[Rich]

Hi all - hope this is the right place to post?


I've had my 13 plate B-Max Titanium auto for 3 months now (after my immaculate, 10yr old Mazda 6 got written off - long story.....) without any major issues and I'm pretty satisfied with the car overall. However...... along with many others, I have a problem with the 'heated' front screen.


It demists (of a fashion) on the driver's side - streaky lines etc - and does sort of clear, but nothing on the passenger side. I've researched on this site and others and guess it is in all probability a faulty screen but before I go down the 'argue with the dealer' route, I fancy doing a bit of digging, just for my own satisfaction. I found a YouTube video of a guy with a Focus that had a similar problem and he'd discovered it was the wiper mechanism that had fouled against the gold lead that connects into the loom beneath the screen scuttle cover. This lead had broken and it was a simple solder repair to correct it. What I want to do is remove the cover and have a look, just to satisfy myself that it isn't the cause of my problem. Both fuses look ok, btw.



Has anyone removed said cover? Are there any particular issues in doing so? The wiper arms are very tight so will need a puller, I think, and there seems to be only a couple of screws and a few spring clips holding the thing on so I don't anticipate too much trouble. Any tips/pointers would be welcome!



Thanks in advance.


Rich

 

[Rich]

Update - As yet I can't even get the wiper arms off .............! The caps on the arms are not a good weather seal so the wells where the nuts sit have been filled with water, so very rusty nuts (!) (though do unscrew) and assume water has penetrated, thus 'bonded' the arm to the spindle? Also, the puller I've got is too large to fit over the arm - it fouls against the bonnet, no matter which position it's in!


Anyone have any idea how to safely remove the wiper arms? The plastic trim piece has very little clearance around where the spindle protrudes through it so there's nowhere to safely use a lever to prise it off without damaging the trim. Any method and/or tool that will do the job?



I've been searching around for a workshop manual too but with no success - any pointers there please?


Grateful for any help


Rich

 

[Gremlin]

I believe you need a small two legged puller for the wiper arms,. Ensure you put them back on in exactly the same orientation, else you will have to re-synchronise them.

I've been searching around for a workshop manual too but with no success - any pointers there please?

if you sign up to ford etis as an independent operator, you can view the 'workshop' manual (its the one ford dealers use), costs €15 for a days access.

 

[Willow]

Rich! Hold on, a sec

I had a similar issue with my windscreen but in my case the driver's side would not demiss. I have since found a fix without even picking up a wrench.

When you first engage ignition do the following:
1. Turn the heater knob all the way to the right. You should see a tiny light illuminate next to the knob plus the aircon light wil illuminate.
2, Turn the fan to full power
3, Push the quick clear windscreen button and wait.

Hopefully you are now enjoying full clearance. I will add, that if I alter the three sequence, I am back to passage side only.

 

[Hadrian1]

I just press the "Max" button.

 

[Rich]

Hi All - thanks for the replies.


The plot thickens............ It seems there may be something in the 'battery power level' scenario after all.



Went out the other morning, fired her up, tried the 'turn the heater knob on full' suggestion (but deliberately didn't switch on the aircon cos I didn't want to confuse myself as to which process actually did the job), pressed the front screen button and BINGO! Both sides demisted with the usual 'streaky vertical lines' telling me that, indeed, both halves of the screen heater were working. So, no need for a strip down at this point!



It was pretty cold that day, though above freezing, so perhaps the car's ambient temperature sensor may play a part? Anyway, I'll continue to monitor and report again if there's anything helpful to add.


Regarding the workshop manual - thanks for the pointer but I was hoping for something more tangible - like a hard copy or at least something download-able that I could print parts off myself? Fifteen Euros a day is a bit steep if all you want to do is pull off the wipers or remove a bit of trim........:wink:


Thanks again for the interest


Rich

 

[EASYDOZIT]

Hi All - thanks for the replies.


The plot thickens............ It seems there may be something in the 'battery power level' scenario after all.



Went out the other morning, fired her up, tried the 'turn the heater knob on full' suggestion (but deliberately didn't switch on the aircon cos I didn't want to confuse myself as to which process actually did the job), pressed the front screen button and BINGO! Both sides demisted with the usual 'streaky vertical lines' telling me that, indeed, both halves of the screen heater were working. So, no need for a strip down at this point!



It was pretty cold that day, though above freezing, so perhaps the car's ambient temperature sensor may play a part? Anyway, I'll continue to monitor and report again if there's anything helpful to add.


Regarding the workshop manual - thanks for the pointer but I was hoping for something more tangible - like a hard copy or at least something download-able that I could print parts off myself? Fifteen Euros a day is a bit steep if all you want to do is pull off the wipers or remove a bit of trim........😉


Thanks again for the interest


Rich

Hi Rich,

I know this is an old post but as I have a similar problem with my heated screen I was just wondering if the method you used was a permanent fix, or if there was anything else you may have had to do.

With regard to your request for a Workshop manual, I tried two of the Download versions and by far the best I found was from a seller on Ebay.
The seller initially supplied a DVD version but unfortunately it was not for my version of the B-Max it was for the 1.6Ltr Duratec engine,( this was my fault, ordering the wrong one) but when I contacted the seller he sent me a download link to my 1.0Ltr EcoBoost engine, which did not take a long time to download, this he did with no extra charge.
Just in case you are interested/looking here is a link to the site easyworkshopmanuals on eBay.
I think it cost me about £14 or £15.

Regards.