Lada Kalina how to adjust wipers

Windshield wiper trapezoid Lada Kalina

Many Lada owners are faced with the fact that the Kalina windshield wiper trapezoid fails. It turns out this problem is quite common. Either the wipers work slowly or they touch the side pillar, although the length of the brushes is normal. And it also happens that right on the road during rain, the glass will stand in the center and the windshield wipers on the Kalina will not work.

Possible causes of problems

Some experts argue that if the windshield wiper blades do not work when turned on, then the most common reason for this is a failed fuse. In this case, no special efforts will be required to fix the problem. You just need to open the fuse box cover (on the left under the steering column) and find the appropriate fuse. A diagram printed on the inside of the lid will help you do this.

If the wipers do not work intermittently, then the relay may have failed. It is located in the same place as the fuses. It needs to be replaced with a new one. But, as statistics provided by owners of Lada cars show, fuses or relays blow out quite rarely.

A very common reason why the Lada Kalina windshield wiper blades do not work is the destruction of the bushings. As experienced drivers say, plastic bushings fall apart very quickly - their service life is at most 3 years.

Perhaps the reason for their destruction is the quality of the plastic. But, alas, there are no other bushings. The repair kit can be found in specialized auto stores.

When the wiper drive does not work, the reason may be a failure of the motor that drives them. To find out whether the electric brush drive has really burned out, you need to check whether electricity is supplied to it. This can be done using a tester. If power is supplied, then the overheated motor needs to be replaced.

Do-it-yourself troubleshooting

When the drive works when the wipers are turned on, but the wipers do not move, repairing the trapezoid in such a situation will come down to replacing the bushings.

To do this, you need to remove the trapezoid, which is located under the plastic decorative trim under the windshield. Windshield wiper repairs are carried out in the following order:

unscrew and remove the windshield wiper blades along with the leads;
unscrew and remove the plastic cover, for which you will need a TORX T20, or “star”;
unscrew the trapezoid, which is attached to the car body with a nut and two bolts;
disconnect the windshield wiper drive from the battery;
remove the trapeze together with the drive.

If you do not remove the trapezoid, then when installing the bushings you can bend the hinges, which will lead to improper operation of the wipers. Therefore, it is better to remove the entire trapezoid and replace it not with weight, but with emphasis.

The destroyed bushing is immediately visible. It can be simply removed using wire cutters. To insert a new one, it and the locking ring must be steamed in hot water, otherwise it will not be possible to put it all on the hinge. Before putting on the locking ring, the bushing should be treated with lubricant (for example, lithol). All disassembly and assembly work takes a maximum of 40 minutes.

But if the central bushing “flies”, then most likely the entire windshield wiper mechanism will have to be replaced. Replacing a windshield wiper trapezoid is an even simpler task than the process of removing and installing new bushings. All work is carried out according to the algorithm described above.

Naturally, a complete replacement of the windshield wiper trapezoid will cost more than repairing the windshield wiper. But it will be more reliable. New ones are almost guaranteed to last longer than refurbished ones. Although some Lada owners claim that a rebuilt and repaired Kalina wiper trapezoid can easily last two years. Well, you should always base it on whether you are willing to spend time or money.

When do you need to change wipers on Kalina?

It often happens that the wiper drive system works, but marks remain on the windshield that interfere with normal visibility. In this case, the wipers need to be replaced. Previously, domestic cars were equipped with brushes, into the frame of which a rubber part was inserted, which cleaned the glass. But recently frameless brushes have been used.

They work better, and their resistance to different weather conditions is higher. Although frame brushes are cheaper, frameless brushes will last longer. They can operate efficiently from 1 to 1.5 million cycles.

When planning a replacement, you need to consider the size of the wiper blades. For the Lada Kalina, this is a 600 mm blade on the driver’s side of the windshield and a 400 mm blade on the front passenger side. On the rear window, the standard blade is 360 mm long. The rear wiper is replaced much less often than the front ones. They wear out much more slowly because they have to be turned on less often.

Replacing brushes on a Lada Kalina is a process that does not require any special knowledge or any tools. You just need to remove them by unlatching the locks, and put new ones in their place, pushing them until the lock clicks into place.

When is it necessary to replace windshield wipers in Kalina?

Over time, owners of practical Lada Kalinas notice the appearance of brush marks on the surface of the windshield. Such “artifacts” create an obstacle to good visibility. In this situation, the designated components will need to be replaced, and the trapezoid will likely need to be replaced. Many experienced owners advise purchasing frameless brushes, which, in their opinion, are able to “bravely” withstand temperature changes and can demonstrate a relatively longer service life of approximately 1.5 million cycles.

Before replacing, you should understand the required size of the products. For Lada Kalina, you should purchase a driver's side brush with a length of 600 mm, and for the glass area opposite the passenger - 400 mm. For stern glass, the brush has a standard parameter of 360 mm. This wiper needs to be replaced much less frequently, since the intensity of its work is significantly lower compared to the front components.

