You don't need to remove the wiper arms or the shaft assembly.  The motor
housing is held down by three 10mm bolts, and the wiper motor shaft is held
onto the mechanism by a 10mm also, sort of like the wiper arms are held onto
their shafts.  I was able to do it all with a box wrench and some patience,
since you have to undo the bolts by feel.
 To undo the wiper motor shaft from the assembly, you can twist the motor
around so it comes out in your hand and you can then get at the bolt much
easier.
On my syncro, the passenger side wiper shaft got very corroded and started
binding until it could barely be turned, so the motor was having a lot of
trouble.  I guess that's  not the case with yours.  In any case, lube up
those wiper shafts when you reinstall them!
-Hans
87 syncro
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank Miller" <fmiller01@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 11:53 AM
Subject: Replacing Windshield Wiper Motor

> The fuse for my wipers blows whenever I hit the wiper switch so it looks
like
> it's time to replace the motor. I tried removing it myself - got the wiper
> arms off and the shaft assemblies unscrewed at the dash, but got stumped
in
> how to disconnect the rods to the motor from the shafts. The Bentley in
it's
> usual terse manner wasn't much help on this point. I tried prying with a
> screwdriver a bit, but it looked like that's not the answer. Anybody have
any
> tips on how to replace the wiper motor?
> --
> Frank Miller, PE
> Systems Consultant
>