Wiper issues (yes I searched...)

[hop]

A search on similar topics revealed a few things I will check out but I didn't see any threads on this particular problem.

 

This is for a '97 Legacy L wagon.

 

A few months ago my wipers started to randomly quit then resurrect themselves when wiping in int and slow continuous speeds or in spray mode. They'd just stop wherever they were on the windshield. Sometimes they'd come back if I turned the wipers off and back on again, other times they'd take a while. High-speed wiping never had any issues and now it's my only option which is quite annoying when it's not raining hard.

 

I'm guessing it's not the motor since high-speed works....

 

Anything else I should check before I start ripping things apart? Oh, I don't have the owners manual so any part descriptions/locations should be pretty specific.

 

Thanks in advance, and thank Jeebus for summer!

[Cougar]

The motor has two speeds so it is possible that the motor may be the problem but I would think it is something else like the combination switch. To see if the motor is at fault check the voltage on the blk/blu wire for the low speed when this trouble happens again. If you see 12 volts there then the motor is the problem. If you don't see any voltage there then you need to check the combination switch for a problem or the blk/blu wire.

[nipper]

The motor also has an internal park switch, so yes it can be the motor. Open it up clean the switches and lubricate the drive and see what happens.

 

Clean the wire plug.

 

nipper

[hop]

I've been living with only having one speed (fast) on my wipers since 2007. Every once in a blue moon my wipers would "fix" themselves and work on Int and Slow for one minute/a couple of days before going back to only working on fast. I considered this a miracle and enjoyed the wiper control when it came back, but it always would end shortly.

 

My wipers started working normally again this fall (October-ish) which has been a super ultra miracle, but the downside is that when they fail they TOTALLY fail, no speeds work and I'm left completely wiperless. This has only happened three times but they've all been in the last week of driving and (duh) always when it's raining/snowing. Needless to say this is crazy dangerous and unsustainable. Once I made it home using a little 6" inside squeegee to clear my windshield using my hand - only looking down the leftmost 6" of the windshield and having your hand out the open window every 100' of road when it's snowing out is not fun. Twice I pulled over and turned the car off and when I turned the car back on the wipers worked 100% again. That's great, but what if this happens on the interstate? I can't just instantly pull over and turn my car off/on.

 

Now the problem is this: I took my car to the shop but my mechanic can't duplicate the issue so he can't diagnose/fix anything, and even though I've asked him to just replace EVERY component in the wiper system, he won't do it without a diagnosis.

 

Who can help me figure this out?

[Fairtax4me]

I would go with the poor contacts in the motor theory. You could try just unplugging the connector on the motor and see if the pins are corroded. If they are clean them up and see if it makes a difference.

[hop]

FML.

 

...anyone want to buy a Legacy wagon? Wipers work 99% of the time.

 

Or recommend a mechanic (not NWRS - already tried and he's probably the only honest mechanic on the planet) that's willing to replace the entire wiper system (whatever that entails) somewhere in the Bellingham WA region.

Edited February 2, 2013 by hop

[ocei77]

[ ...Or recommend a mechanic (not NWRS - already tried and he's probably the only honest mechanic on the planet) ....]

 

 

 

Since you've already determined that everyone else is probably dishonest, what's the sense of anyone recommending anyone?

 

O.

[hop]

[ ...Or recommend a mechanic (not NWRS - already tried and he's probably the only honest mechanic on the planet) ....]

 

 

 

Since you've already determined that everyone else is probably dishonest, what's the sense of anyone recommending anyone?

 

O.

 

Well, the problem is intermittent and of course when I brought the car in it was working fine, so he couldn't diagnose and wouldn't check stuff out until he could duplicate the problem.

 

I totally respect that he's not willing to dive in for exploratory surgery but it's extremely frustrating, not to mention dangerous, to have wipers that crap out while driving.

 

I need to find someone that's willing to check stuff out even if the wipers are functioning. It could be a simple "oh, that connection is loose" or it could be some major electrical gremlin, but I can't figure it out myself and I can't magically transport myself to a mechanic the instant the problem manifests itself.

 

Rod's Japanese Auto has been recommended 2x. Will try there.

[89Ru]

if you can't find someone to spend the time on it, take the little bugger apart yourself. its sitting right on the passenger side firewall in the engine bay, at the top. the contacts inside the mechanism are probably bent and/or need some scotch-brite attention. the grease has also probably flowed in places away from the gears, just smear it back in place.

[Cougar]

Power to the front and rear wipers is supplied by fuse #2 via a wht/blu wire. The same fuse supplies power to the rear wiper so it would be nice to know if the rear wiper also goes out at the same time. This would point to a fuse connection problem.

 

There are three main components to the wiper system. The motor, the intermittent module, and combination switch. I suggest you first pull the connections apart for these things and reconnect things to see if that will clear the trouble. If the other speed still doesn't work then I suggest you replace the module and see if that gets things to work. If that doesn't help then the combination switch may be the problem.

 

You might be able to find the problem area by lightly tapping on those things mentioned previously using a screwdriver handle. The module should be near the console, on the driver side.