How can I re-index wiper blades?

While changing the wiper blades on my wife's car, I accidentally had the passenger side arm out and turned on the ignition!

The arm went down and it seemed to very gently stop on the hood.

I proceeded to change the blades.

They wipe and work perfectly.

Now for the problem which my wife cannot stand. The blades no longer park when turned off.

Any ideas what I did or how to fix?

Thanks in advance,

Phil, Kansas City

Visitor Comment

The blade needs to be indexed. That means it needs to be positioned on the spline so that when the motor is in the off position, the blade is parked at its low point.

To do this, remove the blade. Turn the wipers on. Allow the system to fully cycle. Turn the wiper switch to off. Replace the wiper blade on the spline so that it is in the correct park position.

If you cannot easily install the blade when the system is in its correct park position when it is off, you must turn the system on, then turn the ignition off, and make a reasonable guess as to where the blade would be at that point in its cycle.

Then run the system, turn it off, and see if you installed the blade at the correct point on the spline. If not, go through the estimating position process again.

Eventually you will get the blade positioned correctly.