How to replace complete wiper blade system....
 

Hello from Western Canada.
My wife's 1997 Protege SE has a broken passenger side wiper blade arm. The whole arm is broken due to severe metal corrosion. Also broken is the part that keeps the arm from falling inside the hole.

From the looks of it I need to replace the whole wiper blade system and have no idea where to start. That's why I am here. I've done the odd small mechanical work on my vehicles and do all my own oil changes. But this wiper blade system, is completely hidden from view under the engine hood so it complicates things for me.

I look forward to your response(s).
Thank you.

R. May
renoir911@yahoo.ca

you shouldn't have to replace everything if you want when my girlfriend drives my protege over tomroow ill take a look to double check but on my focus (ford manufactures mazda now) at the end of the arm close to the hole in the plastic at the bottom of the arm there should be a plastic cover just pop that cover off and there will be a bolt inside just take out that bolt and the arm comes right off. but ill double check that if you want.

I have a '99 Protege and the workshop manual. Unless the actual linkage from the driver's side wiper is kaput, or the bushings have had it, you shouldn't need to remove the cowling. If you do, it means lifting the weatherstripping and popping the 7 clips underneath that retain the cowling. With the cowling off, absolutely everything is exposed. When reinstalling the wipers, there are park position reference marks on the windshield frame, and you just align the wiper blade tips to those marks.
A good way to do this job is to get a spray can of jigaloo, releasol, WD40 or whatever and a dozen beers. Wait for a nice sunny day, spray everything in sight, then drink the beer. When the beer's finished, the hardware will be easy to disassemble.
If you reuse the original bushings and drive bolts, clean the serrations really well with a fine wire brush, otherwise you'll strip the serrations in the wiper arms. Give the drive bolts and bushings a good shot of lithium spray lube when you reassemble.
Don't waste your time by doing just the passenger side unless you're sure the driver's side is A1, otherwise you'll be doing a repeat performance within a year.

Darkstar!!!!!
 

Thanks.
But the whole bolt is broken due to corrosion.
Looks like I need to remove the plastic cover in front of the windshield (before I go get the beer or vodka). Under the plastic appears to be 2 screws that hold the armature to the car's body. I have not tried to remove anything yet.

yeah take that weather stripping off running along the bottom of your window the clips are under the hood and everything will be exposed.

Busted drive bolt, crikey!
Better get yourself 2 cans of lube spray and two crates of beer!
And while your about it, expect to break one or two of those stupid clips too; they're a pain in the butt.
Mazda's plastic fastenings are so bad I wait for warm weather (more excuse for beer) and have even resorted to gently using a hair dryer to warm up trim parts so they don't snap when you pry them off!
When you finish, give that hardware a squirt of lithium base spray, and put a good shot in the retaining nut space before you put the plugs back into the wiper arms; also you may find putting a smear of flexible plastic windshield sealer around those plugs is a good idea too. This stops them from popping out and also prevents water from seeping in and starting a repeat of what you're going through.
The problem is that the splined drive bolts have to be steel for strength, but the wiper arms are die-cast zinc, and when water gets in there from snow/ ice melting down from the windshield, it sets off an electrochemical reaction turning the zinc into oxide or chloride which then permeates into the splines and practically welds the arms onto the drives.