How to Remove a Wiper Arm on Vehicles

Replacing a Vehicles wiper arm may be an infrequent repair, but bent arms will need to be removed as they will keep the wipers from working properly. The arm connects the blade to the motor, and a damaged arm will not properly move the wiper across the windshield. Also, you may have to remove the arm while performing maintenance on the other parts of the system, such as the wiper motor or transmission. The process of removal is relatively easy and can be done in a few minutes.

Under The Hood:

• How to Remove a Wiper Arm on a Murano
• How to Remove the Wiper Arm From a Chrysler Pacifica
• How to Remove the Wiper Arm on a Dodge Intrepid
• How to Remove the Wiper Arm on a GMC Sierra

 How to Remove a Wiper Arm on a Murano

Remove the wiper blade from the arm. At the center of the blade, find the release tab. The blade should slide right off. This is necessary if you plan on reusing the blade later.

Remove the cover at the base of the wiper arm. This exposes a nut.

Remove the nut with a socket wrench. Use a glass-safe lubricant if the nut is old or looks corroded.

Pull the wiper arm off, but be gentle, so you do not damage any part of the wiper system.

Place a shop towel or rag under the exposed hook at the end of the arm. This is keeps the metal hook at the end of the arm from damaging the windshield, as you rock it back and forth and carefully cajole the arm off.

 How to Remove the Wiper Arm From a Chrysler Pacifica

Turn on the Pacifica's electrical system and activate the wipers. After five or six seconds turn the vehicle off. This will leave the blades "parked" in the middle of the windshield for easy access.

Lift the arm vertically off of the Pacifica's windshield. Find the release tab on the blade and unlock it. This will detach the blade assembly and allow you to remove it. While there are different types of wiper arm-to-blade assembly connections, most feature some type of security mechanism that needs to be undone. The exceptions to this are small pin wiper arms that connect to a hole on the side of the blade's center connector.

Remove the blade by pulling it off of the arm. Either discard the blade or save it for later use. Small pin wipers can be pried off the arm with a flat head screwdriver.

Pull off the covering at the base of the arm to expose the nut.

Hold the wiper arm with one hand and remove the nut with a socket wrench. Set the nut aside if you need to attach a new arm.

Grab the base of the wiper arm with one hand and ease it off the pivot by carefully rocking it back and forth.

 How to Remove the Wiper Arm on a Dodge Intrepid

Pull the windshield wiper arm away from the windshield. The arm is designed to swing away from the windshield to allow for cleaning of the glass and replacement of the wiper blade.

Use a pair of pliers to pull the release tab at the base of the windshield wiper arm into its "unlocked" position. The tab is located on the side of the round base of the arm toward the front of the engine. The tab will not come all the way out of the base, but will "pull out" like a switch or lever to unlock the base.

Lay the arm back down against the windshield.

Grab the base of the wiper arm with a cloth and begin to rock the base of the arm while pulling up on it. The base sits over a grooved wheel (the mount) and will pull off the mount now that the release tab is in the unlocked position. It is important that you use a cloth to do this because as the wiper arm comes off the mount, the small plastic wedge used to hold it there will also come out. If you are holding a cloth over the base, this wedge will fall into the cloth and not become lost.

 How to Remove the Wiper Arm on a GMC Sierra

Pop the cap on the end of the wiper arm at the cowl of the truck using your hand. This will expose a bolt that holds the wiper arm to the wiper linkage.

Unbolt the bolt using the 3/8-inch ratchet and socket.

Place the flathead screwdriver on the front of the wiper arm base, just by the bolt. There is a vertical tab on this area that sticks out slightly. Place the flathead screwdriver between that tab and the wiper arm, then twist it to release the clip that holds the wiper arm in place.

Bend the wiper arm up so it's sticking up into the air and pull on the arm while turning back and forth to free the arm from the wiper linkage. If it seems stuck, use the flathead screwdriver to make sure the tab is open all the way as you twist.