Expert: Mike Evans - 11/21/2009

Question
How do you install a washer transmission on a 1982 firebird

Answer
    I assume that you mean the wiper transmission.  If you already have the new one, you know that it is just a couple of rods and cranks.  If you open the hood, you will see that the area between the base of the windshield and the firewall is covered with vented panel.  This is called the cowl panel.  If you take the wiper arms off of their stands, and then remove the nuts that secure the stands to the cowl panel, you can remove the cowl panel by unscrewing the small screws around its edge.  What you will be looking at will be the wiper transmission.  You will have to remove the wiper motor from the firewall to make the job easier, but removing the wiper transmission is simply a matter of unbolting the cranks and wiper stands and lifting the whole thing out of the car.  Take a few minutes to clean and vacuum the cowl vent area, there is bound to be some crud in there.  Then just put it back together the way it came apart.  This is one of the easiest jobs on any car, it's just something that you never think about and never see, so it seems mysterious.