How it works
The parts of a windshield wiper you can see are the wiper arm, the wiper blade and the rubber insert in the blade. Out of sight are the pivot shafts, a linkage, a motor and the washer.
Read the full guide
One wiper
The wiper arm runs from the pivot shaft to the middle of the wiper blade. A spring in the arm pulls it toward the glass. The blade's frame spreads that push along the blade insert, the strip of rubber that does the wiping.
The whole system
Under the panel below the windshield, the wiper motor works a linkage of rods, and the rods rock the two pivot shafts. For washing, the washer pump sends fluid from the washer fluid reservoir up a hose to the washer nozzles.
- Some newer blades have no frame. One flexible beam does the frame's job.
- Most cars have two wipers that move in step, worked by one motor.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a windshield wiper?
A wiper arm, a wiper blade on the end of it, and a rubber insert held in the blade. The arm is fixed to a pivot shaft, and a wiper motor swings both arms through a linkage.
What is the rubber part of a wiper blade called?
The insert, or blade insert. It is the strip that touches the glass, and it can be changed without changing the whole blade.
How do windshield wipers move back and forth?
An electric motor turns a crank round and round. The rods of the linkage turn that into a push and pull, which rocks the pivot shafts, and the arms swing with them.
Where does windshield washer fluid come from?
From the washer fluid reservoir under the hood. A small washer pump pushes it along a hose to the nozzles, which spray it on the glass.