95 jetta windshield wipers won't stop

[daglas]

Hi, my car is 1995 jetta III GL. One day morning when I started my car, the windshield wipers just automatically turned on. after that the wipers keep on even though the switch position is off when the key is in "on" position. it is more wired that it won't stop even I plug off the wiper/washer relay from the fuse/relay box (position 8 for the relay). most of time the speed of wipers can not be controlled by the switch but sometimes it works. But in all the cases the wipers won't turn off.

It sounds to me not a relay failure. But I don't quite understand why it keeps on even WITHOUT relay. Comments or suggestions are appreciated.

[denisond3]

Mine is a 90, but the principle is probably the same. Inside the wiper motor assembly is a gear to go from the motor speed down to the wiper speed. Inside this round chamber, and usually on the side of the larger gear, there are some metallic tracks. Two or three brass 'fingers' ride against the tracks. This is what tells the motor to stop in the right place, i.e. to 'park'. If one of the fingers breaks off (due to the old hardened grease and normal corrosion), it may fall across the contact that is supposed to open the circuit when the wiper has reached the 'park' position.
I have had to open up that gearbox and clean out hardened grease on a couple of my cars - mopars and Ford Escorts, etc.

Anyway, thats my only idea.

With my daughter's Saturn the wipers would sometimes not stop. I wasnt able to open up the gearbox, as it was rivetted shut, not screwed shut. Instead I put a switch on the dashboard with wires running through the firewall to the line that supplied the 12 volts to the motor. So they can stop the wipers if need be by flipping the switch.

[daglas]

Thank you, denision3. It has been recovered after I did some clean work and adjustment for the connectors on the motor. So I believe it is a "short" problem.