I have rebuilt several of the old CMP wipers and basically found what most of you have; the grease in the paddle has thickened over 50 years. Also, it seems like the mud wasps (or some similar insect) like to make a cacoon in the vacuum tube.
I use a Dow Corning #55 o-ring lubricant (silicone based grease) on the paddles. It is temperature stable so it keeps it's consistancy on those +35C days we have here, as well as the -35C we hit on the other end of the scale. It's actually rated for -65 to +177C, so it's effective for pretty much all of God-foresaken Manitoba. I have not had to replace any parts in the wipers, just a good cleaning and the paste.
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