Yesterday, for no apparent reason, my wipers stopped making a full arc when in intermittant. They would go all the way up, pause for the normal amount of time, then go back down. Sometimes they don't even go all the way back down. The bolts holding the arms on are tight. What are some ideas as to what this could be?

Thanks
Chris

 

I just swapped out the underhood relay with a known good one, and that didn't help. I also checked the fuse and disconnected the battery/cleaned terminals. No dice. Obviously there must be a timer somewhere that's malfunctioning as it seems to work fine on low and hi (so just an intermittant setting issue). Does anyone know where this timer is located and how it would be removed?

 

On my truck (95 Ram) take the driver kikboard off it was off to the left, just unplug it and it should pop off.

 

Nothing behind the kick panel. I wonder if it's integrated into the turn signal switch on a 99?

 

I meant to say on the right, and it could be.

 

its not the central timing module, nor the wiper switch, nor the multifunction switch. the intermittent signal is just a short, timed pulse to the low speed winding. if you listen close, you'll hear the relay close, then reopen, and it sounds like a loud clock.. Tick - Tock.

the way the wiper motor comes on and makes a full revolution, which matches the arms going up/down is called the 'park circuit' in the the motor. its a second coil circuit that causes it to alway stop with the arms in the down position. there is an extra wire going to the motor to carry this 12v lead.

remove the wiper arms and plastic cowl to find the motor and the electrical connector. it has 4 wires - hi-speed, low-speed, park circuit, and ground. the park circuit is always on when either the high or low speed is on. verify this. if your electrical signal is as it should be, then the motor is bad. just replace it.

tip on arm removal. lift the wiper arm all the way into the locked vertical position. slide the catch at the base of the wiper just a little ways sideways, like 1/8", and the arm will lift off the shaft. this requires no force, so if it doesn't lift off easily, you're not doing it right. mark your original down positions on the windshield with a piece of tape so you can relocate them easily.

 

Judging from your description of how it works, it's pretty clear that the motor is the culprit. I'll perform the tests you recommend in the morning (assuming the rain stops) and see what's what.

Thanks!

 

I am having a problem with the wipers continuing to run in intermittent mode. It will sometimes go 3-4 times before stopping. They work just fine in Low and High. Just seems like a relay is sticking. I looked for a relay of some sort but no luck. Mine is a 95 if that helps.