How to Repair a Windshield Wiper on a '96 Nissan Sentra

You may sometimes take the windshield wipers on your 1996 Nissan Sentra for granted. That is, however, until you have to drive through a severe thunderstorm. If your wipers stop working, you will want to repair them immediately. Luckily, the wipers on your Sentra are not very complicated from a mechanical standpoint. In fact, there are two primary things you can troubleshoot and repair to get your wipers working again. These repairs will not take you much time.

Things You'll Need

• Wrench
• Needle nose pliers
• Replacement fuse (possible)
• Replacement wiper motor (possible)

Instructions

1. Locate the fuse panel. It will be located on the passenger side, lower dashboard. Pull the cover open. There will be a fuse diagram on the inside of the fuse panel cover. Locate the fuse on the diagram for the wipers. Pull that fuse out with a pair of needle nose pliers and insert a new fuse. Turn on your ignition and test the wipers. If they work, you have fixed the problem. If they do not work, the problem is with your wiper motor and you should continue to the next step.

2. Open your Sentra's hood and remove the negative battery cable.

3. Locate the wiper motor on the driver's side near the wheel well. Unplug the plastic wiring harness from the back of your wiper motor.

4. Remove the retaining bolts holding the wiper motor in place and lift the old wiper motor out.

5. Set the new wiper motor in place, insert the retaining bolts and tighten them with a wrench.

6. Plug the wiring harness into the new wiper motor. Replace the negative battery cable. Test your wiper motor by turning your key on and engaging the wiper blades.

References

• Nissan Sentra & 200SX 1995 thru 2004: All models (Haynes Repair Manual); 2007; Ken Freund