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Thread: Wiper Arm scratching Bonnet with correct Wiper Blades

  1. #21
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    here's a couple of pics of mine, tho the car is in the sun so made it tricky.... bonnet centre is about 45mm from screen (perpendicular)

    looks like about 5mm from nut to bonnet
    Nsx wiper clearance by NSX Jon, on Flickr

    and the arm clears the bonnet... you can see the gouge from previous owners not putting the arm on squarely....
    Nsx wiper clearance by NSX Jon, on Flickr

    i can take some more pix at dusk, when i can see what i'm looking at, if need be

    hope that helps
    aka Jonathan!!

    '92 charlotte green auto.... as a daily
    '37 Ford Y street rod......... something for the weekend!

    ...... if a photobucket pic is foggy, click it, and it'll take you to the clear version, yes, it's a clicking faff....

  2. #22
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    Thanks Jonathan for the images - they are illustrating the point nicely!
    This looks like exactly the 5 mm clearance I'm missing on my NSX - either my hood sits too low or the wiper linkage assembly too high ..
    1997 JDM Custom Order AT VIN 1400005 - Stock
    Heineken's Garage

  3. #23
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    Some more replies via e-mail and message services came in. All owners without the issue reported a distance from glass to centre of the bonnet of 50 mm. The reported clearance between the domed nut and the bonnet was 5 mm.
    One driver from the Netherlands reported very similar issues with the domed nut hitting the bonnet and measured just 45 mm (glass to bonnet) - same as mine.

    Interestingly the BWW 7 suffers from similar issues - both with worn bearings as well as *drum roll* a sagged/bent bonnet .. the official fix from the factory (performed at the dealer) is to bend the bonnet back into shape: https://www-7--forum-com.translate.g..._x_tr_pto=wapp
    1997 JDM Custom Order AT VIN 1400005 - Stock
    Heineken's Garage

  4. #24
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    Since the issue with the scratching wiper arm and colliding domed nut more and more sounds like an issue with the bonnet, some more detailed measurements were made.
    With the bonnet closed, the distance from the glass (at the edge of the visor) to the bottom of the bonnet is 40 mm:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    .. from the glass to the top of the bonnet: 45 mm:

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    The values should be 45 and 50 mm, respectively, which gives a sufficient clearance of about 5 mm between the domed nut and the underside of the bonnet (like stated previously).

    Now, contact to my local and experienced body shop was made. They stated that it's possible to bend the bonnet into shape but it's high effort and risk - they would only consider it as a very last resort.
    While talking and explaining the situation, it was observed that the required clearance can be obtained without permanently bending the bonnet - hence the idea to support the bonnet from underneath in such a way that it's kept in a proper shape while being closed. For testing purposes, two improvised rubber mounts where put on the sheet metal holding the weather strip:

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    (the rubber domes should probably be more close together)

    After closing the hood, this resulted in a clearance of 43 and 48 mm - almost according to spec
    The tricky part is how to combine this with the cowl cover and the weather strip - ideas are welcome.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    (not like this obviously)
    1997 JDM Custom Order AT VIN 1400005 - Stock
    Heineken's Garage

  5. #25
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    Update from the scratching wiper issue and a trip to the DIY store. Came back with this 25 mm rubber door stop:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Can be installed on top of the weather strip, at the centre hole. The weather sealing strip easily moves around since it's no longer mounted to that position.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    A separate nut and bolt will be required to mount it, though.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Obviously this interferes with the weather strip functionality as it opens a gap at the centre but this can be resolved by using a soft foam seal at the underside of the bonnet (if required).

    I feel a little ashamed for opting for such a low tech solution but it creates a nice clearance of 45 and 50 mm - well according to spec - and the sides of the bonnet rose only very slightly. Maybe a rubber stop with less than 25 mm is sufficient as well, I'll give that a try during the next days, then the sides would rise even less
    Last edited by Heineken; 03-05-2022 at 06:05 PM.
    1997 JDM Custom Order AT VIN 1400005 - Stock
    Heineken's Garage

  6. #26
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    Thinking out loud, could it be that your foam seal has deteriorated and therefore sits lower?

