Dodge Nitro. Manual - part 977

Fig. 39: Front Wiper Blade 
Courtesy of CHRYSLER LLC 

1. Lift the wiper arm (2) to raise the wiper blade and element (6) off of the glass, until the wiper arm hinge 

is in its over-center position.  

2. To remove the blade from the arm, depress the latch release tab (4) on the pivot block (3) under the tip of 

the arm and slide the blade away from the tip towards the pivot end of the arm far enough to disengage 
the pivot block from the hook formation (5) on the end of the arm.  

3. Extract the hook formation on the tip of the wiper arm through the opening in the wiper blade 

superstructure (1) just ahead of the pivot block.  

4. Gently lower the tip of the wiper arm onto the glass.  

INSTALLATION 

REAR WIPER BLADE 

NOTE:

The notched end of the wiper element flexor should always be oriented towards 
the end of the wiper blade that is nearest to the wiper pivot.

CAUTION: Do not allow the wiper arm to spring back against the glass without the 

wiper blade in place or the glass may be damaged.

 

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T 

2007 ACCESSORIES AND EQUIPMENT Wipers/Washers - Service Information - Nitro

  

Fig. 40: Rear Wiper Blade 
Courtesy of CHRYSLER LLC 

1. Position the wiper blade (1) under the tip of the wiper arm (2), aligning the pivot pin near the center of the 

blade superstructure with the latch features on the underside of the tip of the arm.  

2. Squeeze the arm and blade together until the blade pivot pin snaps into the latch features of the arm.  

3. Reinstall the rear wiper arm, wiper blade and element onto the vehicle as a unit. See INSTALLATION.  

FRONT WIPER BLADE 

Fig. 41: Front Wiper Blade 
Courtesy of CHRYSLER LLC 

CAUTION: Do not allow the wiper arm to spring back against the glass without the 

wiper blade in place or the glass may be damaged.

NOTE:

The notched end of the wiper element flexor should always be oriented towards 
the end of the wiper blade that is nearest to the wiper pivot.

 

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T 

2007 ACCESSORIES AND EQUIPMENT Wipers/Washers - Service Information - Nitro

  

1. Lift the wiper arm (2) off of the windshield glass, until the wiper arm hinge is in its over-center position.  

2. Position the wiper blade near the hook formation (5) on the tip of the arm with the notched end of the 

wiper element flexor oriented towards the end of the wiper arm that is nearest to the wiper pivot.  

3. Insert the hook formation on the tip of the arm through the opening in the blade superstructure (1) ahead 

of the pivot block (3) far enough to engage the pivot block into the hook.  

4. Slide the pivot block up into the hook formation on the tip of the wiper arm until the latch release tab (4) 

snaps into its locked position. Latch engagement will be accompanied by an audible click.  

5. Gently lower the wiper blade and element (6) onto the glass.  

WIPER MODULE 

DESCRIPTION 

FRONT WIPER MODULE 

Fig. 42: Front Wiper Module Components 
Courtesy of CHRYSLER LLC 

The front wiper module is secured within the cowl plenum panel beneath the cowl plenum cover/grille panel. 
The ends of the wiper pivot shafts (3) protrude through dedicated openings in the cowl plenum cover/grille 
panel to drive the wiper arms and blades and are the only visible components of the front wiper module. 

The front wiper module consists of the following major components: 



Bracket - The front wiper module bracket consists of a long tubular steel main member that has a die cast 
pivot bracket formation near each end where the two wiper pivots are secured. A die cast mounting 
bracket for the wiper motor (4) is secured with two screws near the center of the main member. Each of 
the two wiper pivot brackets secures the module to the cowl plenum with a screw through a rubber 
insulator (1), and a third rubber insulator on the motor bracket secures the module with a nut to a stud 
located in the bottom of the cowl plenum.  



Crank Arm (6) - The front wiper motor crank arm is a stamped steel unit with a hole on the driven end 

 

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T 

2007 ACCESSORIES AND EQUIPMENT Wipers/Washers - Service Information - Nitro

  

that is secured to the wiper motor output shaft with a nut, and has a ball stud secured to the drive end. 



Linkage (2) - Two tubular steel drive links connect the wiper motor crank arm to the wiper pivot lever 
arms. The right side drive link has a plastic socket-type bushing on each end. The left side drive link has a 
plastic socket-type bushing on one end, and a plastic sleeve-type bushing on the other end. The socket-
type bushing on one end of each drive link is snap-fit over the ball stud on the lever arm of its respective 
pivot. The left side drive link sleeve-type bushing end is then fit over the motor crank arm ball stud, and 
the other socket-type bushing of the right side drive link is snap-fit over the exposed end of the wiper 
motor crank arm ball stud.  



Motor - The front wiper motor is secured with two screws near the center of the main tubular member of 
the wiper module bracket, and through a rubber insulator to a stud in the bottom of the cowl plenum. An 
integral connector receptacle (5) connects the motor to the vehicle electrical system through a take out 
and connector of the front end module wire harness. A nut secures the wiper motor crank arm to the 
motor output shaft. The two-speed permanent magnet wiper motor features an integral transmission, an 
internal park switch, and an internal automatic resetting circuit breaker.  



Pivots - The two front wiper pivots are secured within the die cast pivot brackets on the outboard ends of 
the wiper module main member. The lever arms that extend from the center of the pivot shafts each have 
a ball stud on their end. The upper end of each pivot shaft where the wiper arms will be fastened each is 
tapered and serrated with a threaded stud formation at the tip. The lower ends of the pivot shafts are 
installed through lubricated bushings in the pivot brackets and are secured with snap rings.  

The front wiper module cannot be adjusted or repaired. If any component of the module is ineffective or 
damaged, the entire front wiper module unit must be replaced. 

OPERATION 

FRONT WIPER MODULE 

The front wiper module operation is controlled by the battery current inputs received by the wiper motor 
through the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM). The wiper motor speed is controlled by current flow to 
either the low speed or the high speed set of brushes. The park switch is a single pole, single throw, momentary 
switch within the wiper motor that is mechanically actuated by the wiper motor transmission components. The 
park switch alternately closes the wiper park switch sense circuit to ground or to battery current, depending 
upon the position of the wipers on the glass. This feature allows the motor to complete its current wipe cycle 
after the wiper system has been turned OFF, and to park the wiper blades in the lowest portion of the wipe 
pattern. The automatic resetting circuit breaker protects the motor from overloads. 

The wiper motor crank arm, the two wiper linkage members and the two wiper pivots mechanically convert the 
rotary output of the wiper motor to the back and forth wiping motion of the wiper arms and blades on the glass. 

The hard wired inputs and outputs of the front wiper motor may be diagnosed using conventional diagnostic 
tools and procedures. Refer to the appropriate wiring information. However, conventional diagnostic methods 
will not prove conclusive in the diagnosis of the front wiper motor or the electronic controls or communication 
between other modules and devices that provide some features of the front wiper and washer system. The most 
reliable, efficient, and accurate means to diagnose the front wiper motor or the electronic controls and 
communication related to front wiper motor operation requires the use of a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the 
appropriate diagnostic information. 

 

2007 Dodge Nitro R/T 

2007 ACCESSORIES AND EQUIPMENT Wipers/Washers - Service Information - Nitro