I'm looking for insight on removing and replacing the rear wiper arm on a 2005 Prius. My rear wiper quit moving. Upon taking the plastic cover off the base of the wiper, I found small pieces of broken plastic that are from the joint of the arm. Wiper motor works fine so I just want to replace the arm. Upon taking the nut off, the arm will not lift off the post. See photo of the star-shaped, metal piece--the cogs move the arm under normal use. I can not lift this off nor twist this off. The plastic arm will not slide over it. All forums and photos I've found imply that the arm should lift off once the nut is removed. Parts diagrams of the wiper assembly do not show this toothed metal piece that is preventing the arm from lifting off. (Diagram also attached for reference.) Is anyone familiar with this metal piece and how to remove it and/or the arm? It has some broken/worn down teeth on it so it needs replacing too, if it's not built into a group of parts already. Thanks.
Do NOT twist off. That will damage the stud. You have to lift the arm off. The idea is to wobble the metal fitting within the arm, to come off the threaded stud. If necessary, some lubricant on the threaded stud might help.
I had to do this on my Saturn Outlook. It was pressed on and pressed on good. I ended up drilling and cutting it to get it off. I did buy a wiper arm puller from Advanced Auto (I think), but in my case it was on there too tight.
Thanks. Liquid Wrench + claw hammer + pliers + wiggling = success. Last question (i hope): Is that metal cog normally embedded in the arm? So if I buy a new arm, will it come with that metal piece already inside it, and all I'll need to do is put the arm onto the stud and tighten the nut back on? Thank you, folks.
In case you are not aware, there is a red dot on the glass close to the top. Use that for alignment purposes when installing the new arm and blade. Best of luck to you.
I know this is a really old post, but thank you for pointing this out. It was a big help. Have a great day.
