Upgraded Windscreen Wiper System for the Jaguar XK120, XK140 and XK150
Windscreen wipers are neither glamorous nor exciting yet they are essential to an enjoyable driving experience. The standard wiper setup on the XK120, XK140 and XK150 are adequate however they have several significant shortcomings.
Chief among these shortcomings is the 'thermal cut-out' system which it fitted to them. This is designed to save the wiper motor from overheating and works very well, too well in fact. A worn, sixty-year-old, wiper motor will inevitably become hot after 30 minutes of use in a hot engine bay and will then take an hour to cool down again. This may have been acceptable in the 1950s full of sepia-tone sunshine and the odd shower that lasted exactly 29 minutes but is no good in 2023 and certainly is not suited to some of the more tropical climes where many of our customers do tours.
The second big issue with the standard wiper system does not apply to the Jaguar XK140 or XK150 but is unique to the XK120. Single-speed wipers may not at first seem like a major problem however they can quickly become rather tiresome. In a light drizzle, they are a bit too fast so one is forever flicking them on and off. In heavy rain, they just aren't fast enough to keep the screen clear.
A further issue with the XK120 wiper system is the older arrangement of wiper arms and bezels. The way the wiper blade is attached is fundamentally flawed and doesn't feature the splined shaft that was introduced with the XK140. This means that with time the wiper arms tend to work themselves loose and then start wiping the bulkhead, centre pillar of the windscreen, stop moving or just fall off altogether. To avoid this, one needs to frequently adjust and tighten the wiper arms.
Many customers have come to us with the above issues and over the years we have experimented with several solutions. It is, of course, an option to rebuild the original wiper motor for those who favour originality. We do however find many wiper motors badly worn to repair effectively. Additionally in extreme climates the issues of the 'thermal cut-out' can never be entirely resolved. None of these solutions were entirely satisfactory so we are now pleased to offer a full wiper upgrade for the XK120, XK140 and XK150.
The wiper upgrade is a complete system with a new, more efficient and more powerful motor which mounts in approximately the same position as the original motor using a bespoke mounting bracket, new wiper bezels that fit in the original position on the XK140 and XK150 and look identical to the original and a new cable giving better gearing than the original. Due to the fabrication work required, we are only able to offer our wiper upgrade in-house and do not sell in kit form. The XK120 also requires a new two-speed switch (which can either have the original 120 knob or an XK140 style two-speed knob fitted). Additionally, some slight modification is required to fit the uprated XK140 style wiper bezels to the XK120.
Our wiper motor upgrade provides a more powerful sweep allowing more tension to be put on the wipers making them more effective at clearing the screen. The system is very reliable and the more efficient design avoids the issue of the 'thermal cut-out' switching off your wipers when you need them most. The addition of two speeds and a better-designed system is also a welcome improvement on the XK120.
For more information about this system please get in touch via the contact page.
We offer a wide range of modifications and upgrades for the Jaguar XK120, XK140, XK150 and E-Type. Click here to read about our other upgrades.
