The Safrane.Info Forum!

Hi

Sorry to say other than the engine and gearbox, the safrane is very different to the volvo and does not use any other common parts. Even the engine is heavily modified - the engine cam pulleys for instance have been swapped over and rotated so that you can't use the volvo timing marks, the timing cover is not the volvo version (though oddly it does carry a volvo logo), the inlet manifold is completely different (yet recognisably similar), power steering pump is different, even the dipsticks are different! I suspect that this was Renaults way of ensuring parts custom and I would imagine the drivers wiper arm was made a quirky beast to ensure the same. It's strange how they all seem to have a weak point for snapping isn't it.

The safranes driver wiper arm is a quirky beast - as you may have noticed the hook on the end does not fold down and under but instead it folds up and over making it a hard task just finding replacement wiper blades yet alone an arm. Obviously this guarantees uniqueness for Renault! As for valeo, I wish you luck but i suspect they were only interested in flogging them rather than documenting them - keep us updated though, i'd love to be proven wrong! (The headlights and many other parts were valeo made too)

Find a breaker, get a cheap gear puller or wiper arm puller from ebay (£20 max) and grab one from a breaker - thats about the best you can do these days. As SAFRANEV6RXE says, many parts are no longer offered by Ren-Oh and he should know, he works in Renault Parts (trust me.. I've sent him hundreds of emails about various parts over the years lol).

Managed to undo the nut with a spanner. Tried lifting the broken wiper arm bit left on the spindle off without joy. Gave a couple of twists and it easily lifted off from the spindle. The spindle has the screw part at the top and then is sort of conical shaped.

Looks like I have saved a few pounds as a wiper lifter wasn't required.

At least something has gone right :)

Looking at the wiper on the broken arm the bar part was pressing against the arm even though the wiper blade seemed to be flush against the screen. I wonder now if the arm was not actually twisted and it was the natural groove and it was an issue with the blade not being so suitable for the wiper arm. It wasn't so well lit in the place where my car was parked up.

Be warned, they do not all come off as easily as that. The conical part actually has splines (along with the hole in the wiper arm) and they do not always twist off / loose. I have broken two of these arms trying to get them off - the only safe way is to use a puller of sorts that presses on the top of the shaft, screws down on it and pulls the arm off the shaft. If you find one in a scrap yard, you really don't want to risk breaking it as it'll probably be the only safrane they have.



Is it a normal wiper blade that was fitted? - If so, the drivers side arm cannot use them. They are a special type of blade with the coupling off to the side. If you try to use a normal blade, as the arm goes up the windscreen it will lift the blade off the glass.

Unfortunately they are also no longer available so what I now do is to go to my local independant motor factors and get them to cut and fit a new rubber strip to the old blade instead. Not ideal I know but its the only option left to us ph2 drivers. The other thing would be to remove the far end of the arm and turn it over but I've no idea how to get it loose.

I should write an article about the driver side blade...

Any idea how the hook part is attached to the rest of the wiper arm? Is it just the spring hook and the bar part is enclosed with the outer part. Or is it welded to the outer enclosure? Thinking if there is a way to get the bar part out of the O/S; obtain a N/S wiper arm and swap the hook bar bits over.

Don't suppose anyone is in London who is willing to lend their driver side wiper arm and wiper blade so I can put it on my car; book a partial re-test appointment and drive to the MOT station; get the pass certificate and drive the car back home and then return the wiper arm and wiper blade. Get the road tax sorted and will then have more time to search for a replacement wiper arm. Seem to be up against the clock so to speak at the moment!

Going to go to a local motor shop on Thursday and see if they have anything that will fit.

Otherwise no luck so far.

I may have a spare Phase 1 are you could borrow but i can,t remember exactly where they are,i wouldn,t be able to look until tommorrow night though.
You should contact one of those breakers that i posted links to,they should help out hopefully.

Afraid not!

Have you had a prowl around the local scrappys? - You may get lucky around the redhill / weybridge area as there were quite a lot of safranes in that area.

As for the arm part, there is a spring underneath that holds it in but I've never successfully released it or the arm from the base part.

I contacted the ebay sellers and motorhog without any luck.

The one breaking the N reg Safrane on Ebay said the wiper arm had already gone.

Tomorrow is another day...well today is! Time for bed.

Thanks.

Hi all,

I know it has been some time since I first posted in this thread but I am finally able to report back with some good news.

I managed to track down and import a driver side wiper arm.

Today I took the car for a booked MOT test and it passed :) A couple of minor issues this time which weren't highlighted on the previous failed MOT. Strange as the car has been sitting put on a driveway since returning from the past test.

A little strange the car stalled a couple of times during the journey to the council test centre whilst sitting in traffic about halfway there. Never had it stall before. Going to put it down to the fact it hadn't been driven for a couple of months since the last MOT test and it was fairly cold early this morning.

Such a relief to get it passed as I don't have to be concerned about losing my NCB. I had kept the insurance Co. fully informed and they were very understanding.

I ended up buying a Valeo VM105 wiper blade for the new driver side wiper arm as it is made for the Safrane and a couple of BMW cars too.

Such a relief to get it sorted and my car which has done under 40K can travel a few more miles.

The stalling might be your breather circuit. Don't worry just yet, as you say it could be simply because it's been stood a while (these engines are known to dislike sitting - starting them up after several months is guaranteed to see them make odd sounds etc).

Keep an eye on it, if it gets any worse then come back and I'll point you to better info.

Glad to hear you got your wiper sorted, it's a PITA!!!