Well, that's an interesting failure mode. [automotive]


 
That's not a very nice outcome for that order. I'm sorry to say, but Rock Auto went on my naughty list a few years ago for some of the same issues. Shipping was expensive, and then shipped incorrectly, and then CS was horrible to top it off.
 
Bummer. Too bad you just didn't use Amazon. I could have told ya that would happen with RA as it's why they're on my :poop: list
 
And, just to add insult to injury, I dropped the <BEEEEEEP> trim cap that covers the stud & nut somewhere in the engine compartment. Guess I'm off to Ace on Friday morning to see about a cheap trim cap, or an acorn nut. I really am not interested in paying for a Mopar replacement.
 
Circling the wagons.

Without getting into the gory details, I've also ended up with a couple of Dorman arms. So, for a comparison....

Cons:
1) Wiper no longer sits parallel to the bottom of the windshield in the parked position.
2) Other bends keep the arch of the arm higher off the windshield.
3) When the arm is lifted off the glass and locked upright, it's about 20-30 degrees less vertical than the OEM.

Pros:
1) Finish (coating) appears identical
2) Spring down pressure appears to be more than OEM (should help with freeway speed lift off.

If your OCD shines, there is a noticeable difference between OEM and the Dorman arms. You might want to consider replacing both in that case.

I'm still having a problem getting decent engagement beween the steel stud with the cut splines, and the aluminum arm. FSM says only 18 ft./lbs torque on the nut (it is a small fastener,) and I don't want to bend anything under the cowl.
 
JKalchik said:
Circling the wagons.

Without getting into the gory details, I've also ended up with a couple of Dorman arms. So, for a comparison....

Cons:
1) Wiper no longer sits parallel to the bottom of the windshield in the parked position.
2) Other bends keep the arch of the arm higher off the windshield.
3) When the arm is lifted off the glass and locked upright, it's about 20-30 degrees less vertical than the OEM.

Pros:
1) Finish (coating) appears identical
2) Spring down pressure appears to be more than OEM (should help with freeway speed lift off.

If your OCD shines, there is a noticeable difference between OEM and the Dorman arms. You might want to consider replacing both in that case.

I'm still having a problem getting decent engagement beween the steel stud with the cut splines, and the aluminum arm. FSM says only 18 ft./lbs torque on the nut (it is a small fastener,) and I don't want to bend anything under the cowl.
Click to expand...
I suppose there could be something wrong with the "splines" in the new parts - we don't know that they were made right. But, I've had trouble getting those splines to seat on some vehicles. Can you get to the nut without opening the hood? You may have already tried this but one thing that sometimes helps is to pull the arm up and away from the glass and "lock" it in the "away" position so there is no tension from the spring being transmitted to the splines. Now you can rock and wiggle the arm carefully as you tighten the nut. As you rock the arm the cone-and-spline mating surfaces might settle better and you might end up with a tighter joint. You might even be able to "feel" your way into the splines as you wiggle the arm and snug the nut at the same time. Of course, the way my luck works, once I got it tight I would find that I was off a spline or two and have to start over :ROFLMAO:

You are right to worry about forcing the nut too much. You don't want to break anything off under there.
 
John G (Boston) said:
I suppose there could be something wrong with the "splines" in the new parts
Click to expand...
Well, that's the funny thing. Replacement OEM and Dorman arms have a reamed or machined out aluminum arm that's painted, but no splines at all. It's pretty apparent that the harder steel is intended to engage with the softer paint and aluminum.

Tightening the nut easily gets the arm down to what appears to be the proper position. One of the things that I've been meaning to pick up is a battery terminal puller which should work awfully well to pop this arm up off the stud if I need to reposition it.
 
JKalchik said:
Well, that's the funny thing. Replacement OEM and Dorman arms have a reamed or machined out aluminum arm that's painted, but no splines at all. It's pretty apparent that the harder steel is intended to engage with the softer paint and aluminum.

Tightening the nut easily gets the arm down to what appears to be the proper position. One of the things that I've been meaning to pick up is a battery terminal puller which should work awfully well to pop this arm up off the stud if I need to reposition it.
Click to expand...
You know, I had wondered about that. All the ones I've worked on (except a couple) have been on older vehicles and big trucks. The old Mopars had serious, full length splines which can be a pain to get off. I have used my wiggle trick mostly on old military trucks (which have a very small and slightly conical spline area) and on my Wife's newer BMW. The BMW wouldn't stay tight until I did the wiggle trick and "inched up" on the nut a little at a time. And that car is a bugger because you can not pull the wiper up off the glass very far - the arm will hit the edge of the hood (terrible design).

Well, hope you were able to get it safely tightened.
 
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