windshield wipers won't shut off

[1534dover]

They just stay in the intermittant, or pulse mode. The auto shop I have gone to in the past says they can fix this problem by purchasing and installing a new wiper motor. I imagine that would work, but I am looking for a cheaper solution. This is on my daughter's 88 Type T Electra. Any ideas out there?

[HotZ28]

Originally Posted by 1534dover

They just stay in the intermittant, or pulse mode. The auto shop I have gone to in the past says they can fix this problem by purchasing and installing a new wiper motor. I imagine that would work, but I am looking for a cheaper solution. This is on my daughter's 88 Type T Electra. Any ideas out there?

It sounds more like the wiper switch than the motor. If the motor was bad, the wipers would not work at all! Get another opinion from your mechanics.

Good luck

[1534dover]

I believe the avenue they will take is that even if it is a switch, it won't be cheaper for them to repair because of the labor, to remove, find the problem, replace the switch and reinstall. If I remember right, to replace it they wanted about $160 last year. I checked an auto parts store and the unit sells for about $95. That would be about right. Repair shops routinely charge at least $50 an hour labor and mark up the cost of the parts they install.
I want to avoid that expensive if possible.

[pirho451]

Another thing you might want to look at is getting a whole steering column out of another Park Avenue of that same vintage. They're about $50 from a salvage yard, and are fairly easy to remove. Just a couple of bolts and disconnect the wiring harness... less than 30 minutes! If you do that make sure to get one out of a car that has the ignition key in it, and also try to get one where the car was not in an accident.

[deadring]

it could be the relay under the hood.. since the switch activates a relay that powers up the motor wiper.

with age, relays can stick..giving it a small knock or replacing it to see.

Deadring

[1534dover]

How about my cutting into the wiring someplace and adding an additional switch which could be attached within easy reach? I could probably do that for less than ten bucks.

[deadring]

how about doing it right the first time, come on, check out the relays first.. it will cost 5 $ at a scrap yard for used one SHOULD be ok.

[wrightz28]

Originally Posted by 1534dover

How about my cutting into the wiring someplace and adding an additional switch which could be attached within easy reach? I could probably do that for less than ten bucks.

Ok, c'mon bud, you did a thorough job on getting the car through emissions, don't start getting 'crafty' here. And, foremost of all, incase you have not noticed, these vehicles, PA, LeSabre, Deltas have mass electircal problems. You do not want to start hacking up wires to solve an inconvenience problem with a half baked solution. I would be extremely confident in saying that it is the switch it'self. Let me ask you this, since it's a female driver, chances are the left turn signal automatic return doesn't work either. My wife broke the switch cam on both my PA and Lesabre by getting her purse hung up in it. The switch is not all that hard to replace and available on many models from the junk yard for not much cash. Heck, worse comes to worse, I think I have one laying around from when I went to the yards and bagged as many as possible when there was a sale.

[1534dover]

Ok, boys, You convinced me. I won't take a short cut. I'll start with Deadring. Deadring, what does that relay look like? (Wrightz28, I will e mail her about the left turn signal automatic return. Do I have to take the steering wheel apart to replace the switch?)

[wrightz28]

Originally Posted by 1534dover

Ok, boys, You convinced me. I won't take a short cut. I'll start with Deadring. Deadring, what does that relay look like? (Wrightz28, I will e mail her about the left turn signal automatic return. Do I have to take the steering wheel apart to replace the switch?)

Sure do, but it's not difficult. A repair manual, steering wheel puller and an hours time and you'll be fine. Oh, and a case preffered beer at the cost of the driver.

[1534dover]

no, directional signal works fine. I'm not convinced the problem is in the switch.

[wrightz28]

All I have to say is I don't see how replacing the motor is going to solve the problem. The problem is that the motor is getting power when it shouldn't that has to be determined as to why that is. But, if the shop is confident in this being the answer and they are willing to back their work up and dig further into it if it dosen't cure the problem than more power to ya, no pun intended.

[1534dover]

As always, I appreciate imput from others. I have a vague memory of this same thing happening with a Cimmeron I once owned and that is how they fixed it. I had this car for a week, and found lots of other electrical problems. It sits out in our Oregon rain and the moisture is hard on it.

[HotZ28]

First to reply and hopefully the last. Let's take a logical look at the solution to your problem. The first thing you do when you turn on your wiper, is to turn the wiper switch on, then 12V or sometimes less, are transfered to a relay, the relay enguages and sends a full 12V to the motor. Most Buick wiper switches have three different selectors,
(1) high,low, mist switch. (2) a pluse switch that usually has five slections, from slow to fast pluse, or postion 1 through 5. (3) mist mode that selects the washer motor and the wiper motor. All three switches are usually in the turn siginal selector arm on the steering coloum. The turn siginal switch has nothing to do with the wiper switch. Usually you have five wires going from the steering coloum to the wiper motor. The red wire is for the wash mode, the white (yellow on some) is for 12v to the motor, dark green is for the mist mode, purple is for the fast mode, and grey is the mux wire. (Some GM cars have a second grey wire in the same harness as the wiper wires. Use a multi-meter to find the one that cycles over several volts when the switch is in the intermittent mode, that wire is the mux wire. All of the wiper wires are fairly heavy guage - not the thinner wires of the cruise control. Now with all that said, your problem is with the switch stuck in the pulse mode. If you had a stuck relay, the wiper motor would run with the ignition switch turned off, or all the time. Again, the wiper motor is good if it runs now!! Just replace the switch and solve your problem. They are cheaper than a motor anyway!