Wipers: problems and solutions

Do you also agree that wipers are a real hassle? Now they creak, now they smear, now they smear... What do they need, in the end?

It would seem that a windshield wiper – what’s so complicated about it? A simple rubber band mounted in a metal frame, and why the hell does it cause so much trouble for the driver. And he knows his worth, just try to ignore it, he will instantly provoke an emergency situation or, even worse, an accident. After all, wipers clean the glass, providing visibility in the most difficult moments: in bad weather, in difficult road conditions, when overtaking on wet asphalt.

Lada Kalina Hatchback › Logbook › Two sweeps of the wipers

For a long time, to be honest, I noticed that the last 1-2 strokes were unnecessary, they stained the glass, splashed the washer, wiped the brushes and it was fine, but they wave as many as 4 times, during this time they manage to either stain the glass and the brushes stupidly smear everything (if they are already tired) or The last strokes are rubbed dry (if the brushes are good). Then, after driving someone else’s car for a week, I switched back to my own, and then, as they say, everything is learned by comparison. The number of strokes was clearly starting to cause heartburn for me)) I started looking for information on how to change this, fortunately there is a lot of such information on the drive, with pictures, detailed descriptions, etc. Since apparently I’m not the only one who is annoyed by this, what will be discussed further is not new) The whole procedure for changing the number of strokes is to change the resistance in the wiper relay, unsolder one and solder the other. Therefore, I googled where there are radio parts stores in our city, drove to the nearest one, there I told my aunt I need several resistors, I’ll clarify: for the conversion I need one, but the degree of my hands-on told me to take more, fortunately they cost pennies and I took 4 pieces, so here we go I told her I needed 56kOhm 0.25W, (information about the required resistor was already taken from here) yeah, she gives me 4 pieces of these resistors. I’m rushing home happy, plug the soldering iron into the socket, it’s about to get hot)) There was a relay lying around in the glove compartment for a long time, I took it, I think, so as not to pull my own, I’ll do experiments on this. I’m disassembling this relay, but the guts are different, (sorry I didn’t take a photo) not the same as I saw on the Internet, the location of the board is in a different place, the resistors are set differently, damn it, which one needs to be changed. I returned to the car, pulled my relay, I took it apart, great, everything is like on the internet))

Possible causes of the malfunction and ways to eliminate them:

When the windshield wiper is on, the electric drive does not work:

Fuse blown:

remove the cover located to the left of the driver, under the steering column, under it there is a mounting block;
on the cover of the mounting block there is a diagram of the location of the relays and fuses of the car, we find the required fuse and change it if necessary;

Relay fault:

If the wipers on the Lada Kalina do not work

in intermittent mode, it is necessary to change the relay located in the mounting block, next to the fuses.

Wiper motor malfunction:

we check the ground terminal of the electric motor, screwed to the car body next to the rack;
we clean it and the attachment point;
install in place;

Using a tester or any other continuity test, we check whether power is coming to the connector. If power comes in, then it is necessary to change the wiper motor.

Disconnect the terminals from the battery. Remove the decorative caps from the leashes. Unscrew the nuts securing the leads and remove them. Remove the plastic grille under the windshield frame by unscrewing the bolts that secure it. Having unscrewed the trapezoid fastening (two bolts and one nut), remove the electric motor from the box and disconnect it from the trapezoid. We install a new one, repeating the procedure in reverse order.

If power does not come to the connector

, the steering column switch needs to be replaced. Disconnect the battery terminals. Remove the plastic steering column cover. Disconnect the switch block and, pressing the latches on both sides, remove the steering column wiper switch. Install a new one by repeating the process in reverse order. Assembling the casing.

When turned on, the wipers on Kalina do not work, but the electric drive rotates

It is necessary to check the condition of the gearbox and wiper trapezoid.

Unscrew the plastic grill under the windshield frame. First remove the wiper arms and unscrew the nuts that secure them. We check whether the gearbox axis of the electric windshield wiper drive rotates.

If the axis rotates and the trapezoid is stationary

, check the spline connection of the gearbox and trapezoid, if necessary, tighten the fastening nut. If the connection is severely worn, it is necessary to replace this unit.

If your windshield wipers do not work on your Lada Kalina

, this is not a reason to despair. As a rule, the cause is a minor malfunction. Such as a blown fuse or a loose nut on the spline connection between the gearbox and the windshield wiper drive, which can simply be tightened.

The windshield wiper electric drive system is quite reliable and does not require special maintenance. It is enough to follow basic operating rules. If during the winter period the wipers are frozen to the windshield, then before turning on the windshield wiper, it is necessary to free them from ice. And they will serve you without causing any problems.

Possible causes of problems

Perhaps the reason for their destruction is the quality of the plastic. But, alas, there are no other bushings. The repair kit can be found in specialized auto stores.

When the wiper drive does not work, the reason may be a failure of the motor that drives them. To find out whether the electric brush drive has really burned out, you need to check whether electricity is supplied to it. This can be done using a tester. If power is supplied, then the overheated motor needs to be replaced.