1971 wiper door door opens after head lights turned off.

[Barry L.]

I have this 71 that had some vacuum leaks, which caused the engine to idle a little rough. After tracing all the vacuum lines it was apparent that the vacuum actuators for the head lights were bad. So I replaced the both actuators, both vacuum cans and the vacuum actuator for the wiper door mounted on the right front fender well inside the engine compartment. Now the engine idles smooth, head lights pop up in a mill a second, BUT when I turn off the heads the wiper door pops up. I checked all the lines to make sure they were connected properly, checked the hoses for leaks, nothing found. Everything seems find. I wonder if the wiper door canister mounted on the fire wall above the right valve cover is bad, the valve stop for the wiper arm, etc... Any suggestions?

[Gary B.]

Re: 1971 wiper door door opens after head lights turned off.

It is likely the vacuum switch under the RH wiper arm. The molded rubber spool inside dries out and gets hard with age. Bob Demmel rebuilds these for a long term fix.
I have found very few of the wiper canisters that go bad. It is usually the pesky wiper arm switch.
Gary B

[Barry L.]

Re: 1971 wiper door door opens after head lights turned off.

Thanks Gary for the reply. I will change the switch.

[Jack C.]

Re: 1971 wiper door door opens after head lights turned off.

Thanks Gary for the reply. I will change the switch.

Barry, be careful, the off-shore replacements have a very poor track record of not working right out of the box.

[Barry L.]

Re: 1971 wiper door door opens after head lights turned off.

Thanks Jack. I will consider your info.