Alan Bosch <arbosch@RA.ROCKWELL.COM>
--- snip
> Q:  Do the rear wiper motors on Vanagons go belly up?

Yes they do. The one on my '86 Syncro went out 120k miles. It
burned itself up and left a most annoying stench.

 If so, are they
> relatively easy to replace?  Anyone got a spare they'd like to sell, should
> the need arise?

They are quite easy to replace. The hardest part of the job for
me was removing the panel retaining buttons. I busted most of
mine while removing the panel. There is a special tool that
is designed to remove the buttons, it may work better than a
putty knife like the one I used.

I purchased a used motor assembly from a fellow list member for $40.

On my '86 the motor itself was not replaceable, I think that on later
models you may be able to  replace just the  motor and not the
whole assembly.

Good Luck,

John-Reed Maffeo '86 Syncro - Glacie
>
> Alan Bosch
> Forty inches of snow in five days in Rochester, NY
> Remember, drive sideways...
> '88 Wolfsburg, "...slip slidin' away..."