Wiper speeds

[Bill Blue]

I have always had both wiper speeds. Suddenly last year, I lost high speed. But the wipers still park properly at high speed. Low speed works just fine. What could cause this?

Bill

 

[sunalp]

Could be a wire off the resistor that changes the speed of the motor. They are soldered on and can break
off with vibration. Either that or the resistor could be bad.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Steve

 

[Bill Blue]

I am not aware of any resistors. I have been told the motor slows down because a countering current is introduced. But if it does have a resistor, wouldn't loss of a resistor leave "high" as the only speed? Regardless of how it operates, how can the unit not have a high speed during operation, but parks on high speed?

Bill

 

[Tom H]

The Red/Grn wire is not connected. probably broken at the resistor like Steve says. The resistor were bad it would always run slow. Believe it or not, the resistor makes it fast. The normal parking speed is slow. The fact that the parking speed is fast is the clue that it's the Red/Grn wire wire that broken.

Tom

 

[DanR]

Mr Bill, Perhaps these will help too!

OOPs! I posted the wrong pictures.... Getting too old apparently, brain thinks one thing and my hand goes another

EDIT made so all will know the PIC's are my mistake.

 

[Bill Blue]

Where is the resistor? This is a Series V. The parking speed has always been fast.

Bill

 

[Bill Blue]

So the wiper motor uses the fan blower resistor?
Bill

 

[Andrew]

So the wiper motor uses the fan blower resistor?
Bill

I was going to ask the same thing?? What would the Wiper Motor have to do with the Blower Fan, same resistor?

 

[sunalp]

Bill,
In my dim and aching brain, I saw heater fan. I apologize!
There is no resistor on the wipers. You must have a wire off either the switch
or on the wiper motor, or dirty contacts. Check your wiring and check connections.
These wiper motors, with age can go funny. I had one that would start all by itself
and you couldn't shut it off.

Anyway, hopefully , Tom H will add to this as he knows a lot about these electrics.

Cheers!
Steve

 

[DanR]

I am sorry for confusing! Wrong PICs.... DUh!

 

[Bill Blue]

Three guys talking about something I was pretty sure did not exist. All I can say is "ELDER ABUSE!"

I have swapped out the switch, was pretty sure that would fix the problem. Will check wiring next. I cannot for the life of me figure out how I can have slow speed but not fast speed. I suppose that means my understanding of how they work is flawed. Me, flawed? Can't believe it!
Bill

 

[Tom H]

DUH! I also had in mind the big green resistor on the blower! But my analysis was based on the schematic for the wiper, which shows the resistor as part of the wiper circuit. Apparently the resistor is inside the housing and is not even shown or labeled in the exploded view on page N46 in the WSM145. This probably means it is an integral part of the field winding and not readily accessible or replaceable. But the fact that the wiper parks at high speed tells us that the resistor is in place and working correctly. Interesting that a resistor in series with the field winding actually makes the wiper go faster. The only thing I can imagine causing the situation you describe might be if the wires are mis-connected to the switch, e.g. R/G connected where Brn/Grn should be and vice versa. Or the wires could be swapped at the bullets near the wiper motor. I can't really see from the WSM dwg , because that dwg shows a rotary switch and not the toggle switch that is in our Alpines. I assume you connected the wires according to the Alpine Series V wiring diagram. But if I recall correctly the colors have aged ( like us elders) and it's hard to tell Red/Grn from Brn/Grn.

To test the wiper motor and resistor, with the ignition ON, and the wires to the switch not connected, simply short the Red/ Grn wire to ground. The wiper should go at high speed. If not, the problem is inside the wiper housing. Then short both Red /Grn, and Brn / Grn to ground and wiper should go slow.


Tom

 

[DanR]

Thanks Tom for "yours too"!! MAkes me feel a bit better

I read 2 speed and resistor then was OFF AND RUNNING in the wrong direction.

 

[Bill Blue]

Thanks Tom for "yours too"!! MAkes me feel a bit better

I read 2 speed and resistor then was OFF AND RUNNING in the wrong direction.

Sort of like a member says his wife is with directions. Whichever direction she happens to be facing is North.

My problem almost has to be a bad connection as the wipers went through a phase (two or three repetitions) of malfunctioning before settling down to low speed only and the switch has been replaced. I was very surprised when that did not solve the problem.

Tom, it is best to assume that nothing I do is correct. All I can say is that I try. In all honesty, I have had the wiper motor apart two or three times (not recently) and do not recall seeing anything that I thought might be a resister.

Bill

 

[DanR]

Mr Bill, Survive the Summer and perhaps I have a spare workable 2 speed wiper motor for your "next" Winter Project.

 

[Bill Blue]

Testing results are somewhat inconclusive. Grounding one of the non powered wires gives a healthy spark, but no wiper movement. Grounding the other non powered wire gives a weak spark and no movement. Turning the wipers to "high" and grounding the healthy spark wire starts the wipers and they will remain running after the ground is removed. Grounding the other wire reduced speed. I think perhaps the problem is inside the wiper motor box. High friction or high resistance, take your choice. I think it is time to break out the Rainex.

Bill

 

[65beam]

Sort of like a member says his wife is with directions. Whichever direction she happens to be facing is North.

My problem almost has to be a bad connection as the wipers went through a phase (two or three repetitions) of malfunctioning before settling down to low speed only and the switch has been replaced. I was very surprised when that did not solve the problem.

Tom, it is best to assume that nothing I do is correct. All I can say is that I try. In all honesty, I have had the wiper motor apart two or three times (not recently) and do not recall seeing anything that I thought might be a resister.

Bill

Bill,
Run down to Walmart and buy some RAINX. You'll never need the wipers again.

 

[Tom H]

Bill, I'm not surprised that you saw nothing that looked like a resistor inside the housing. I think the resistor is simply a wire winding, maybe copper or maybe resistance wire, but would look very much like the field winding but not wound around the steel core.

If you look at the wiring drawing on page N49 of WSM145, you can see that connecting the switch connects BOTH the Red/Grn wire and the Brn/Grn wire to gnd for normal (low) speed and connects only the Reg/Grn wire to gnd for high speed. And the limit switch connects only the Red/Grn wire which should accomplish low speed parking. Unfortunately it shows a rotary switch and it's not entirely clear how the toggle switch in our Alpines accomplishes the same thing. I suspect the toggle switch in the OFF position actually shorts the Red/Grn to the Brn/Grn with nothing to ground. This would explain high speed parking. But of you are able to get the wiper to run at all using the switch , you should surely be able to duplicate that with shorting teh wires to ground- with the wires NOT CONNECTED to the switch.

Tom

 

[Bill Blue]

"you should surely be able to duplicate that with shorting teh wires to ground- with the wires NOT CONNECTED to the switch."

Right. The switch is nothing magical, it simply provides ground path(s). But the damn thing would not run. To me, that means the problem is not in the dash wiring or switch. So it has to be in the wiper box somewhere.

Bill

 

[DanR]

Here is my "dumb" question. Have you checked the switch to se if it is making a good contact?