Rear wiper motor problems!

[brentlehr]

My rear wiper motor hasn't worked in five years. Not sure if the motor is bad or the switch is bad. How can I test this sucker to see if the motor is actually bad?

[brentlehr]

I'm going to answer my own question.

1. Remove Motor
2. To test low speed operation connect a positive battery lead terminal 2 on the wiper motor. Connect negative battery lead to the motor body. If wiper motor works then low speed operation is good.
3. To test high speed repeat step 2 but connect positive lead to terminal 1. If wiper motor works then high speed is good.

Not sure about testing the switch yet.

[timsrv]

Almost every time I've troubleshooted this problem it ended up being broken wires inside the little accordion tube (right side top) on the rear hatch frame. Every time the hatch gets opened/closed these wires bend back/forth. Over the years they fracture and break. It's not always visually obvious. It's actually common to see the wire insulation intact, but the copper strands inside are often broken (copper work hardens). When I fix, I avoid using butt connectors or anything rigid inside the flex-tube area. Any more I just cut all the wires off on each side, then put new wires inside the flex tube, then butt connect and stuff the connectors into a stationary spot inside the door and in the door frame. I usually leave 2 or 3" extra on both both sides of the splice before tucking them in and re-attaching the accordion flex-tube. Tim

[brentlehr]

Spot on! The wiring was totally split on all the wires running on the passenger side. Did a quick splice to test and I have a rear wiper!

Out of curiosity I checked the drivers side since my reverse lights have never worked. Found three wires totally split in half but no luck after repair. Guess it is the neutral safety switch.

[timsrv]

Guess it is the neutral safety switch.

Or maybe just bulbs and/or corrosion on the socket and/or contacts. Believe it or not, I've had several vans without B/U lights and figured just no way both bulbs were out.............only they were (new bulbs solved the problem). Tim

[TheCarolinian]

Hello all.Like the title said,it just runs all the time.I know I can pull the fuse but can anyone maybe point me in the right direction of fixing it?Much appreciated.
1986 cargo van,2wd auto.

[nikifix]

more than likely it is a seized on relay mounted on the reservoir.....the funny thing bout this Is that I found a relay that fit at a local hardware store in the auto section for 10 dollars

[TheCarolinian]

more than likely it is a seized on relay mounted on the reservoir.....the funny thing bout this Is that I found a relay that fit at a local hardware store in the auto section for 10 dollars

Thanks for the reply.I was going to start by pulling the trim off dash and check switch first but now I'm rethinking it.The wiper washer pump works fine front and rear but the wiper motor just runs all the time.I'm guessing that's why the wiper arm has been removed from the mount.Not sure where I'll start with it but I'll give it a go.Thanks nikifix.

[TheCarolinian]

Ok,after some further research I found it could be the park switch/relay on the motor itself.I'll start there after I replace the fuse because that apparently can cause this problem as well.Will report back.

[TheCarolinian]

Problem solved using this trouble shooting link I found on Rockauto. Was a failed ground. http://my.cardone.com/techdocs/PT 40-0001.pdf

[JPERL]

Rear wiper Motor works but the arm does not move. Does the rear wiper motor have a wiper "transmission"

[Burntboot]

Doesn't have a separate transmission its all integral with the motor.

Sometimes the splines wear, best to pop the rear arm off, if the spindle turns the splines/arm are shot, if the spindle doesn't turn, the gears are stripped.

[boogieman]

actually there are a couple linkage arms and plastic joints that could fail...cant seem to post pics right now...ive ripped that stuff out of most my vans..

[Burntboot]

Apologies to JPERL and thanks to Boogie for the correction.

I admit I haven't had mine out yet and wouldn't normally chime in without first hand knowledge.
In my defence, I based my observation on the one that came in several boxes of "van" parts.

I suppose what this really means is I don't actually have a spare :(

[Carbonized]

6795

Plastic gears in here could have gone bad.

6796

Or one of this ball joints.

[spudnik84]

My '84 van was working really well, no activity out of the ordinary, started in the morning with no anomalies.
Then, after sitting for about 8 hours, when it started up, the rear window wiper started up without my having touched the dashboard button. I can't get it to stop. Pushing the button, restarting the van ... nothing works.

So, what can I do? Ideas on what the cause is, anyone? Is there a fuse I can remove to stop it (without disabling anything else)? Where, exactly, is the fuse box, and which fuse do I pull to do the trick?

Thanks for any help.

[nikifix]

there is a pump relay in the side panel where the water reservoir is.....it has stuck on and needs replacement....there is a after market one for ten bucks in automotive part shops, which fits.

[spudnik84]

there is a pump relay in the side panel where the water reservoir is.....it has stuck on and needs replacement....there is a after market one for ten bucks in automotive part shops, which fits.

Sorry — which side panel, and where?
Also, that reservoir has been missing-in-action for years, and I didn’t push the panel button to call for the wiper.

Do you know of anyway to stop it short of replacing relay ... like, as I thought, just yanking the fuse? I don’t need for the wiper to work ... just to stop.

[nikifix]

Sorry I was thinking of the washer pump...just remove backdoor panel and remove wire

[spudnik84]

Sorry I was thinking of the washer pump...just remove backdoor panel and remove wire
So, taking into account similar angsts reported on this forum, And especially one that suggested that the problem could be bare touching wires in the accordion-like conduit at the top of the door, I figured, what the hell, let me do the lowest-tech thing possible — so I just wrapped my hand around that black pleated thing and just squeezed it tight a few times — the equivalent of giving a misbehaving TV a good smack. Voila! No more wiper problem. It likely isn’t a permanent fix, but at least I know where the problem is located. And when/if it returns, I’ll take your advice and remove the wire. Thanks.