Converting the Windscreen Wiper Parking on S1 E Type from LHD to RHD
by Joe Hardy
When I came to convert my LHD 1963 E Type to RHD I found it all simple except for the windscreen wiper operation.
Due to lack of time I initially cheated by fitting RHD wiper arms and disconnecting the single wire from the limit switch. This meant that I could manually switch the motor off when the blades reached the bottom of the screen. After receiving conflicting advice I finally took the time to figure out how the set-up works and once I’d done that, the proper conversion was simple. So in the hope that it will help others in the same position here is how I did mine.
Although this is about converting LHD-RHD the opposite applies
First remove the wiper arms….
You really don’t want to ram them into the scuttle accidentally – and you will need to fit RHD arms anyway as they are cranked differently.
Next convert the Limit Switch….
Drop the central instrument panel and remove the central air duct. On the OTS you may find it easier to partially remove the mirror rod and bottom bracket to make access easier.
The limit switch is now visible. Its job is to ‘open’ only when the mechanism is at the very end of its travel with the wipers parked.
If you switch on the wiper it’s obvious how it works – there is a springy brass ‘finger’ wiping against the quadrant-shaped brass plate fixed to the wiper rack.
There is a long slot in the finger part of the mechanism and it is held at one end of that slot by a screw. Simply slacken that screw and move the finger to the other end of its slot.
Positioned for left-hand drive
Positioned for right-hand drive
My limit switch then worked correctly without any more tinkering, but there is a knurled knob on the bulkhead to adjust the opening position if necessary. The ‘finger’ must run off the edge of the brass plate when the wipers are in the parked position otherwise they will never stop, but don’t make the mistake I did and expect it to run off during normal operation. Screwing the balljoint on the end of the control rod (visible above) in/out also affects the opening position.
Finally convert the motor to turn the other way….
Unfortunately, because of the design, I couldn’t figure out any way to change the motor rotation via the external connectors so you will have to remove the motor to swap over the wires where they are soldered to the brushes.
The workshop manual covers removal / replacement and the only problem I had was with the bracket that holds the connector block to the bulkhead. It was a real pain to replace – perhaps that’s why it is so often missing?.
When wired correctly, a RHD motor will be turning the spindle anti-clockwise (viewed from the spindle side) under normal running.
And that’s it.
If interested in WHY this works though, read on:
If you take the control rod /arm off the wiper motor you will find that it actually has an eccentric cam (i.e. the hole for the spindle is offset from the centre of the cam) built-in, with ‘stops’ that give it 2 possible positions.
When the motor turns clockwise the cam is forced against its’ stop in one direction, when it turns anti-clockwise the cam is forced against the other stop. Because it is eccentric, the effect is that the rod has a shorter overall length when the motor turns one way than the other.
The reason becomes clear when you realise that switching the wipers to OFF actually puts the motor into REVERSE. It is not until the limit switch gets to the end of its travel that the motor stops.
So this is the way it all works:
- Wiper Blades are normally parked tight against the windscreen rubber surround so as to be out of the way.
- Switch the wiper ON (slow or fast) and the motor turns one way, forcing the cam into a position which leaves the control rod at its ‘short’ length.
- When the blades complete a sweep and come back down to the bottom of the screen this ‘short’ length means they stop well before the surround (to avoid hitting it) and continue the next sweep. The ‘finger’ of the limit switch never leaves the brass surface.
- Now move the wiper switch to OFF and the blades will actually reverse their direction of sweep, back up to the vertical position. The cam is now thrown to its other stop, effectively lengthening the rod.
- The extra length means that when the blades sweep towards the bottom of the screen this time they keep going until they touch the rubber surround. At this point the ‘finger’ runs off the edge of the brass plate and the motor stops.
It is an ingenious bit of engineering so I wonder why Jaguar didn’t bother explaining it in the Workshop Manual?
Good Luck, and I will be interested in how you get on.
Joe Hardy, April 2005
You may leave a comment or question about this article:
2007-05-18 20:50:01 | Dr Chris Ohms writes:
Hi I am from Auckland New Zealand and am converting LHD 1988 HE XJS to RHD. Can you help with advice?
2009-04-12 16:05:16 | Anonymous writes:
Would it be possible to buy a rhd wiper motor instead of changing wires?
james
2011-06-22 11:36:21 | Nick writes:
I have a 1970 XKE Series2 my wipers park on the non driver side.itsLHD .They need to park on the driver side. How do I do this/ Is the wiper motor rotating the wrong way? Help
2012-01-29 10:53:25 | norman m. macleod writes:
I am converting Series 1 4.2 LHD 2+2 to RHD. Problem is in switching over the commutator wires. It looks pretty well identical to your photo in the Cassidy article, but there are 2 wires on the right-hand commutator connection, and one on the left one (same view as you photo, from comm/brush end. From the text I get the impression there is only 1 wire on each (?). Left is red/pale trace, right is blue/pale trace and also a greenish one. Any advice greatly appreciated....
2012-08-22 11:20:57 | Anonymous writes:
I have the same question as Norman. There are 2 wires on one terminal and one on the other. Do you swap all three wires or just swap the 2 input wires from the loom. GREAT info though thanks
2013-01-14 20:51:24 | David writes:
I have the same problem with a series 2 XKE. to convert from LHD to RHD. The series 2 does not have a park switch on the centre wiper pivot. I assume the park switch is within the motor assembly. Does anybody know?
2016-08-18 18:38:36 | david writes:
yes you need to take both wires on right over to the left and the single wire over to the right brush terminal , then when looking at the wiper motor spindle it rotates clockwise when parking but anti clockwise when sweeping normally , great article , to get the motor out , the arm should be at its shortest eg parked and with the actuating rod ball joint disconnected from centre wiper shaft one needs to wiggle the actuating rod a bit and swing the motor around so that its input wires face the revcounter transmitter . likewise when refitting motor ensure actuator arm is in parked eg shortest position , and don't drop anything in the box section where the actuator arm etc are !!!
2017-03-24 11:10:25 | Mylindaminka writes:
Блеск использовать не рекомендую, так как он на обычной, не спец-мэйкап фотосессии даёт зачастую непредсказуемые результаты. Однако если всё-таки решили использовать блеск - под него нужно нанести тонкий слой карандаша, то есть карандаш не только по контуру, но и заштриховкой по всей поверхности губ. Если на глаза нанесён тёмный дымчатый прикол (смоки-айз, очень нынче модно), губы должны быть естественными, практически бесцветными и предпочтительно матовыми.
2019-12-13 14:35:45 | Alain Ginet writes:
Hi. I need to convert a Series 3 V12 E-Type wiper motor from RHD to LHD.
Can anyone help ?
Thank you so much
Alain
2023-01-27 11:26:45 | C Painter writes:
Also have a 72 Etype LHD with wipers parking on right side. Did anyone post how to change so that they park on the left?
2023-05-03 15:47:04 | Tom writes:
I have a L/H/D wiper motor on my R/H/D XJ6 S2, the wiper motor cams are much the same & i came up with a simple solution to make the wipers sweep fully on the drivers side as well as park correctly, the article is called 'wiper motor mod" on my library page, this maybe worth a try> www.jaguar-wiring-schematics.info/tech%20info%20pages.htm
2023-12-31 07:03:29 | Mike writes:
Hi, your pic of motor where u show "swap these wire"" is the pic the LHD pic before swap of wires? my motor wires were removed befor I opened it. I need the red for LHD with brushes pointed UP, which side is red. Thanks Mike.