  7. #27
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    i was going to suggest some stand offs to see if it helped
    aka Jonathan!!

    '92 charlotte green auto.... as a daily
    '37 Ford Y street rod......... something for the weekend!

    ...... if a photobucket pic is foggy, click it, and it'll take you to the clear version, yes, it's a clicking faff....

  8. #28
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    Very interesting and thank you for sharing the findings.

    In case someone experiences the same thing in the future, I'm going to post all the photos and the comments forwarded to Heineken.



    My NSX is 94 JDM and I'm the only owner so I know all the history apart from when it was on the slow boat on the way to UK.

    5mm centre punch on top of the fixing nut.
    Can slide it left to right or back and forth so should be at least 5mm gap there as mentioned by others.






    When placed the ruler at the centre of the windshield and right at the edge of the rubber piece of the lower visor,
    the distance to the back of the bonnet/hood is about 45mm.

    The bonnet itself is about 6mm thickness at this edge.



    Discussed about the hinge fatigue, spacer and the alignment.

    While there could be some shims behind the bonnet hinge, never heard of fatigue issue there.

    However, I didn't inspect in detail so will check later.


    I didn't pay much attention on the number of shims behind the hinge but don't think I have ever seen many of them sandwiched there for the alignment purpose.

    On my NSX, there is none at both sides.








    For the forward/aft alignment, Couldn't draw smooth line but the edge of the bonnet top should lead to the wing panel smoothly like in blue line.

    By the way, my passenger side JDM spec wiper blade sits here.






    On the other hand, I'm aware that many owners experienced alignment issue of the boot lid panel.

    It is caused by the fatigue and wear of the hinge bracket/assy.

    If the cause is the same, it can be fixed by replacing it although the new one comes in just base coat grey paint so you will need to have it sprayed with matching body colour.


    On my NSX, years ago, I started to notice that the right side forward section of the boot lid always sticks out higher just a bit compared to the right rear wing when closed.

    Seems to be tiny play/wear around the hinge shaft/hole and due to pressure of the gas strut, it just pushes up.

    Not sure you can see it in this photo but it's not flush to the wing panel.

    I used to open/close the boot regularly when I was doing the grocery shopping every few days or week for months every year.

    So, most likely the reason for the wear.


    There is no gas strut at the front and I opened/closed the bonnet/hood so many times since new yet I never noticed panel alignment issue at the front, unlike the boot lid.

    Will take a close look at the hinge later.


    In the meantime, interesting that your solution can increase the gap fairly easily.

    As we really don't have the specific reference point for the measurement, don't know where exactly causing your issue.


    Still, learnt something new and made me wonder what was happening while I was applying enough force to remove the coating/polish from the bonnet panel.....


    Kaz

  9. #29
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    As promised, here's the update on the scratching wiper issue. Used the available time last Saturday to reinstall everything. The area under the cowl cover was cleaned and the new wiper arm linkage installed. During installing it was taken care that the unit's final position was as far away from the front window as possible, resulting in the lowest possible installation position and maximizing the distance to the hood.

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    The cowl cover was attached with small washers since the company who removed the HID headlights broke all of the mounting tabs in the process.

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    The visor was re-installed including new clips - even though they don't feel perfectly attached it's not worse than before and therefore considered sufficient.

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    Both wiper arms were installed pushed down and the resulting clearance was according to spec (45 and 50 mm). Unfortunately, the hood was a little too high around the headlights. After shortening the rubber stopper from 25 to 20 mm this was no longer observed (or so minimal that it couldn't be recognized). The clearance reduced to 49 mm but still sufficient.

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    So after about six months of tinkering, checking, discussing and spending close to 500 Euro in parts (new wiper arm, new linkage), the fix was a 1.15 Euro door stop, cut down from 25 to 20 mm ..
    Last edited by Heineken; 25-05-2022 at 08:29 PM.
    1997 JDM Custom Order AT VIN 1400005 - Stock
    Heineken's Garage

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