blades were not "skating" but were wiping.

Try THAT.  Let us know...  Thanks.

 

[Martinvz]

My coach may have a slightly different setup but about 3 years ago I had to replace the spline cone of one wiper as it had split down the middle! 
After installing a new one the wipers were out of wack and would stop in a different position. Turns out that a nut was loose on the arm that connects the 2 wipers. It had slipped and the travel changed. This can happen to anyone. 
i adjusted the arm (behind the nose of the coach) and got it pretty much the way it should work. I should fine tune it but it actually works quite well now. 
Important point: check the tightness of the nuts to ensure the wipers work as they should.  

[Benjamin]

3 hours ago, Monkey Wrench said:

... wipers stroke as they should when tuned on, but when you turn them off they stop at about 1/3 of their travel above the bottom of the window.  When they are off they are right in your line of sight.  Does anyone know how to adjust the stop position?

Mine did that in the when I started up one time after driving through a heavy rain with the wipers on high.  Stopped right in the middle of view, but still swept the same area so I thought the stop was out of adjustment also.  Eventually I figured out that the crank arm on the motor had slipped but was holding in it's new position.  I removed the arm and motor, left the linkage in place.  Cleaned up the splines on the motor shaft, they're very hard and are not damaged by the crank arm.  I think I filed the arm flatter where it had "raised" a bit, and added a washer for more clearance on the shaft, then used locktite when I put it back together.  It's held so far, but not a lot of hours on the wipers. 

Whether you want to try a fix, or buy a new crank arm etc. I'd investigate the crank arm on the motor being wobbly, but not loose enough to turn by hand.  or it's possible somebody installed them wrong.